Article

Assessing the Impact of School Rules and Regulations on

Students’ Perception Toward Promoting Good Behavior:
Sabian Secondary School, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia
Alemneh Amesalu Fekadu
Department of Statistics, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Dire Dawa University,
1362 Dire Dawa, Ethiopia; [email protected]; Tel.: +25-190-962-6781




Received: 7 December 2018; Accepted: 28 March 2019; Published: 4 April 2019


Abstract: Discipline is an important component of human behavior, and one could assert that without
it, an organization cannot function well toward the achievement of its goals. The aim of this study was
to assess the impact of school rules and regulations on students’ perception toward promoting good
behavior. The data were obtained from 438 respondents through a mailed questionnaire instrument.
The data were tabulated, and Pearson’s chi-square test was applied for inferential analysis. Around
33.1% of the students had a negative perception of school rules and regulations about promoting
good behavior, whereas 66.9% of them had a positive perception. A p-value of 0.015 (<5% significance
level) indicated that there is a significant association between students’ awareness on school rules
and regulations and their perception toward promoting good behavior. Students’ attitudes on school
rules and regulations and perception toward promoting good behavior were statistically associated at
a p-value of 0.012. Parents’ educational levels had a significant effect on students’ perception toward
promoting good behavior. Generally, students’ awareness on school rules and regulations, parents’
education levels, civics and ethical education scores, and students’ attitudes toward promoting good
behavior were found as significant effects on perception toward promoting good behavior.

Keywords: rules; regulations; promoting good behavior; Pearson’s Chi-square test; SPSS

1. Introduction

1.1. Background of the Problem

Students are key stakeholders and the most essential resources in education. It is absolutely
necessary to direct students to exhibit an acceptable attitude and behavior within and outside the
school. In an attempt to achieve an organized and peaceful school environment and maintain law and
order, the school management specifies rules and regulations to guide the activities of members of the
educational institution [1].
Education is a lifelong process that begins at home and continues as a formal and informal training.
How a person learns and his or her success in learning the lessons of life are contingent upon earlier
lessons. Attitude affects perceptions and development through the learning process and is ultimately
manifested in behavior [2].
Different strategies to maintain discipline have been employed both at the national and school
levels. Among others, the adoption and deployment of school rules and regulations in secondary
schools is the main target for monitoring and curbing students’ behaviors [2].

Stats 2019, 2, 202–211; doi:10.3390/stats2020015 www.mdpi.com/journal/stats

Stats 2019, 2 203

Discipline is a prerequisite for almost everything a school can offer to students [3]. It links both
the culture and the climate of a school, and for a satisfactory climate to exist in a school, a certain level
of discipline must exist. In schools where discipline is a serious problem—for example, when students
bully each other—parents prefer to transfer their children to better schools. Since the well behaved
students usually perform well, their transfer to another school can affect the overall performance of the
former school.
Perception is a process of interpreting and understanding one’s environment. It is the process
through which people select, organize, and interpret what they see, hear, touch, and smell, and create
meaning from such things and respond to the world around them. Furthermore, perception is also a
process through which people receive, organize, and interpret information from their environment.
The secondary school students’ perception on school rules and regulations, therefore, has a great effect
on the way they obey and adhere to such rules and regulations [4].

1.2. Motivation and Innovation

Some students do not abide by the school rules and regulations, and for the same reason, they
dropout from school. Some students are not aware of and have less perception about school rules
and regulations that can instill in them acceptable behavior. Schools play an important role in the
socialization process of young people; it is where they learn to regulate their own conduct, respect
others, manage their time responsibly, and thus become responsible citizens [5]. In this backdrop,
this study aims to assess the impact of school rules and regulations on students’ perception toward
promoting good behavior, considering a case study of Sabian Secondary School, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.

1.3. Beneficiaries
The following stakeholders are expected to be benefited:

• It will address the issues for curriculum developers related to students’ discipline in the context of
creating good citizens.
• It will help school administrators to come up with rules and regulations that are effective and
efficient in discipline enhancement among students and staff.
• It will help in addressing issues of student indiscipline and parents, and the wider society will
benefit since the costs associated with student indiscipline will be minimized.

Besides this, this study expects to promote further research on the relationship between the school
rules and regulations and a good citizen. In other words, this study aims to develop insight for critically
assessing the content of school rules and recommendations that can produce quality citizenry.

1.4. Operational Definitions

• School rules: These include principles or orders that guide the behavior of students in schools.
• School regulations: These include daily timetable procedures of carrying out activities in school
as individuals or in groups.

