Counselling implications of school climate and learning outcomes of students in senior secondary schools in Delta State, Southern Nigeria

Abstract

School climate from studies over the last two decades has been shown to affect students and the process of learning. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to explore the school climate of some selected schools and also to determine the relationship between students' and teachers' perceptions of school climate and students' performance in mini WAEC tests. It is a cross-sectional survey of 664 randomly selected SSS 3 (three) students and 90 teachers in nine secondary schools in the 3 Senatorial districts in Delta State. Two sets of instruments were used to collect data for this study: School Climate Questionnaires (SCQs) and past WAEC objective questions in three subjects (English Language, Mathematics and Biology). The data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings revealed that most students perceived their school's social and academic environment as being poor. A significant difference was found in the physical environment of the school and the performance of the students in Biology. It is recommended that workshops and seminars be organized for school heads and teachers to enhance the positive school climate.