Effects of class size in effective teaching and learning of history in secondary school

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

The relationship between class size and academic performance has been a perplexing one for educators. Studies have found that the physical environment, ethnicity, socioeconomics, overcrowding and teaching methods are all variables that affect student achievement (Molnar, 2000). Other factors that affect student achievement are school population and class size (Gentry, 2000; Swift, 2000; Krueger and White Moore, 2007).

The issue of poor academic performance of students in Nigeria has been of much concern to all and sundry. The problem is so much that it adds to the widely acclaimed fallen standard of education in Lagos state and Nigeria at large. In order to better understand the skill levels of students, it might be necessary to evaluate factors affecting their performance. These include: school structure and organization, teachers’ quality, curriculum and teaching philosophy (Driscoll, Halcoussis and Svomy, 2008).

Overtime, students’ academic performance in both internal and external examinations had been used to determine excellence in teachers and teaching (Ajao, 2001). As school grows, they typically become more bureaucratic, resulting in more formalized human relations and increased curricular specialization. Another stand, typically conducted by economist directs attention to the potential for increased efficiency and cost reductions as schools get bigger. Conclusions from these two streams are not consistent. Although, the studies with an organizational focus generally favour smaller schools, research with an economic focus tends to suggest benefits from increased size.

Overpopulation classrooms have increased the possibilities for at risk students, as well as others, to lose interest in school and do poorly on test. There identifies for specific problems regarding overcrowding, students not getting individual attention, low reading scores, frustration and stress felt by the teachers and the inability of students to concentrate or stay on task while in class. The problem identified can be that teachers are unable to give individual attention to students. Teachers’ aides are not always available and sometimes students have to share textbooks. It can take the entire class time for students to find seats, make sure everyone has a textbooks to look at and then explain the next assignment. This leaves no time for individual attention to explain assignment and answer questions. Thus, with teacher unable to help individual students, those who need extra help in gaining or maintaining their reading skills get left behind. They are unable to keep up the reading or in class discussions because of many students in one class.

Overpopulation in schools and classes is a serious problem in many schools systems, particularly in the inner cities where space for new construction is limited. As a result, students find themselves trying to learn while jammed into spaces never intended as classrooms, such as libraries, gymnasiums, laboratories, lunch rooms and even closets. Although, research on the relationship between overcrowding and student leaving had been limited, there are some evidence particularly in high poverty schools, that overcrowding can have adverse impact on learning. A study of overpopulation in schools found that students in such schools score significantly lower on both mathematics and reading exams then did similar students in underutilized schools. In addition, when asked, students and teachers in overpopulation schools agreed that overcrowding negatively affects both classroom activities and instructional technologies (Krueger and Whiteman, 2001).

Crowded classroom conditions not only make it difficult for students to concentrate on their lessons, but inevitably limit the amount of times teachers can spend on innovative teaching methods such as cooperative learning and group work or on teaching anything beyond the barest minimum of required materials. In addition, because teachers must constantly struggle simply to maintain order in an overpopulated classroom, the likelihood increase that they will suffer from burn out earlier than might otherwise be the case.

Although, there is a significantly amount of research analyzing students’ performance (Matuga, 2009; CerezoRUssillo and Casanova Arias, 2004), there is still a need for more concentrate test results. It is necessary to define the effects of environmental, psychological and sociological elements. This clarity will better enable school to provide a quality learning institution – organized and established public domain, with a sphere of knowledge influence and activity (Meram-Webster Dictionary).

The idea that school population and class size might affect students’ performance is consistence with the growing literature on the relationship between public sector institutional arrangements and outcome. The purpose of this study is to further examine the relationship of class size, school population and student academic achievement.

Statement of the Problem

In recent times, performance of Secondary School students according to report made by office of the statistics SSCE, calls for proper investigation of courses of poor performance of students. Probably the high level of students enrolment without adequate provision of corresponding learning facilities in our schools. The

 

National Policy on Education (NPE, 2014) stipulates that a normal class size should be forty(40) students per class for effective teaching and learning. However, prevailing conditions in most secondary schools today is that a single classroom has a population of about 80 or more students, yet the same class to teach the class-size of 40 students are also being used in teaching the class-size of 80 students. It would be expected therefore, that the increase in students enrolment would create problems for teachers and effective classroom management. This could be the major reason responsible for the decline of students performance in History since population explosion directly affects effective teaching learning procedure.

Although, several scholars have proposed various factors responsible for the poor performance of students, only a little research has been dedicated to the correlation between class-size population and academic performance.

