The Impact of Community Contribution on the Academic Achievement of Students

The Impact of Community Contribution on the Academic Achievement of Students

P. Sivananthan, L. Wedikandage

Department of Social Science Education, University of Colombo

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2023.701179

Received: 09 October 2023; Revised: 22 October 2023; Accepted: 26 October 2023; Published: 24 November 2023

ABSTRACT

A school is a sub-organization of the community, and both are important for developing the other; a school alone cannot achieve success without the cooperation of the community. Hence, the school needs to obtain the cooperation of the community for the growth of the students’ education. The objectives of this study were to measure the present status of the community contribution to improving the academic achievement of students, evaluate actions taken by schools to increase community contribution, analyze the relationship between actions taken by schools and community contribution, and analyze the impact of the community contribution on the academic achievement of students. This study was conducted in a quantitative domain with a descriptive survey design. Questionnaires and documents were used to gather data. Ten principals, ten deputy principals, forty teachers, twenty parents, and twenty past pupils were selected as samples using purposive sampling techniques. A descriptive analysis method was used to analyze the data. The following results have been obtained: the present status of community contribution was at a low level, the actions taken by the school to increase community contribution were high, and the actions taken by schools had a moderately positive impact on community contribution. Also, the community contribution had a moderately positive impact on the academic achievement of students. As a result, there will be a positive impact on the academic achievement of students if the schools have an effective relationship with their community.

Keywords: Community Contribution, Student’s Academic Achievement, School Community Relationship

INTRODUCTION

Academic achievement is the degree of academic knowledge a student has acquired in a specific time period. This can be any way in which a student has met short-term or long-term academic objectives within an academic context. Testing and assessments are typically used to examine a student’s academic performance. Accordingly, a student’s learning success can be demonstrated in his learning achievement; if learning is high, then achievement will be high; if learning is low, then achievement will be low. The completion or absence of students gaining grades in every subject at school indicates the achievement of student learning. The achievement is reflected in the final result, which includes the report card, the value of national exam preparation, and the national test score (Rahmawati, Kartika Hendra Titisari, and  Supawi Pawenang, 2021).

A number of factors influence the academic achievement of students. They are divided into two categories: school factors and social factors. Community contribution is a very important social factor. In this research, the term ‘community’ means that the personnel who cooperate with the principal and teachers involve themselves in the activities related to the school’s development. Thus, the community includes parents, past pupils, well-wishers, and other social institutions. This community can be seen as both formal and informal in the school environment, and at the same time, it is also found in various places locally and internationally (Thanigasalampillai, 2010).

Many studies have presented a positive correlation between community contribution and the academic achievement of students. Community contribution has even been emphasized more recently as a crucial prerequisite for the long-term improvement of schools and educational systems. It should come as no surprise that encouraging community contribution in the learning process can have a significant impact on student achievement. Communities that actively participate in education processes improve student results, fortify the connection between society and the educational system, and foster a culture of shared accountability for future generations (Caitlin Ryan, 2023). In addition, Catherine Daly (2022) found that the goal of community is to make people feel like they belong. Students who have a sense of belonging believe they are an important part of their academic community and are accepted, appreciated, and included by their teachers and peers. They are driven to learn and participate in their classes, which results in better attainment, progression, and enhanced academic performance. Furthermore, Jean-Baptiste Sanfo (2020) indicated that community involvement in education is crucial to enhancing educational quality. The integration of the school and the community helps students achieve the goals of education and runs the school effectively. Without such integration, neither the school nor the community can benefit (Tondeur, 2013).

The contribution of parents to the academic achievement of students is essential. Parents are viewed as considerable resources in a variety of ways. Some parents supervise their children’s reading of textbooks. Some people have no time to spare. But children who are thus supervised at home read very clearly and accurately when reading in the classroom (Punniamurthy, 2016). Parents and society should show their involvement not only in funding the school but also in its expenditure. Parents should also be involved in the decision-making process in the schools where their children are learning (Muigai, 2012). Middle-class parents are seen as taking responsibility for their children’s school activities, while working and lower-class parents are seen as handing over their responsibility to schools and withdrawing from it (Prew, 2012). As parental involvement in education increases, students’ attainment level will increase, and students’ attendance at school will also improve. At the same time, dropouts from school will also decrease (Epstein, 2012). Furthermore, Muhammad Qasim, Aqsa Saleem, and Muhammad Hafeez (2021) found that parental involvement played a significant role in children’s online learning and academic achievement during COVID-19.

Classroom activities alone cannot improve the academic achievement of students. On the other hand, the daily attendance of the students should be regular, late attendance should be less frequent, and there should be no dropouts. Additionally, in order to raise achievement, schools and classrooms must be resourceful, teacher-student relationships must be effective, students must set up a learning environment at home, and parents must actively participate in meetings. Furthermore, co-curricular activities have to be carried out effectively, student discipline and moral value need to be great, and welfare services need to be high. These can’t be completed by the school alone. This is only possible when there is an adequate level of community involvement and participation is this possible. Schools employ a number of strategies to maximize community engagement and participation. Thus, every school receives the involvement of the community in different quantities by following different mechanisms according to the nature of the school.

