The Influence of Gender and Social Economic Status on Boarding School Students' English Language Performance/L'INFLUENCE DE SEXE ET DE LA SITUATION SOCIO-ÉCONOMIQUE SUR LA PERFORMANCE EN ANGLAIS CHEZ LES ÉLÈVES EN PENSION

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between the students' gender and Social Economic Status (SES) and the English Language performance. A total of 355 form four students from four boarding schools in the state of Kedah and Perlis were taken as the subjects for this study. The research tool used was in the form of a questionnaire. The measurement of student's performance was based on their PMR English examination scores. The t-test and ANOVA were used to test the independent variables. The results obtained reported that gender, parents' total monthly income, parents' education level and the frequency of using English showed the existence of significant differences as related to the English Language performance. Other personal characteristics variables did not show any significant differences. Keywords: Gender; Social Economic Status; English Language Performance Resume: L'objectif de cette etude est de decrire les relations entre le sexe des eleves, leur situation socio-economique (SES) et leur performance en l'anglais. Un total de 355 d'eleves venant de quatre internats dans la region de Kedah et de Perlis ont ete choisis en tant que les sujets d'etude. Le questionnaire a ete utilise en tant que l'outil de recherche. L'evaluation de la performance des eleves est basee sur leurs notes d'examen du PMR Anglais. Le test T et l'analyse de variance (ANOVA) ont ete utilises pour tester les variables independantes. Les resultats obtenus ont indique que le sexe, les revenus mensuels totaux des parents, le niveau d'eduction des parents et la frequence de l'usage de l'anglais avaient revele l'existence des differences significatives par rapport a leur performance en anglais. D'autres caracteristiques variables personnelles n'ont montre aucune difference significative. Mots-Cles: sexe; statut socio-economique; langue anglaise; performance 1. INTRODUCTION Boarding schools or better known as "Sekolah Berasrama Penuh " (SBP) have been built through out Malaysia to provide the opportunity to the potential bumiputera (Malays and natives of any states of Sabah and Sarawak) students especially from rural areas to get better education. Hence, these boarding schools are well equipped with facilities to ensure the best education can be provided to these selected students. Realizing the potential of these boarding schools in improving the quality of education, the government has increased the enrolment especially from among the poor people. From year to year, more students especially the poor from all over Malaysia are offered the place in all SBPs. It is hoped that by giving them the opportunity to study in boarding schools, they are able to better develop their potential and improve their academic performance. Every year analysis is done on the students' English Language performance obtained in the Lower Secondary Evaluation Examination (Peperiksaan Pemlaian Menengah Rendah/PMR). Though many of these boarding schools managed to gain 100% passes in this particular subject, the quality is waning. This result has some how given the impression that boarding schools fail to attain the standard set by the Fully Residential School Unit (Boarding School) that is gaining 100% ? ' in all subjects taken at the PMR level and English Language subject is inclusive. Therefore, this study is conducted to examine the students from the boarding schools to ascertain whether there exist the relationship between the students' gender and Social Economic Status (SES) and their English language performance. There have been many studies conducted to identify the factors that contribute to the decline of students' academic performance. Lunn (1971), Nooman (1976), Levine (1980), White (1982), Astone and McLanahan (1991), and Sirin (2005) had documented the relationship between the social economic status (SES) and school achievement. The studies done by Koh Boh Boon (1976), Rumberger (1983), Walberg (1985), Stevenson (1987), and Xitao and Michael (2001) reported that parental involvement has a significant relationship with the students' academic achievement. …