Name and discuss the challenges in the School Environment.

1. Peer influence:
A peer group is a primary group composed of individuals of roughly equal age, and social characteristics. It is by participating in informal peer group activities that students obtain factual knowledge about certain areas of life such as sex, which are neglected by the family and the formal school organization. Since the focus within peer groups is on the subculture, group goals sometimes conflict with the goals of the school and larger society. Members of school peer groups have influenced each other into vices like drug and substance abuse and sexual promiscuity. This has a negative impact on academic work.

2. Discrimination:
Thomas (1995) defines discrimination it’s the denial of equal treatment to individuals based on their group membership. In schools, discrimination can be found both at the student and teacher levels. It ranges from name calling and rudeness to acts of violence. Students may discriminate some learners simply because they come from remote regions. Countrywide, unequal access to schools has pushed some groups, particularly in arid and semi arid areas, into less powerful positions in society. Once this occurs, it is not necessary to openly or consciously discriminate against these individuals so as to maintain a system of in-equality. If schools in some regions are poorly funded, members of minority groups may not acquire the skills needed to compete effectively in the labour market. They cannot qualify for higher paying jobs. With-out these jobs, they are unable to move to wealthier neighborhoods where their children may have better opportunities for advancement. The cycle of inequality is therefore maintained in schools, even in the absence of intentional discrimination.

3. Prejudice:
This is an unsupported generalization about a category of people. It refers to attitudes (Thomas, 1995). Negative forms of prejudice have grave consequences on schools. If students are told often enough that they or others who have passed through certain schools will never make it in final examinations, they come to believe it. It matters not whether this is true. Merton (1963) pointed out that a false definition of a situation can become a self- fulfilling prophesy. If students from certain regions are considered incapable of understanding technical information, teachers may avoid giving them such training. Consequently, they may lack the skills needed to gain employment in highly technical occupations. The lack of employment in technical fields will then be taken as proof of the students' inability to comprehend technical information. Prejudice serves as a justificati on for discrimination actions.

4. Scape-goating:
This is placing the blame for one's troubles or inefficiencies on an innocent person or group. In schools, when some students have problems that they are unable to solve, they sometimes turn their frustrations and aggression towards fellow students perceived as weaker. This action of blaming one's troubles on an innocent individual or group is referred to as scope-Boating. Weaker students are often convenient tar-gets of scape-goating because they lack the power to retaliate. By attacking weaker students, some learners gain a sense of superiority.

5. Stereotyping:
This is an oversimplified, exaggerated or unfavorable, generalization of people. In stereotyping, an individual forms an image of a particular group and then applies that imago to all members of the group. Within schools, some learners may view all students from Nyanza province as arrogant; those from Central province as cunning and those from Eastern province as untrustworthy. These labels may affect student interaction. If specific individuals in the group are found to differ from the stereotyped image, they become exceptions to the rule; rather than proof that the stereotype is wrong.

6. Collective Behavior in Schools:
Students sometimes act together as a group to support or reject an issue. On one evening, the whole school can decide not to attend night preps or to miss school assembly the next morning. This action is referred to as collective behavior. Collective behavior can be defined as "the relatively spontaneous social behavior that occurs When people try to develop common solutions to unclear situations" (Thomas, 1996:406). This behavior is relatively short lived; spontaneous and emotional but can have far reaching effects in schools.

7. Deviance in School:
Griffins (1996) states that a head teacher's public and professional reputation, will depend more on the standard of discipline in his/her school than on any other single factor. Good discipline brings good result in every field of school endeavor. Ahead teacher who lets discipline slip out of his/her hands is risking trouble. However, indiscipline is on the increase within schools. Deviance is a rampant problem: in schools worldwide. It presents a problem to the' daily execution of duties concerned with learning and teaching. Ezewu (1983:107) defines deviance as "non-conformity to the standards of behavior of a group." Haralambos and Holborn (19'90:581) define deviance as "those activities which do not conform to the nouns and expectations of members of a particular society." Deviance refers to significant departure from social norms.

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francis1897 answered the question on August 19, 2022 at 11:43