A Comprehensive Study on How School Uniforms Affect Students Attitude
A couple of decades ago, school uniforms were worn mostly by students who went to private schools. But as local schools understood the importance of standardized test scores and campus safety, a significant number of schools in New Zealand made school uniforms mandatory.
Advocates of school uniforms along with the owners of school uniforms shops argue that students of schools having a fixed dress code are more attentive and do not care much about fashion. School administrators, on the other hand, are of the view that uniforms help eliminate gang wars and maintain uniformity within the campus.
Despite having a significant number of benefits, school uniforms are controversial because a lot of parents and students are not happy about the idea of forcing children to dress alike. They believe it suppresses freedom of expression.
A few years ago, the parents also complained that finding the same dress as mentioned by the school was an arduous task. But now, it’s no longer an issue as the number of school uniform shops in New Zealand increased significantly.
As public schools continue to debit the merits of school uniform — some schools have still not taken a concrete decision. As a responsible parent, you must know what research says on this topic.
Here are several academic studies that are worth reviewing.
- School Discipline, School Uniforms and Academic Research
The study examines the test scores and the behavior of the students in New Zealand, U.S.A, Canada, and 37 other countries. The objective is to determine whether uniforms affect the discipline of the students. The research found out that students who scored the highest marks were the most disciplined ones. Surprisingly, the schools from which they belonged had a fixed dressed code and
2. The Effect of Uniform on Student Achievement and Behavior
Though the use of school uniforms is rising, we lack evidence to suggest how they affect the students. Using a unique dataset from large urban schools in New Zealand suggested that uniform adoption of dress code improves attendance in secondary grades, while in elementary school, it improves the rate of teacher retention.
3. Uniforms in Middle school: Student Opinions, and Discipline Data
Researchers asked the students at an urban higher-secondary school in New Zealand what they think of school uniforms. Their public school had adopted a uniform policy after the staff members frustrated with the earlier dress code policy as this resulted in girls wearing short dresses and boys wearing shirts with inappropriate messages and messages.
The key takeaway of the study is that most of the students are not in favor of wearing school uniforms. However, more than expected females than males indicated that students treated them better with uniforms. Also, fewer females got detention for not wearing a uniform properly.
4. Effective of Student Uniforms on Attendance and Behavior Problems
The proponents of uniform measures emphasize the benefits of student uniforms on certain behavioral and academic outcomes. A study by eminent scholars revealed the fact that student uniforms have no direct impact on substance use, behavioral problems, or attendance.
Contrary to the current discourse, the researchers found a negative effect of school uniform on the academic performance of the students. This implies that uniform dress code may indirectly affect the school environment and student outcomes by providing a visible commitment to school improvement and reform structures.
So, to conclude, school uniforms don’t directly affect the academic performance of the student, but they do impact the attitude. Several studies conducted by eminent psychologists have revealed the fact school uniforms eradicate social barriers, prevents gang war, and inculcates discipline. This again makes the student focussed and career-centric.