The high rate of failure in public examination is  a proof that the education sector is ailing and requires urgent attention. In an attempt to find out the cause of this mass failure, several factors have been identified to be responsible for this situation. One of such factors is the high teacher-students ratio. It has been observed that some schools record book contain eighty or more students in a class. This  problem  is  particularly severe in Giwa educational zone. The objectives of secondary school education is to produce high quality students who should be able to face  the challenges of the society  and prepare them for higher education. Today, History students  are  faced  with large class sizes which lead to ineffective teaching and learning of social studies. It also leads to students not being able to understand the subject  in the correct way. This results  in the decline of students academic performance. Hence, this study is aimed at evaluating

 

the effects of class size in effective teaching and learning of history in secondary school with the view of providing remedial strategies to improve the situation.

Objectives of the Study

 

The major objective of the study is to investigate effects of class size in effective teaching and learning of history in secondary school More specifically the objectives of the study are:

  1. to find out the effects of class size on academic performance scores of SSCE History Students.
  2. to find out the effects of class size on academic performance scores of male and female SSCE History students.
  3. to find out the effects of class size on academic performance scores of rural and urban SSCE History students.

Research Questions

 

The following research questions guided the study:

 

  1. what is the effect of class size on academic performance scores of SSCE History students?
  2. what is the effects of class size on academic performance scores of male and female SSCE History students?
  3. what is the effects of class size on academic performance scores of rural and urban SSCE History students?

 

Null Hypotheses

 

Based on the research questions raised above, the following research hypotheses have been formulated to guide the researcher in the study.

H01:     there is no significant effects in the academic performance scores of SSCE History students based on congested and incongested classroom.

H02: there is no significant effects in the academic performance  scores  of male  and female SSCE History students based on congested and incongested classroom.

H03:     there is no significant effects in the academic performance scores of urban and rural SSCE History students based on congested and incongested classroom.

Significance of the Study

 

The study of the effects of class size on History students academic performance in Senior secondary schools is significant in a number of ways. Some  of these are outlined below.

Firstly, the study provides valid research based on the data that brings about improvement in the educational programme. It is difficult to ascertain if the educational programme is doing what it is supposed to do when it  has not been formally evaluated as  it relate to the current large class sizes. Secondly, the research findings are significant to stakeholders in education like: Government and policy makers. They will find  the findings of this study useful as it will assist them to identify, analyse and interpret the negative consequences of large class population on students academic performance in the study area and beyond. This will help in providing the much needed data for planning and evaluation purposes which by looking at the situation to improve special consideration.

 

To the UBEC and SUBEBS, the study will assist them in the area of providing necessary information about students on small class benefit to enable them refine the various level of educational programmes and reposition them for greater efficiency thereby producing students that will be toast of the society.

This study is significant to curriculum planners and developers who want to evaluate and modify the SSS curriculum, making it progressive for the development of learners in the aspect of cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains.  Also, teachers and students can benefit from the findings of the study as it will provide a good guide for effective classroom management. The research also aids in stimulating cordial teacher/student relationship and enhances the teaching/learning process. In addition, this study will serve as a necessary impetus to principals and school administrators to organize workshop, seminars and symposia on the effects of class size on students academic performance in the Senior Secondary Schools. Furthermore, the study serve as a background for other researchers to identify areas for further studies the relationship between class size and students improvement at various levels of educational programme particularly in secondary schools.

Scope of the Study

 

This study is limited to senior secondary school student  in Giwa Educational Zone Kaduna State, the Zone has twenty six (26) Senior secondary schools

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When people talk about corruption, usually they refer to public fund siphoned or misappropriated by civil servant, contractor, politician etc. Hardly do they think of the type of corruption that destroys the minds of our children and siphons the moral values of our society. This refers to the monumental corruption that is taking place in our educational circle. This type of corruption is more dangerous and more serious threat to the future of the young Nigerians in primary, post-primary school and higher institutions of the higher learning. There is no doubt that educational institutions in any country are the industry in which future leaders, thinkers, politicians, teachers, and workers are produced. In Nigeria, this industry has deteriorated to the extent that in place of being an agent of purifying the minds of our children to become useful members of our society, the industry is now diverting the mind of the children away from what education is all about to examination malpractice. Therefore, if urgent care is not taken the future of the country is bleak as far as any meaningful development is concerned (Balarabe, n.d.).

