Exploring the Student Academic Achievement, Attendance, and Parent Engagement in Secondary Education in Cambodia

Research on models that offer integrated support for families and students must continue in order to improve educational equity. One such approach is community secondary schools (COSSs), although further research is required to determine how their methods might result in quantifiable outcomes in a variety of domains, such as academic success, attendance, family involvement, and social-emotional well-being. This study explored the adoption of the community school concept and its effects on student academic performance, attendance, parent involvement, and social-emotional wellbeing among secondary schools in the Cambodian context. The study also investigated the relationship between patterns of change and stability and coordinated supports across school, family, and community systems, conceptualized and guided by Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological systems theory (EST). This study used an embedded mixed-methods approach, with quantitative data serving as the main focus and qualitative data offering contextual information. This study took place at the COSSs in Cambodia. Several stakeholder groups participated in the study. For attendance records, quantitative data were gathered from all students, while data on academic performance and social-emotional learning were taken from higher grade levels. Ten staff members and teachers took part in one-on-one interviews as part of the qualitative component. A survey with both closed-ended and open-ended items was also distributed to about 111 parents. These individuals were chosen to offer a varied and comprehensive perspective on how various roles within the school community experience the COSS model. The results showed that there were no significant short-term advantages and that student achievement in Khmer language (KHLA) and Maths remained consistently high before and after adoption. Also, attendance results significantly improved, with significant decreases in chronic absenteeism. While student-reported social-emotional outcomes stayed same, parent engagement rose as a result of better communication and participation possibilities. Results indicated that while academic and social-emotional outcomes may require long-term implementation, early COSS implementation may result in immediate gains in attendance and parent participation. By providing a framework for thinking about more inclusive and successful strategies meant to lower obstacles and promote long-term student achievement, this study hoped to contribute to the larger conversation on educational equity.