EFFECTS OF OVER-CROWDED CLASSROOMS ON TEACHER-STUDENT INTERACTIONS

By DR. (MRS) YETUNDE IJAIYA

ABSTRACT
The study was carried out to find out the most serious effects of overcrowded classroom on teacher-student interactions and the frequently used coping strategies adopted by the teachers Using Spearman's rho correlation coefficient, a weak positive correlation was found between the opinion of teachers and students on the most serious effects of over-crowded classrooms, while a moderate positive correlation was found in their opinions on the coping strategies. Both sides however considered rampant noise making as the -most serious problem. Findings showed that over crowdedness diminishes the quantity and quality of teaching and learning with serious implications for attainment of educational goals. To solve this problem, it is suggested that both the Federal and State Governments make the building of additional classrooms and provision of students' furniture a priority in their educational planning at all levels.

INTRODUCTION
Since Western education became firmly rooted in Nigeria, it has raced myriads of problems. Most of these problems are hardly lost on the various Governments, whether during colonial or post-independence era. It has resulted in the setting up of various commissions (e.g. the Ashby Commission of 1960; the 1969 curriculum conference, etc) to examine Nigeria's educational problems and make recommendations. These problems pertained to the quantity and quality of teachers, educational facilities, curriculum planning and development, etc. Adaralegbe (1983: 16) noted that a "a recurring feature in Nigerian secondary school system from its inception about 120 years ago was its poor staffing." Adesina (1990:76), speaking on the physical facilities, also observed that "Post: independence Nigeria saw most Nigeria's primary and secondary

school buildings no better than they were during the colonial era." In fact, most of them are worse now, having suffered from lack of maintainance and weather conditions (e.g. rain-storm). Though the various Governments, military and civilian, have given considerable considerable attention to the provision of more teachers and schools, the reality in most schools today, from the primary to the tertian levels, confirms that the problems still linger, various Governments, military and civilian, have given considerable considerable attention to the provision of more teachers and schools, the reality in most schools today, from the primary to the tertiary levels, confirms that the problems still linger. The problems of shortage of teachers and classrooms are intricately interwoven and when both combine with large pupil enrolment, the consequence is over-crowded classrooms. This is the sad truth in many Nigerian classes especially in the major towns and cities with many classes registering fifty (50) to one hundred (100) students and above which is clearly above the internationally recommended standard (See Table 1). The poor state of the physical facilities in the schools confirms Adesina's (1990:76) observation that this aspect of the educational problem has been consistently ignored in educational "plans and reports". He cited the example of Banjo Commission (1961) in the then Western Nigeria and a similar one in the old Eastern Nigeria which failed to mention 'inadequate physical facilities' as one of the fifteen factors considered responsible for falling standard of education. Only the Oldman Report on Northern Nigeria gave some attention to buildings and furniture in schools (Adesina. 1990). The consequence as noted by the West Africa study group of the Nuffield Foundation (1952) in the report on educational policy and practice in Tropical Africa is that " most of the school buildings are poor and made worse by over-crowding " (Adesina. 1990:70). Ordinarily. the phenomenon of rural-urban drift in an emergent nation like Nigeria normally exerts pressure on the facilities and services such as hospitals, schools, transportation etc. However, the introduction of the Universal Free Primary Education (U.P.E.) first in the old Western Region in 1955 and later in the Eastern Region in 1957 as well as the launching of the U.P.E. Scheme by the Federal Government in 1976 compounded the problems of providing adequate facilities in schools to meet the resultant unprecedented upsurge in pupil enrolment (Akinyemi, 1983). With inadequate planning for the expected population explosion in schools, overcrowded classrooms now become a permanent feature of academic setting at all levels of the educational system. In addition. Educational planning in Nigeria has always been thought of in terms of quantitative growth which is usually above the financial capacity of the