            It has long been observed that our graduates are no more measure up to the standards of both internal and external evaluators. What has not been very clear in this discourse are among others: 1) the actual level of the deterioration at various levels of our educational systems 2) the rate at which the attitude of our students is changing negatively towards education 3) the rate at which parents are struggling hard – willingly and knowingly to help their children get grades and certificates devoid of the requisite knowledge 4) the level of deterioration of the moral values of  the custodians of knowledge (teachers and lecturers) to the extent that they are now certifying that someone is knowledgeable while they know he is not, and 5) the level of government negligence to education and the role of that in the deterioration of the system. These are areas that need thorough investigation (Balarabe, n.d.).

            The Nigerian educational circle has become an open field harboring corrupt practices that rankles among players such as policy makers, bureaucrats in various educational ministries and school officials responsible for the school management, parents and students. The sector is marked by infrastructural decays, inefficient and poorly skilled teachers, and dilapidated school structures etc., fueled by general apathy by government to education (Auwal, 2013). However, corruption is the social problem that has interested many research scholars. To Ruzindana (1999), it is an asset in Africa which has created a problem of routine decorator from established standards, norms by public officials and parties with whom they interact. According to Wike (2014) it is a serious damage in education circle because it endangers a country’s social economic and political future.Also, the quality of education students received under this dreadful atmosphere is highly appalling. The standard dropped to the extent that the minimal score for Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has drastically dropped to 180 as against 200 out of 400 total score in the years back. It is an open secret that students hire machineries to pass standard examinations in secondary schools. Invigilators are also not left out in this gruesome cesspool of corruption; as they are rumored to be paid to enable machineries write exams for students, (Olugbenga, 2012) of which if the government is not been careful, the nation would produce corrupt Professors in the future (Onu, 2014).

            Also, some schools’ principals and teachers engage machineries improve their schools’ academic performance in the examinations. Affluent students go to the examination council/board to buy high grades. Some unscrupulous lecturers force students to buy hand-outs as criteria for passing their continuous assessment. Administrative staff also compound issues for students by withholding students’ results to force their hands to bride or show appreciation to them before their results can be released. Unethical behavior in the school has forced female students into prostitution, as they use their bodies to lure lecturers for favours; while male students resort to cultism as a means of protection. Students pay bribe to be given admission into universities. This begs the question of the quality of Nigeria future leaders (Auwal, 2013). The upsurge of corruption in Nigeria in recent times is disturbing. It seems the menace has defied all treatment and the damages it has done to the national life cannot be quantified. Corruption is a global phenomenon, it is practiced everywhere, the Christians and all religious adherences are not left behind in it (Osoba, 1996).

            The menace of corruption has leads to slow movement of files in offices, police extortion at checkpoint and slow traffics on the highways, port congestion, queues at passport offices and gas stations, ghost workers syndrome, election irregularities and inconclusive, among others. Even the mad people on the street recognize the havoc caused by corruption – the funds allocated for their welfare disappear into the thin air (Dike, 2011). This observation by Dike portrays the true picture of what is happening in every establishment in Nigeria be it private or public schools. The situation becomes worse with the politicians who because of the quest for power manipulated votes and rigged elections. The judges are not left out. As a result of corruption, justice is perverted and judgment is delivered in favor of the election riggers who are able to pay their way through. Recently, some Judges of the appeal court were sanctioned by the National Judicial Commission for corrupt practices (See the Punch of 8th February, 2011). It is a common belief that corruption is endemic in all facets of Nigerian educational circle or institution. It affects both the government and non-government organizations and it seems nothing can be done about it. Aluko (2002) rightly observed that, Corruption is a social malaise that has holistically permeates all the nerves of any polity. It is contagious and malignant to the physiology of any political system. Once it sets into any part; it automatically contaminates all the strata of the systems socio-political structures in ways symmetrical to the spread of a bush fire. (Aluko, 2002)

            Corruption indeed is the bane of any nation. Its malady cut across every religious denomination and political system and it affects both young and old, man and woman alike. It is like cancer that contaminates all strata of the socio-political and economic structure of any society and its malignant nature is difficult to treat. Corruption is not a contemporary affair it has been on for so long in Nigeria, even in Africa. Akindele (1996) noted that no regime in Nigeria can be exonerated from corruption. The menace has reached an unprecedented level most especially during Babangida and Abacha Regimes which saw the institutionalization of the statement syndrome. The era of Obasanjo witnessed a crusade against corrupt politicians and government official. During his eight year reigned, the country witnessed the establishment of EFCC and ICPC two bodies that was saddled with the responsibility of prosecuting corrupt officials, in their effort to sanitize the polity. The then Inspector General of Police Tafa Balogun and some bank officials were prosecuted but the efforts of these two bodies was short lived when the regime of Obasanjo ended in 2007(Olugbenga, 2012).

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