2. Literature Review

2.1. School Rules and Punishing Offenders

In a proper learning situation, a disciplined student is the one expected to do the right things at the
right time [6]. A disciplined student is the one who is in the right place at the right time. Punishment
is often used for students who break school rules or do not follow school regulations [7].
Stats 2019, 2 204

According to [8], students realize that punishments are an effective method of remediating
individual misbehavior and therefore improving school order. Similarly, in the views of [9], students
understand that punishment can be an effective way of controlling misbehavior when it is fair and
consistent. It acts as a motivator for improving their learning and academic performance. Students
believe that punishments in a school system are expected to teach them the relationship between their
behaviors and outcome or accountability for their mistakes [10].

2.2. Students’ Participation in the Formulation of School Rules and Regulations

Student participation can be defined as the level of engagement and intrinsic interest that a student
shows in school rules and regulations. Student participation in the implementation of school rules
refers to the work of students’ representative bodies (school councils, student parliaments) in the
formulation of school rules. It is also used to encompass all aspects of school life and decision making,
where students can make a contribution informally through individual negotiation as well as formally
through purposely created structures and mechanisms. It also refers to the participation of students in
collective decision-making at a school or class level and to the dialogue between students and other
decision makers. It is not solely based on consultation or a survey among students [11].

2.3. Students’ Attitude toward School Rules and Regulations

Most students think that many school rules are good and without these rules, the school would
not be a pleasant place. As for the reason why these school rules exist, students primarily and most
frequently explain that they are there to prevent students from harming or hurting others or from
making other students upset, unhappy, frightened, or feel left out [11].

3. Data and Methodology

Study Area: Dire Dawa Administration is located in the eastern part of Ethiopia, 515 kilometers
from Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, and bounded by Oromia Regional State in the south
and by Somali Regional State in the north, east, and west. Dire Dawa Administration is characterized
by relatively high temperatures throughout the year with minor seasonal variations.

3.1. Target Population

The target population was from Sabian Secondary School in Dire Dawa city. The study included
grades nine, ten, eleven, and twelve, and the total number was 2520 for the secondary school students
in the 2017/2018 academic year.

3.2. Sampling Techniques and Data Collection Instrument

The sampling technique used in this study was stratified based on the grade level. These
levels were first stratum (Grade–9), second stratum (Grade–10), third stratum (Grade–11), and fourth
stratum (Grade–12), and simple random sampling technique was employed to select the sampling
units from each stratum. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire instrument.
The questionnaire was prepared in English and translated into the local language, Amharic, for more
clarification on questions and to improve the quality of the data.
Stats 2019, 2 205

3.3. Sample Size Determination

The appropriate sample size depends on available resources and the level of precision required.
Our sample size was calculated using Cochran’s (1977) sample size calculation formula:

(Z α2 )2
n0 = P(1 − P). (1)
d2
n0 n0 n0
If > 5%; then, n = n0 and if ≤ 5%, n = n0 .
N 1+ N N
where, P = 0.69 is the proportion of students with a positive perception on school rules and regulations
regarding promoting good behavior, taken from Asnake and Ashenafi (2018), and q = 1–P = 0.31 is the
proportion of students with negative perception on school rules and regulations toward promoting
good behavior, z = 1.96 is the critical values of standard normal cumulative distribution that corresponds
to α2 with 5% significant level, N = the total number of students in Sabian school (2520), and d = 0.04 is
the maximum allowable error the researcher will tolerate.

(1.96)2 (0.69)(0.31)
n0 = 0.042
= 514,
(2)
n = 1+nono = 514
514 = 426.91 ≈ 427.
N 1+ 2520

By adding 5% contingency for the expected non-response rate, the final sample size estimated is:

n = n + 0.05n = 427 + 0.05(427) = 448.35 ≈ 449. (3)

Proportional allocation: the sample size for each stratum (grade level) was calculated as follows:
N
nh = Nh n and is given in Table 1.

Table 1. Summary of proportional sample size allocation.

Grade Level Number of Student (Nh ) Sample Size (nh )

Nine 937 937
2520 ∗ 449 = 166.95 ≈ 167
Ten 805 805
2520 ∗ 449 = 143.43 ≈ 143
Eleven 459 459
2520 ∗ 449 = 81.78 ≈ 82
Twelve 319 319
2520 ∗ 449 = 56.83 ≈ 57
Total 2520 449 (Total sample size)

Dependent variable: Students’ perception on school rules and regulations toward promoting
good behavior (Yi ). It is dichotomous, and when a student has positive perception on the school rules
and regulations on promoting of good behavior, it is Yi (1) or otherwise Yi (0).
Independent variables: Students’ attitude towards schools rules and regulations, awareness on
school rules and regulations, participation in the formulation or implementation of schools rules
and regulations, and civics and ethical education score, parents’ education levels, and parents’
employment status.
Stats 2019, 2 206

3.4. Statistical Model

Statistical models such as descriptive statistics (graphs and tables for aggregation of the collected
data and determination of patterns) and Pearson’s chi-square test were employed to analyze the
collected data. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20.0) was used for data analysis.