In this context, this study was conducted with the objectives of analyzing the present status of the community contribution to improving the academic achievement of students, actions taken by schools to increase community contribution, the relationship between actions taken by schools and community contribution, and the impact of the community contribution on the academic achievement of students on the basis of 1C schools in the Vadamaradchy Education Zone in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka.

METHODS

Descriptive survey design was used as the research approach since the revealed variable of data and the strength of the research result variable in the form of data were initially measured and converted into numbers and were then analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques. This approach was used since the data would be observed and processed in the form of numbers and calculations. The location of research was in 1C schools of the Vadamaradchy Education Zone in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. The population of this research was ten 1C schools in the Vadamaradchy Education Zone. Ten principals, ten deputy principals, twenty senior teachers who are members of the management team, twenty senior teachers who are members of the school development committee, twenty parents, and twenty past pupils who are members of the school development committee of these schools have been selected through purposive sampling.

A questionnaire was used as the research instrument to filter the variables of the research. The questionnaire used a Likert scale with four alternative answers. Questionnaires, which consist of a set of questions or statements, were used to collect the data. The questionnaires were closed questionnaires since the respondents only had to choose their answer from the provided options. The questionnaires would ease the respondent’s choice and determination of their answers. Furthermore, the document was also used as a research instrument. The descriptive statistics approaches were used to analyze the data. For the descriptive analysis, Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) version 26 was used.

RESULTS

The mean was used to measure the difference between the data obtained from the principal, deputy principal, teachers, parents, and past pupils regarding the present status of community participation in improving the student’s learning achievement and actions taken by the school to increase community contribution. It has been shown in the below table.

Table 1: Variance of the respondents

According to Table 1, the standard deviation of the opinions of the principal, deputy principal, teachers, parents, and past pupils on the present status of community contribution to the academic achievement of students ranged from 0.5 to 0.6 with little variation. Their mean values were averaged out to be 3.4. A low level is defined as a Likert scale score between 2.5 and 3.4. As a result, the present status of community contributions to the academic achievement of students is low. As well, the standard deviation of the opinions of the principal, deputy principal, teachers, and actions taken by the school to increase community contribution ranged from 0.6 to 0.7 with little variation. Their mean values were averaged out to be 3.7. A higher level is defined as a Likert scale score between 3.5 and 4.4. As a result, the actions taken by the school to increase community contributions are high.

Pearson correlation was used to calculate the correlation between school actions and community contribution, which is displayed in the table below.

Table 2: Correlations between actions taken by schools and community participation

*Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (1-tailed).

According to Table 2, the significant value was calculated at the 0.05 level. At 0.031, the significant value between the dependent and independent variables was smaller than at 0.05. The correlation coefficient had statistical significance as a result. The independent variable and the dependent variable correlated 67.8% (n = 10, r = 0.678 ≤ 1). As a consequence, actions taken by schools had a moderately positive impact on community contribution.

The Pearson correlation was used to calculate the correlation between community contribution and student academic achievement, and the results are displayed in the table below.

Table 3: Correlations between examination results and community participation

*Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (1-tailed).

According to Table 3, the significance value of all dependent variables was measured at the 0.05 level. Also, the value was smaller than 0.05. As a result, the correlation coefficient had statistical significance.

The independent variable and the dependent (Grade 5 exam result) variable correlated by 63% (n = 10, r = 0.63≤ 1). Therefore, community contributions had a moderately positive impact on Grade 5 exam results. As well, there was a moderately positive correlation (n = 10, r = 0.575 ≤ 1) of 57.5% between the two variables. Therefore, community contributions had a moderately positive impact on O/L exam results. Also, there was a moderately positive correlation (n = 10, r = 0.576 ≤ 1) of 57.6% between the two variables. Therefore, community contributions had a moderately positive impact on GCE A/L exam results.

CONCLUSION

The present status of community contribution was at a low level (likert scale score 3.4) in the 1C schools that were selected for the study. The actions taken by the school to increase community contribution were at a high level in Likert scale score 3.7 in these schools. As well, the actions taken by schools had a moderately positive impact on community contribution (67.8%). Also, the community contribution had a 60% moderately positive impact on the academic achievement of students.

DISCUSSION

If community contribution is high, it has a high positive impact on the academic achievement of students. Hence, schools must take effective strategic actions to increase community contributions. Many studies show that. Mwadia (2021) found that community participation is the most effective strategy to ensure that teachers and the community work together to improve students’ academic achievement. Also, Hussein & Muturi (2018) found that when schools have an effective relationship with their community, it has a positive impact on the academic achievement of students. As a result, there will be a positive impact on the academic achievement of students if the schools have an effective relationship with their community.

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