Effect of School Environment on Social Maturity of Higher Secondary Students

Abstract

The objective of the present study is to ascertain the association of school environment with social maturity in higher secondary students. To conduct the study, 600 higher secondary school students from the Janjgir-Champa district of Chhattisgarh were chosen. The sample includes 300 students from government schools and 300 students from private schools. Stratified sampling was used for the selection of subjects. The perception of students towards the school environment was assessed by an inventory prepared by Mishra (1983). The social maturity scale validated by Nalini Rao (2005) was used to assess social maturity among higher secondary students. a significant positive correlation between school environment and social maturity of higher secondary students. It shows that as higher secondary students perceive their school environment more favourably, their social maturity also enhances, i.e. social maturity gets enhanced with a good school environment. Results are consistent across government and private schools. It was concluded that the school environment paves the way to boost social maturity in higher secondary students. It is suggested that an inclusive and facilitative school environment needs to be created to enhance social maturity so that students can successfully participate in society.