Why students should not be forced to wear school uniforms
Introduction
The research will investigate the reasons why students should not be forced to wear school uniforms. School going children are in a tender and sensitive age that requires them to be handled with care. When they are limited to only wearing the same uniform makes them feel bored. The policy that requires the students to wear the same school uniform limits their creativity and uniqueness. The researcher will also be interested to know why students will prefer civilian clothes to school uniform, and the challenges they face while wearing the same uniforms—the effects of wearing uniforms cut across students, teachers and parents. The researcher will also be interested in capturing the perception of all the stakeholders. Parents decide the school they take their children while teachers spent most their time with students. Teachers can note any change in behaviour as it happens and the reasons behind the change. They will also note the academic performance of students and their level of indiscipline. The researcher will interview some parents to determine if buying school uniform is a burden to them and come up with a sustainable solution.
There has been a debate across the United States of America on whether students should wear the same school uniform. The question that most people are asking is whether school uniforms play any significant role towards either performance or discipline of the students. There are some schools which are already using applying the policy of the same school uniform across the students while others allow students to wear any type of cloth that makes them comfortable. In the 21st century, the education system has changed, and new policies have been introduced. Teachers are keen on the environment that they provide to young learners who are in the process of identifying themselves. They have to ensure students enjoy the necessary freedom to feel free while interacting with teachers while at the same time, record-high performances. The competition for schools has gone high with the establishment of more schools closer to the learners. Therefore, schools are keen to adopt policies that are favourable to the students, parents, among other stakeholders. The research will investigate the correlation between having the same uniform and other variables such as on students’ performance and indiscipline.
Research topic: Students Should Not Have to Wear Uniforms to School
Research questions:
What is the relationship between a student’s behaviour and the school uniform?
Does the school uniform influence the performance of a school?
Which factors are contributing to increased indiscipline cases in most high schools in the country?
Literature Review
The increase in schools across the country has led to competition because every school wants to win more students. The game has led to the introduction of new policies that are favourable to students. The polices acts as baits to attract the students and influence the decision of the parents. In modern society, parents are more concerned about the environment in the school they take their children. Most of the parents in the United States consider school performance, others consider discipline, and a significant number find ci-curricular activities. Students, on the other hand, are interested in a school that have a flexible environment, that which is not very strict. The number of school transfers is high nowadays because most parents are allowed to make decisions about the schools of their choice. Therefore, a school that does not change its policies to meet the demands of the students is likely to lose. The existing knowledge does not offer a clear explanation about the relationship between school uniform and academic performance.
One of the issues that students consider is the school uniform. Students tend to violate the school rules, with or without reason. In the schools that require all students to wear the same uniform, students violate the policy and try to introduce civilian clothing to school. Teachers who support the policy argue that having the same school uniform reduces the aspect of competition among the students, in that no one feels better than the other. Thus, the students are likely to concentrate on their books without distractions. In high school, students are hardly grown enough to make their decisions. Therefore, they need someone to chose on their behalf. Since the teacher interacts with the students more often, they will play a sign fact role in the research. They will give the researcher information about the concerns and issues they have with the school uniform.
There is a significant number of parents and students as well who do not support the same uniform policy. Uniforms play a very insignificant role in the performance of the students as well as their discipline. Instead, teachers should explore more factors that influence the performance of a school and training rather than blaming it on the uniform. There are several other reasons why schools should reconsider the same uniform policy across all schools. Flam (2013), argues that same school uniforms do not allow students to express themselves. The schools that have defined dress usually do not allow students to choose uniforms colours of their choice. Reprieving them the privilege of expressing themselves may have a long-lasting impact on how they make their decisions in future. Same school uniform limits the flexibility of the students. For instance, students with interests in becoming fashion designers and models are limited to exploiting their potentials. If schools do not restrict the same uniform, such talents could be nurtured early by allowing them to wear their creations. Schools should come up with other ways of instilling discipline rather than restricting students to the same uniforms.
According to Popa & Olaru (2018), same school uniforms do not promote individuality among the students. Since we are in a democratic country, personality and individuality should be nurtured at an early age. Most of the students in secondary schools are either in puberty or adolescent stages. The stage is very critical in the development and shaping the perception of people. Therefore, the school system, and the country at large, should embrace unconditional diversity that supports and encourages different ideas. Uniforms are gender discriminating where girls are required to wear skirts while boys wear shorts. The system does not mind about cases of transgender and gender nonconformity among students. Uniforms, therefore, inconvenience the student and inserting pressure to fit in the community. The proponents of the policy do not consider other areas that are likely to affect third parties like parents. Parents incur a lot of costs on student clothing. Not all parents can afford the money to keep on buying new sets of uniform every time. It leads to unnecessary expenses every time a student outgrows a set of uniform, while they also purchase clothes to be used outside school. Although schools that require students to wear a uniform in school perform well, there is no direct link between uniforms and student achievement.
The research will investigate the pros and cons of students wearing the same uniform. The researcher will design questionnaires that will be filed by students of either gender, about their perception of the policy. According to the ProCon.org. (2020), making mandatory uniform requirements is one-way young people are denied their freedom. If they were given a chance to choose, the majority would prefer casuals over school uniforms. Schools should recognize that people are created with different personalities, therefore, make different decisions. In as much as schools use uniforms to instil discipline, it does not eliminate violence among students. School systems should major in improving the self-esteem and social students among students. School uniform is part of restrictive policies that take way the concentration of students away from class. Due to the fact, there is no harm in doing away with school uniforms.
The researcher will also visit schools to interview students face-to-face. The interview questions will be more or less similar to the questions in the questionnaire because the researcher will be interested in getting complementing information. The follow-up interviews will also help the researcher conform, thus validate the data collected using the survey. The interviewee will be selected among the respondents who submit their filled questionnaires. The questions will focus on determining if students feel comfortable with school uniforms and give them room to suggest their preference. The sample population will include teachers and parents, whose questions will be different. Parents and teachers will provide a piece of detailed information to make the research findings more accurate. Students are likely to influence one another while filling the questionnaire, and therefore parents and teachers will eliminate any possible biasness. Each respondent will be given enough time to respond to the questions and seek clarification during the physical interview. Since some respondent is far, the researcher will send the questions via email and interview over the internet.
References
Amanda Mergler. 2017. Research on school uniforms; clear, they disadvantage girls. Retrieved from http://girlsuniformagenda.org/2017/06/14/research-girls-school-uniforms-clear-discriminate/
Lisa Flam. 2013. Are school uniforms helping or hindering? Retrieved from https://www.today.com/parents/are-school-uniforms-helping-or-hindering-6C10945768
Matt Rauscher. 2018. Reasons Why Students Should Not Wear Uniforms. Retrieved from https://classroom.synonym.com/reasons-should-not-wear-uniforms-8094773.html
Popa. D & Olaru, R. (2018). The values and attitudes of the adolescents associated with wearing the school uniform. https://www.uav.ro/jour/index.php/jpe/article/view/993/1051
ProCon.org. 2020. Should Students Have to Wear School Uniforms? Retrieved from https://school-uniforms.procon.org/