Understanding student attitudes towards school: a literature review
Abstract: A comprehensive look at how well a country is performing in education must give consideration to cognitive, affective and attitudinal aspects in addition to student academic performance. The 2010 National Education Technology Plan recognizes the need for educators to access the complex set of factors which impact student educational outcomes. Student attitudes toward school can be defined as their feelings and dispositions toward school and school related activities. Concrete attitudes toward school (Ashburn-Nardo, Smith, 2008) reflect ones beliefs regarding extrinsic rewards for scholastic effort. This review of literature examines research on student attitudes toward school. Factors identified in relation to student attitudes toward school include school support, environment, technology, and organization. Family, social, cultural, peer, and demographic (gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status) factors were also identified.