Chi-Square Test of Independence

The chi-square test of independence was applied for two categorical variables to examine the
significant association between them. In order to apply the chi-square test, a null hypothesis was
required. Therefore, the null hypothesis was that “there is no relationship between the students’
perception toward promoting good behavior and a single independent variable”, whereas an alternative
hypothesis was the opposite of the null hypothesis. The resulting decision was that if the p-value was
less than 5%, there was a relationship between the two variables.

X ( O − E ) 2 
  !
Chi − Square X = 2 i

i  , X2 ((R–1) ∗ (C–1)); Ei = row count total ∗ colomun count total
E i
 total counts

where Oi is the observed number of cases in category i, and Ei is the expected number of cases in
category i; R and C are the total number of rows and columns, respectively, and (R–1)*(C–1) is the
degrees of freedom. The p-value indicates the probability of chi-square statistics and its degrees
of freedom.

4. Results and Discussion

4.1. Descriptive Statistics

4.1.1. Perception on the School Rules and Regulations toward Promoting Good Behavior
The total sample size was 449, but from those, 11 respondents’ questionnaires were rejected due
to incomplete responses, thus the final sample included 438 respondents. About 33.1% of the students
negatively perceived school rules and regulations regarding the promotion of good behavior, whereas
66.9% of them perceived them positively (Table 2).

Table 2. Perception on school rules and regulations in promoting good behavior.

Perception on School Rule and Cumulative

Frequency Percent Valid Percent
Regulation in Promoting Good Behavior Percent
negative perception 145 33.1 33.1 33.1
positive perception 293 66.9 66.9 100.0
Total 438 100.0 100.0

4.1.2. Awareness on School Rules and Regulations and Perception in Promoting Good Behavior
About 70.2% of students had awareness or more understanding of the school rules and regulations
toward promoting good behavior, whereas 29.8% of them perceived them negatively. Among them,
57.8% of students had awareness and perceived school rules and regulation positively, while 42.2%
perceived them negatively (Table 3).
Participating in school rules and the formulation or implementation and perception in promoting
good behavior:
Stats 2019, 2 207

Around 68.9% of the students were participating in school rule formulation or implementation and
had a positive perception toward creating good behavior. The remaining 31.1% perceived it negatively.
Of the respondents, 61.8% were involved in the formulation or the implementation of school rules
and had a positive perception in the promotion of good behavior, while 38.2% of them perceived
it negatively. Nowadays, at different school levels, many student representatives are involved in
the implementation of school rules and regulations. Representatives play a great role in fostering a
conducive teaching and learning environment that promotes well-behaved students.

4.1.3. Parents’ Education Level and Perception toward Promoting Good Behavior
Father’s education level: Around 51.7% of the respondents from uneducated fathers positively
perceived school rules and regulation toward promoting good behavior, while 48.3% of them perceived
them negatively. It was found that 66.7% of students from primary educated fathers perceived the
school rules and regulations positively toward promoting good behavior, whereas 33.3% of them
perceived them negatively. On the other hand, 71.8% of students from secondary school educated
fathers positively perceived school rules and regulations toward promoting good behavior, and the
remaining 28.2% perceived them negatively. Furthermore, 75.7% of respondents from diploma or
above educated fathers were positively perceived school rules and regulations toward promoting good
behavior, while 24.3% of them had a negative perception.
Mother’s education level: Approximately 52.9% of the respondents from uneducated mothers had
a positive perception of school rules and regulations toward promoting good behavior, while 47.1% of
them perceived them negatively. On the other hand, 61.3% of students from a primary school educated
mother positively perceived school rules and regulations toward promoting good behavior, and the
remaining 38.7% perceived them negatively. Moreover, 69.5% of respondents from secondary educated
mothers perceived school rules and regulations positively in promoting good behavior, while 30.5%
of them perceived them negatively. Similarly, 75.2% of students from a diploma or degree educated
mother were positive on school rules and regulations in promoting good behavior, and the remaining
24.8% of them were negative. Therefore, the proportion indicates that the parents’ education levels
have a positive impact on students’ perception toward school rules and regulations in promoting good
behavior. These data indicate that more educated parents will advise and teach their children about
following school rules and regulations, which will promote good behavior.

