School Environment and Students’ Academic Performance: A Comparative Study of Public and Private Primary Schools in North 24 Paraganas District, India

Abstract

Primary education is the foundation of a child’s educational journey and plays a crucial role in their overall development. The purpose of this study is to compare the school environment and academic performance of students between public and private primary schools in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. Descriptive survey design was employed for the present study. Through random sampling, a sample of 200 Class III students was selected from two government schools and two private schools. Data were collected using researcher made Academic Performance Test (APT) with reliability coefficient of 0.92 and by administering a checklist for collecting information regarding school environment covering three dimensions such as infrastructure, teaching-learning process and extracurricular activities. For analyzing the data, independent samples t-test and Pearson product moment correlation were employed. The findings of the study revealed that the academic performance of private school students was found to be superior to that of public school students, whereas female students outperformed male students. Moreover, a significant positive correlation was found between students’ academic performance and the school environment. The findings of the present study signify the impact of a supportive school environment on students’ academic achievement. The study highlights the importance of an enabling school environment for improving students’ academic performance, advocating for infrastructural developments, engaging teaching-learning and enriching academic climate. Future research may be carried out to a broader geographical area, larger sample size and at different levels of school education.