Investigating the relationship between school facilities and academic achievements through geographically weighted regression

Abstract

In this study, the authors investigated spatial variations in the effects of school amenities on academic achievements of a cluster of provinces in the Philippines. Semiparametric geographically weighted regression (SGWR) techniques were applied to public school facility data to determine whether the effects of school facilities varied depending on school locations. The analysis results presented significant spatial variations and differing effects of school sizes and utilities on the academic achievements of top performing schools across the study area. SGWR modelling revealed that schools in sparsely populated rural areas with basic facilities have performed better than schools in urban areas with poor facilities, indicating that basic facilities are important in far-flung schools. Since the effect on academic achievement varies depending on the social and economic infrastructure, the provision of school facilities should be based on the unique needs of each community. A decentralized approach is beneficial for the management of school facilities in the Philippines where education resources are limited.