School uniforms will likely always be a controversial topic in education. Those who support uniforms usually discuss how wearing the same clothing takes away from peer pressure. Those who oppose of school uniforms are concerned about the students losing their identity and individuality.
A study about students wearing uniforms was conducted at Oxford Brookes University. The study was conducted with 13 to 17 year old students in the Oxford area. The study found that wearing school uniforms improves student behavior. The students who wore school uniforms behaved better both inside and outside of the school. In addition, the schools who had a uniform dress code had less bullying issues.
In the survey, students admitted that they did not misbehaved outside of school while wearing their uniform because others could easily identify which school they attended. They also said that students did not have to worry about being picked on because of the type of clothing that they wore.
Professor Margaret Harris, the leader of the study, found that students took more pride in their school if they wore a school uniform. This factor she thought contributed to the finding of students behaving better.
Students also liked the uniforms because the attire took out the worry of picking out clothing each day. The girls liked the uniforms because they did not have to worry about meeting dress codes and hearing clothing comments from boys and teachers.
The study also found that attention and focus on lessons were improved in schools that adopted uniform policies. Uniforms help to take out quick identification of particular cliques and groups. In schools without uniform codes, groups of friends tend to dress alike.
It was found that most students would accept a uniform policy to some extent. Some dress codes are stricter than others. Some schools require full uniforms while others require only polo type shirts and dress pants or skirts.
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