QUALITY OF SCHOOL LIFE AND STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENT IN THE HSC - A MULTILEVEL ANALYSIS

This study examines the relationship between Year 12 students' percept ions of life in Catholic schools and their achievement in the Higher S chool Certificate (HSC) examination. It investigates whether the quali ty of school life which students experience differs across Catholic sc hools and whether it still affects students' achievement in the HSC wh en school and student background variables are controlled. The study w as conducted by surveying 4949 students from 44 Catholic high schools in New South Wales, in May 1990 regarding their perceptions of the qua lity of school life. Student achievement was measured by their Tertiar y Entrance Score at the HSC examination in November 1990. The clear pi cture which emerges suggests that Catholic schools differ considerably in terms of students' HSC achievement and that the quality of school life which students experience in these schools has a significant impa ct on their academic achievement over and above student characteristic s and background characteristics of the schools.