Harry Xu
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
Most of the 8 papers I found largely discuss the changes students experience in dormitory
environments and the differences between boarding and day schooling. These environments
include dormitory greening, infrastructure, security facilities, and related dormitory
supervisors. Changes encompass students' academic performance, physical and mental
conditions, and social interactions. These reflect why students undergo such changes and why
day scholars don't experience similar transformations.
In this literature review, I will discuss the two sub-points I summarized to explain my main
topic, which is the fundamental difference between boarding life and day school. The first
sub-point is the impact of the boarding environment on students. The second is the mental
state of boarding students, as I believe a student's mental state is more important than any
other factor when discussing their learning situation.
[Theme 1]
Firstly, the initial point discusses external factors such as greenery and physical
infrastructure. These provide students with basic living needs; without them, there would be
no accommodation. However, even basic facilities have quality differences, meaning
students' daily lives might be influenced by the age or style of these amenities. For instance, a
fridge, a vital necessity, affects students' dietary choices. Students can bring back tasty,
nutritious food when they're out, making the fridge crucial. Their mood and efficiency might
be uplifted for a week, having the luxury to enjoy good food anytime. Without a fridge, they
might not feel as happy, as the monotony of school cafeterias might not always offer joy. The
primary difference between dormitory and home is in the facilities. Yet, many overlook
essential safety features like fire extinguishers, escape routes, and water valves. According to
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source 1, the study sampled many boarding houses for sufficient data. 23% of boarding
houses lacked proper sanitation, and 69% didn't have security. I believe these shortcomings
can cause anxiety among students, as their safety isn't guaranteed, affecting their
performance.
[Theme 2]
The second point mainly concerns the mental health of students, which is crucial because it
not only affects their academic performance but also their future. Most of the papers I found
focus on students' mental health and possible causes. However, I feel this data is somewhat
subjective, as its credibility isn't very high; students might be reluctant to share their true
feelings. But relying on this data is inevitable, so we can only assume everyone was honest.
According to source 2, 71% of students feel homesick when they first board, but this feeling
quickly diminishes if they've had prior boarding experience. Of course, the reactions between
boys and girls differ; girls might feel lonelier and miss home more. I believe the anxiety of
boarding students stems from homesickness, affecting their focus. According to source 3,
boarding students have an 18% higher chance of ranking in the top 10% for a subject
compared to day students, which is a significant gap. Also, according to source 8, pupils
attending Christs’ Hospital had an 18.6% higher possibility of scoring A or A* in five or
more GCSE subjects because CH has minimal selection bias on courses since this may lead
to wrong choices because students may think some courses are easy, so they discriminate the
students who take them. Though source 2 highlights the anxieties of boarding students, it
seems their performance is better. So, I think the staff of boarding houses might provide some
support. As mentioned in source 4, the mental state of the staff is also worth considering.
Nevertheless, I have used source 5 as a reference of the boarding house’s effect on single
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subject, which may help me to analyse the source 3 to see whether the 18% higher chance is
because of the difficulty of certain subjects.
Moreover, I believe that the boarding house may have different effects if disadvantaged
students choose to live in there because possible discrimination may happen. According to
source 7, this article likely examines the impacts of attending a boarding school for students
from disadvantaged backgrounds. The researchers likely employ econometric methods to
measure the effects of such schooling on student outcomes. The title suggests a potential
inquiry into the readiness or suitability of boarding schools for these students since negative
emotion may develop for the disadvantaged students if proper protections are not contructed.
Gaps
First, there are gaps in these sources. It's as if these sources come from different starting
points. For instance, they don't analyze from the perspective of an 18-year-old high school
student about what factors might affect mental state or differentiate between home and
boarding house. Even though many data points have been analyzed, there's a definite gap
between a teacher's perspective and that of a student. Some things can only be seen from a
high school student's viewpoint, whereas many times teachers only see the surface. I believe
there should be studies analyzing the data from a high school student's perspective, and the
credibility of this data can be discerned since high school students are the real experiencers. I
want my final report to be written from the perspective of someone who has personally
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experienced it, not just as an observer. Secondly, I think another gap is the credibility of the
data isn't very ideal, as many questions are subjective, and there's a risk of lying. Some
surveys also have a small number of participants, making it hard for the data to represent
everyone. This might result in discrepancies between the actual situation and the data. This is
also why some source results don't align with others. There are other objective factors too,
such as if boarding students collectively have issues with the boarding house during a survey,
skewing the data from showing accurate results. According to source 6, this talks about
effects of boarding house on the academic performance, but the accuracy is not enough
because the data is subjective when discussing well-being, also I think the data base is not big
enough for this source, but still, it is a good source it analysed students’ well-beings in
statistical form.
Conclusion
In conclusion, my aim is to complete my topic from the perspective of a high school student,
focusing on the differences between boarding houses and homes. My focus will be on mental
states and physical facilities to achieve this purpose. However, there are evident downsides to
this data, such as being overly subjective and potential deception issues. But it's relatively
easy to discern for those who have experienced it firsthand. Moreover, the number of survey
participants is insufficient. Therefore, I will distribute the survey to every boarding student to
make my data more persuasive.
Harry Xu
Works Cited
[1] Mubita, Kaiko, et al. "An Assessment of Safety and Health Issues in Selected Students’
Boarding Houses of Lusaka City." *International Journal of Humanities and Social Science*,
vol. 2, 2022, pp. 323-329, doi:10.55677/ijssers/V02I08Y2022-01.
[2] Fisher, Shirley, Frazer, Norman, and Murray, Keith. "Homesickness and health in
boarding school children." *Journal of Environmental Psychology*, vol. 6, no. 1, 1986, pp.
35-47.
[3] Foliano, Francesca, Green, Francis, and Sartarelli, Marcello. "Away from home, better at
school. The case of a British boarding school." *Economics of Education Review*, vol. 73,
2019, 101911.
[4] Hodges, J., Sheffield, J., and Ralph, A. "Staff and Boarders Perspectives of the Boarding
Environment." *J Child Fam Stud*, vol. 25, 2016, pp. 1045–1056, doi:10.1007/s10826-0150287-3.
[5] Ahmed, M. A., et al. "Comparison of boarding and day senior secondary school students'
performance in Biology in Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria." 2019.
[6] Martin, A. J., et al. "Boarding School, Academic Motivation and Engagement, and
Psychological Well-Being." *American Educational Research Journal*, vol. 51, no. 5, 2014,
pp. 1007–1049.
Harry Xu
[7] Behaghel, L., de Chaisemartin, C., and Gurgand, M. "Ready for Boarding? The Effects of
a Boarding School for Disadvantaged Students." *American Economic Journal: Applied
Economics*, vol. 9, no. 1, 2017, pp. 140–164.
[8] Foliano, F., Green, F., and Sartarelli, M. "Away from Home, Better at School. The Case
of a British Boarding School." *Economics of Education Review*, 2019, 101911.