4.1.4. Parents’ Employment Status and Perception in Promoting Good Behavior

Father’s employment status: Approximately 57.1% of respondents from fathers with no occupation
positively perceived school rules and regulations toward promoting good behavior, whereas 42.9% of
them perceived them negatively. On the other hand, 68.2% of respondents from self-worker fathers
positively perceived school rules and regulations toward promoting good behavior, whereas 31.8% of
them perceived them negatively. Among the students from employed fathers, 68.1% had a positive
perception of school rules and regulations toward promoting good behavior, while 31.9% of them
negatively perceived them.

4.1.5. Punishment for Misbehavior and Perception in Promoting Good Behavior

Of the respondents, 61.6% disagreed that punishment encourages following school rules and
regulation and perceived it positively toward promoting good behavior, whereas 38.4% of them
perceived it negatively. On the other hand, 70.1% of respondents agreed that punishment encourages
following school rules and regulations and perceived it positively toward promoting good behavior,
while the remaining 29.9% perceived it negatively.
Stats 2019, 2 208

Table 3. Summary statistics and chi-square results for perception and explanatory variables.

Perception on School Rule and Regulation in

Promoting Good Behavior
Chi-Square
Explanatory Variable Categories
Negative perception Positive perception (p-Value) (dof)
Count Percent (%) Count Percent (%)
Awareness on school rules No 49 42.2% 67 57.8%
5.95 (0.015) (1)
and regulations Yes 96 29.8% 226 70.2%
Participating in school rules No 47 38.2% 76 61.8%
2.01 (0.156) (1)
formulation or implementation Yes 98 31.1% 217 68.9%
Uneducated 56 48.3% 60 51.7%
Educated at primary
23 33.3% 46 66.7%
school level
Father’s education level 14.73 (0.002) (3)
Educated at
33 28.2% 84 71.8%
secondary school level
Having diploma and
33 24.3% 103 75.7%
above
Uneducated 49 47.1% 55 52.9%
Educated at primary
12 38.7% 19 61.3%
school level
Mother’s education level 18.13 (0.000) (3)
Educated at
47 30.5% 107 69.5%
secondary school level
Having diploma and
37 24.8% 112 75.2%
above
Less than 50 19 67.9% 9 32.1%
Civic and ethical education 19.27 (0.000) (2)
semester score Between 50 and 70 77 34.4% 147 65.6%
Greater than 70 49 26.3% 137 73.7%
No occupation 21 42.9% 28 57.1%
Father’s employment status Self-worker 55 31.8% 118 68.2% 2.37 (0.306) (2)
Employed 69 31.9% 147 68.1%
House wife 48 43.6% 62 56.4%
Mother’s employment status Self-worker 45 26.0% 128 74.0% 9.45 (0.009) (2)
Employed 52 33.5% 103 66.5%
Punishment encourages the Disagree 63 38.4% 101 61.6%
3.34 (0.68) (1)
following rules and regulations. Agree 82 29.9% 192 70.1%
Attitude toward school rules Negative attitude 34 36.2% 60 63.8%
6.25 (0.012) (1)
and regulations Positive attitude 111 32.3% 233 67.7%

4.2. Test of Associations (Chi-Square)

This section describes testing the null hypothesis. In other words, we determined if there existed a
relationship between the perception on school rules and regulations toward promoting good behavior
and the different categorical explanatory (independent) variables by using the chi-square test.
Awareness of school rules and regulations: It can be seen in Table 3 that the chi-square value
between students’ awareness of school rules and regulations and the perception toward promoting
good behavior was 5.95 (p-value 0.015). This indicates that there is a significant association between
students’ awareness of school rules and regulations and their perception toward promoting good
behavior at a 5% level of significance. The frequency distribution results also show that there is a
significant difference between the students who have awareness of school rules and regulations relative
to those who have no such understanding of it toward promoting good behavior.
Stats 2019, 2 209

Participation in school rule formulation or implementation: The chi-square value between

