Beyond academic performance: The psychological benefits of positive school culture in mathematics education in Quetta, Pakistan

Abstract

Mathematics education does not improve only academic achievement by it fosters students' confidence, motivation, and resilience to overcome the academic challenges. A positive school culture has been recognized as an important contextual factor that may impact these psychological outcomes. The present study examined the influence of positive school culture on the psychological development of secondary school mathematics students in Quetta, Pakistan. Specifically, it investigated the effects of five dimensions of positive school culture peer relations, teacher student relations, learning practices, diversity and inclusion, and extracurricular activities on academic resilience, mathematics self-efficacy, and academic motivation. A cross-sectional quantitative research design was employed, and the data were collected from 400 secondary school students using a structured questionnaire. The reliability and validity of the instrument were established through Cronbach's alpha and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) using Smart PLS 4, while the descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and the multiple regression analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics 26. The findings revealed that peer relations significantly predicted academic resilience, whereas teacher, student relationships significantly predicted academic motivation. However, there was no statistical significant relationships were found between positive school culture and mathematics self-efficacy. Overall, the influence of positive school culture on students' psychological development was limited, suggesting that specific interpersonal relationships within schools are more influential than the overall school environment. This study highlights the significance of supportive peer interactions and positive teacher and student relationships to improve students' resilience and develop motivation in mathematics education.