CHAPTER
ONE
1.0
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
of the Study
As
school population increases class sizes also increase, the performances of
students become an issue.
According
to Dror (1995), class size has become a phenomenon often mentioned in the
educational literature asan influence on pupil’s feelings and performance, on
administration, quality and school budgets. In his words henoted, that class
size is almost an administrative decision over which teachers have little or no
control. Mostresearchers start from the assumption that size of the class would
prove a significant determinant of the degree ofsuccess of students. In fact,
with the exception of a few, many studies have reported that under ideal
situation,class size in itself appears to be an important factor. The first
issue that calls for immediate clarification is whatnumber of students should
constitute a large group and what should be described as a sall group? In
describinga small group, Bray (1990) observed that they have few teachers with
small pools of talent; offer limited range ofsubjects and characteristically
finding it hard to justify costly investment on libraries… their pupils
lackcompetition and interest with relatively few peers as they get stucked with
same teacher for an entire schoolcareer.
The
description appears to be an anti-type of what obtains in large group. Large
school/class size on the otherhand are often impersonal, having broader
curricula with teachers being given wider support, while students maysuffer
discipline problems as teachers cannot get to know their students very easily.
They find it easy to streamstudents according to ability while commitment to
work may stand a test of time. In terms of numerical strength,the National
Policy on Education (1977 revised in 1981) specified 20 in pre-primary, 30 in
primary andmaximum of 40 in secondary schools. These directives appear
unrealistic in urban areas as a result of highpopulation. From studies
conducted, the size of large classes range from 30-336 and small from 8-45
(Kolo1991). The empirical literature on class size and its relationship to academic
performance has been unwieldy andconfusing. According to Jordan (1964), in his
analysis of the inter-relationship of intelligence, performance
andsocio-economic status of high schools, concluded that School Location among
other variables was directly related to mean performance level of students in
all the sampled subjects. However, the report by someresearchers on elementary
school pupils revealed that the size of school and length of attendance have
little or noeffect upon pupils’ performance when educational opportunities are
comparable. In his conclusion, he assertedthat teachers generally, have
definite preference for the size of schools in which they wish to teach and
that thelarger the size, the lower the level of students’ performance will tend
to be. The observation which agrees with the findings of Sitkei (1968) and
Walberg (1969) that a significant and consistent relationship exist in theperformance
of students in small classes of about 1-20 pupils that obtained higher scores
in science tests thantheir counterparts in large classes are necessary for
student performance.
Expressing
a divergent view, Silver as cited by Bolton (1988) found that there was no
significant difference inpost test performance scores between large classes and
small classes control groups; he concluded that larger issometimes better.
Earlier, Keeves (1978) acceded that type of school did not make a contribution
to academicperformance, however, Carpenter and Western (1984) found that school
type makes a difference in studentsacademic performance. Hatis and Spay citing
Smith and Glass and Glass et al as a corollary to the abovestatement indicated
through meta-analyses that, compare to larger classes, small classes lead to
higher pupilsperformance, more favourable teacher effects (e.g morale, attitude
towards students) greater attempts inindividualized instruction, a better
classroom climate and more favorable student effects (e.gself
concept,participation). In another development, Finn and Achilles (1990)
observed in a longitudinal analysis of a portionof their large scale experiment
(describing Kindergarten and teachers) that students in small classes
out-performtheir peers in kindergarten classes of regular size… (regular class
size here means large classes). According to astudy conducted in United States,
Campbell (1980) remarked that students from large schools were exposed tolarge
number of school activities and the best of them achieved standards that were
unequaled by students insmall schools. However, he observed that students in
small schools participated in more activities, (bothacademics and extra-
curricular activities). The study concluded that the versatility and
performance of pupils insmall schools were consistently higher. The assertion
made by Campbell appears confusing as he failed topin-point the one that is more
reliable.
In
his contribution, Ornstein (1990) discovered that in a 10-year study of high
schools in Illinois, the lowestperformance on three separate standard tests
occurred in schools with fewer than 495 students. The highestperformance,
however, was found in schools with 495 to 1,280 students. The situation was
slightly differentfrom this in Ekiti State where schools with fewer students
recorded better results, than schools with largerstudents’ population (Owoeye,
1991) factors such as socio-economic status and geographical location
wereaccounted for but these were eliminated as possible explanations. Similar
view had earlier been expressed byGeorge (1958) when he reported in his
research on high school class rank and academic performance thatgraduate from
high school seem to perform better academically in college when the high school
from which thestudent graduated has a large graduating class.
1.2 Statement
of the Problem
The
problem the research purposes to address
in this research are: the provision of an opportunityfor discussion or for any
kind of oral input to the written work is difficult… and; the amount of marking
involved can dissuade even the most enthuastic teacher from setting the amount
the written that feels would benefit the students.
1.3 Purpose
of the Study
The
purpose of this research work is to determine the effect of class-size on the academic
performance of Junior Secondary School Students in Abeokuta South Local
Government Area of Ogun State.
1.4 Research
Questions
The
following relevant questions will be of great assistance to this research
project in the sense that the research questions will be an illumination into
the topic of focus.
These
questions are:
(i)
What
are the limitations of small class size on the academic performance of J.S.S
students?
(ii)
What
are the benefits of larger class size on the academic performance of J.S.S
students?
(iii)
What
makes the students show more appreciation for one another on the academic
performance in J.S.S students?
(iv)
What
effect does class size have on the interaction among students on the academic
performance of J.S.S students.
1.5 Significance
of the Study
The
finds of this study would be of benefit in the following way:
·
Smaller
classes result in increased teacher-student contact.
·
Students
in smaller classes show more appreciation for one another and more desire to
participate inclassroom activities.
·
In
smaller classes, more learning activities take place.
·
Smaller
classes foster greater interaction among students, helping them understand one
another andincreasing their desire to assist one another.
·
Smaller
classes allow for potential disciplinary problems to be identified and resolved
more quickly.
·
Smaller
classes result in higher teacher morale and reduced stress.
·
Less
retention, fewer referrals to special education, and fewer dropouts are the
ultimate rewards ofclass-size reduction.
1.6 Scope
of the Study
The
study covered some selected Junior Secondary Schools in Abeokuta South Local
Government Area of Ogun State.
1.7 Limitation
of the Study
This
research project is limited to some selected Junior Secondary Schools in
Abeokuta South Local Government due to financial and time constraints.
1.8 Definitions
of Terms
Class Size: Is typically defined as the number of
students for whom a teacher is primarily responsible during school year.
Academic performance: Academic performance or (academic)
performance is the outcome of education the extent to which a student teacher
or institution has achieved their educational goals.