participating in school rule formulation or implementation and perception toward promoting good
behavior was 2.01 (p-value 0.156). Since the p-value of 0.156 was greater than the 5% level of significance,
we have evidence to say that there is no statistical association between participating in school rules
formulation or implementation and perception toward promoting good behavior. This indicates that
participating in school rule formulation or implementation does not affect promotion of good behavior.
Father’s education level: The chi-square and p-value between the father’s education level and
students’ perception toward promoting good behavior were 14.73 and 0.002, respectively. Since the
p-value was less than a 5% significance level, there exists a relationship between students’ perception
toward promoting good behavior and their father’s education level. Similarly, the frequency distribution
reveals that students with positive perception toward promoting good behavior who have fathers with
education levels with a diploma or above make the highest proportion in relation to others.
Mother’s education level: The estimated chi-square and p-values between the mother’s education
level and students’ perception toward promoting good behavior were 18.13 and 0.000, respectively.
We can conclude that there is a statistically strong relationship between students’ perception toward
promoting good behavior and their mother’s education level at a 5% level of significance. Additionally,
the frequency distribution results show that the students from more educated mothers are the highest
in having positive perception toward promoting good behavior as compared to students from low
educated mothers.
Civics and ethical education score: The chi-square and p-values between civics and ethical
education semester scores and students’ perception toward promoting good behavior were 19.27 and
0.000, respectively. Since the p-value was less than 1% significance level, it can be said that there is a
statistically strong relationship between civics and ethical education scores and students’ perception
toward promoting good behavior. The summary statistics also show that the students’ perception
toward promoting good behavior significantly varies with their scores in civics and ethical education.
Father’s employment status: The estimated chi-square and p-values between students’ perception
toward promoting good behavior and father’s employment status were 2.37 and 0.306, respectively.
This indicates that there is no relationship between a father’s employment status and students’
perception toward promoting good behavior at a 5% level of significance. In other words, the father’s
employment status does not have any effect on students’ perception toward promoting good behavior.
Mother’s employment status: The estimated chi-square and p-values between students’ perception
toward promoting good behavior and the mother’s employment status were 9.45 and 0.009, respectively.
This indicates that there exists a relationship between the mother’s employment status and students’
perception toward promoting good behavior at a 5% level of significance.
Punishment encourages following rules and regulations: The chi-square and p-values between
punishments encouraging following rules and regulations and perception toward promoting good
behavior were 3.34 and 0.068, respectively. We have evidence to conclude that there is no statistical
association between punishments encouraging following rules and regulations and promoting good
behavior at a 5% level of significance.
Attitude toward school rules and regulations: The chi-square and p-values between students’
attitudes toward school rules and regulations and their perception in promoting good behavior were
6.25 and 0.012, respectively. Therefore, we can assert that there is a statistically significant relationship
between students’ attitudes on school rules and regulations and their perception toward promoting
good behavior at a 5% level of significance.
Stats 2019, 2 210

4.3. Discussions
The data were collected from 438 students with an aim to assess the impact of school rules and
regulations on students’ perception toward promoting good behavior. The participants were recruited
from Sabian Secondary School at Dire Dawa, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics
and inferential analysis, particularly by the chi-square test.
The results from descriptive statistics show that around 33.1% of the respondents had a negative
perception of school rules and regulations toward promoting good behavior. Therefore, the concerned
bodies should promote developing an understanding of secondary school rules and regulations to
instill good behavior in students. This is because positive and responsible behavior by students is
essential for the smooth running of the school, for the achievement of optimal learning opportunities,
and for the development of a supportive and cooperative school environment.
This study shows that students’ awareness of school rules and regulations and their perception
toward promoting good behavior are statistically associated. This means that a better understanding
of the school rules would increase the effectiveness of rules in promoting good behavior of students.
Students’ attitudes on school rules and regulations have a significant association with the
perception toward promoting good behavior. Students should have enough understanding about
school rules and regulations to exercise easy and effective implementations. A study by [9] found that
many students think that most school rules are good and without these rules, the school would not be
a pleasant place.
Civics and ethical education scores show a significant impact on students’ perception toward
promoting good behavior. This means learning civics and ethical education plays an important role in
creating a good learning environment.

5. Conclusions and Recommendations

5.1. Conclusions
The findings of this study show that around 33.1% of the students have a negative perception
of school rules and regulations. This indicates that they do not adequately perceive school rules and
regulations toward promoting good behavior.
The improvement in students’ awareness of school rules and regulations would enhance their
perception toward promoting good behavior because when students have enough understanding of
school rules and regulations, they can behave well, and this offers a good learning environment.
Parents’ educational level has a significant effect on students’ perception toward promoting good
behavior. More educated parents play a better role in enhancing and implementing school rules and
regulations for promoting good behavior.
Civics and ethical education score is another significant factor in this direction, as low scorers in
civics and ethical education are negatively associated with good behavior.

5.2. Recommendations
In order to prescribe the standards of good behavior, school rules and regulations should be
emphasized, and enough awareness should be aroused in students. In future work, the effectiveness
of school rules and regulations on academic achievement and the impact on life value should
be investigated.
Stats 2019, 2 211

Funding: This work was not supported financially by any organization or individuals.
Acknowledgments: All participants involved in the study to provide relevant information and secondary school
directors were duly acknowledged for their contributions.
Conflicts of Interest: The author declares that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

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