Impact of School Socio-Cultural Capital on Students' Academic Performance of Secondary School Students in South Punjab

Abstract

This study has attempted to evaluate the role of school based socio cultural capital on the academic performance of secondary students in South Punjab, Pakistan and especially in relation to four variables: classroom size, teacher educational preparation, language used during lectures by a teacher, and parent teacher meetings. A qualitative methodological design was used and it consisted of twelve focus group discussions (FGDs) in three districts. Thematic analysis was conducted on the qualitative information. The results of the study indicated that increased classroom size, teacher training, effective instructional language use, and involvement of parents in parent-teacher meeting had considerable influence on better academic performance. Qualitative results have stressed the factor of supportive teacher-students relationships, clear teacher-student communication, and school-home rapport as having a critical influence on students, learning experiences. The research paper finds that school-based socio-cultural means are a crucial variable in boosting the academic performance and suggests ameliorating the classroom environment to its fullest extent, is to support teacher education, the teaching language, and active parental engagement to support effective yet fair education. The results can bring real life advice to policymakers, educators, and administrators of schools that want to enhance the quality of secondary education under resource-restricted conditions.

Keywords: Socio-cultural capital, Academic performance, Classroom size, Teacher training, Teacher language, Parent-teacher meetings, Secondary education, South Punjab.