The Impact of Teachers’ Dressing on Students’ Academic Performance: A Case Study of Junior High Schools in Kumasi, Ghana

Abstract

Ghana has seen persistent agitations for education reforms due to the unsatisfactory outcome of education objectives since independence. The major reasons were no different from the latest reform that was introduced, the Junior High School (JHS) system. That was so because it was yet another review of the entire education system of the country with the view of making it responsive to current global and social challenges. One of the concerns has been whether the influx of numerous foreign dress styles among teachers in Ghanaian society has an effect on students, teachers, and quality education. The aim of this research is to assess the dressing of teachers and its impact on junior high school students’ academic performance. The research identified, discussed, and assessed the impact of teachers’ dressing on students’ performance in selected junior high schools in the Oforikrom Municipality in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Both quantitative and qualitative research designs were used for the research. The questionnaire, observations, interviews, and focus group discussions were the instruments used in the collection of the data. A simple random and cluster area sampling method was adopted to select the respondents for the study. The accessible population for the study consisted of three hundred (300) JHS students, fifty (50) teachers, twenty (20) parents, and ten (10) education officers.A comparative analysis of four categories (students, teachers, parents, and education officers) on the impact of teachers’ dressing on students’ performance was performed. The study identified, assessed, and discussed the impact of teachers’ dressing on students’ academic performance in some selected junior high schools in the Oforikrom Municipality. Out of the hypothesis speculated before the investigation, it was established, with p-values greater than 0.05, from a paired two sample T-test analysis that there is a significant effect of teachers’ dressing on students’ performance. The study recommended that teachers should be given a dressing allowance to allow them to purchase appropriate school attire, and the government should institute a non-destructive dress code for teachers. The study will help teachers dress more appropriately and will have a significant impact on the lives of students.