Government (Adesina, 1990). A recent example is the implementation of the current 6-3-3-4 system of education which is seriously affected by lack of adequate funding and poor preparation. Even though the Federal and State Governments have shown serious commitment to educational development through their annual budgetary allocation to Education in recent years (allocation to Education sector is second only to Defence), the attention given to physical facilities is far from being adequate. The issue at stake is not how huge the allocation is but how 'adequate'. In a study by Ndagi (1983) on educational financing under military rule (1968-1978) it was found that of the financial resources allocated to secondary level institutions, over 80% went to the personal emolument of staff and the maintenance of students while less than 10% went to the purchase of educational materials and equipments, (p. 195) And in the case of the State Governments, the same study found out that of the resources allocated to secondary level education, on average, over 50% went to the personal emoluments of staff and over 30% to the maintenance of students while less than 15% was used for the purchase of educational material and equipments; (pp. 195-196). In the case of students' furniture, some State Governments have completely handed off the supply. Students either pay to the school to purchase for them or they bring from home. The latter is more popular. Such furniture now come in all shapes and sizes presenting an ugly sight in the classroom. The phenomenon of overcrowded classroom as well as poor quality and inadequate furniture in the classroom due to unlimited expansion has taken its toll on the educational system. Only few people will deny that the quality of teaching and learning is on the decline at all levels of the educational system. The poor result of the Senior Secondary School examination (SSCE) in almost all subjects in recent years is one potent indicator. The increase in examination malpractices cannot be divorced from poor seating arrangement in classrooms. The quantity and quality of interaction in the class are likely to be adversely affected due to lack of space for moving round the class and the overwhelming number of students that the teacher has to deal with within a forty-minute lesson. Nolasco and Arthur (1988) also identified five likely problems of large classes: coping with the noise, persuading the class to use English, managing the introduction and setting up of activities, making limited resources go a long way and monitoring the work of individuals within the class (p. 5). These and many other problems inform the decision to conduct this

study with the hope that it will help to draw more attention to this ugly situation under which learning is expected to take place and educational objectives are to be attained.

THE PROBLEM
The classroom is the heart of any educational system. No curriculum planning is complete without implementation and evaluation, both of which are mainly carried out in the classroom. Most of the class activities take place while students are seated. The seating arrangement is therefore too important to suffer the kind of neglect being experienced by many secondary schools in the country. As rightly observed by Cohen and Manion (1983:221) "a careful attention to seating arrangement contributes as effectively as any other aspect of classroom management and control to overall success with a class subsequently." Adesina (1990:73) also affirms that one potent index for evaluating educational standards and quality is an examination of the physical facilities available for learning experiences". The seating arrangement can make or mar any lesson. Ideally, in a secondary school, especially in a mixed ability grouping, as found in Nigerian schools, seats should be arranged in rows with a reasonable amount of space between them to allow for proper teacher - student and student - student interactions, as well as allow for individual and group work (Cohen and Manion, 1983). To this end, the ratio of teacher to students should not exceed 1:30 or at most 40 judging by the size of the classrooms. But what one finds in many of these classes is between ratio 1:50 and 1:150 incertain cases. This study was therefore interested in identifying the major problems caused by over-populated classes in Nigeria growing towns and cities with a view to making suggestions that could help to alleviate the problems.

THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The study addressed the following questions: Is there any correlation between the ranking of teachers and students with regard to the effects of over-crowded classrooms on classroom interactions? Is there any correlation between the ranking of teachers and students concerning the coping strategies adopted by teachers in over-crowded classroom ?

METHODOLOGY

The sample used in this study consisted of teachers and students from secondary schools in Ilorin metropolis. Ilorin is considered a typical example of the growing cities in Nigeria which has been feeling the pinch of population explosion in schools Using simple random sampling technique, eight schools were selected out of thirty secondary schools in the township. A total of 250 students randomly selected were served a researcher-designed questionnaire through their teachers, out of which 206 were found usable. The teachers' sample consisted of 141 teachers also randomly selected from the eight schools. The total sample was three hundred and forty seven (N=347).

THE INSTRUMENT
Two types of instrument were used. One involved the use of class registers to obtain pupil enrolment by classroom J.S.S. 1 to S.S.S. 1. It was assumed that most SS 1 students would eventually make it to SS 3. The schools are indicated by letters A to H (Table 1). The second instrument was a questionnaire made by the researcher to determine the most serious effect of over-crowded classroom on Teacher - student interactions. It consisted of two sections. Sections A consisted of thirteen (13) statements which the respondents had to rank in descending order according to their views of their seriousness on classroom interactions. Section B presented seven (7) coping strategies which could be adopted by the teacher to combat the problems of over-crowdedness in the class. Respondents were required to identify the ones commonly used by their teachers. The questionnaire was validated by experts in Educational Management. The reliability co-efficient of the questionnaire was 0.85. The data was analyzed by using Spearman's rho correlation coefficient.

Table 1: Class by class Enrolment of some Secondary Schools in Ilorin Metropolis. SCHOOLS
Class A B C D E F G H

JSS 1A JSS 1B JSS 1C JSS 1D JSS 1E JSS 1F JSS 2A JSS 2B JSS 2C JSS 2D JSS 2E JSS 2F JSS 3A JSS 3B JSS 3C JSS 3D JSS 3E JSS 3F SSS 1A SSS 1B SSS 1C SSS 1D SSS 1E SSS 1F

88 82 61 95 100 85 78 77

90 73 70 94 50 56 84 43 90 133 123

70 109 110 119 104 52 104 101 100 110 43 79 85 79 83 79 84

107 98 95 99 100 94 81 82 74 75 74 65 70 123 85

100 69 100 73 82 52 56 21 85 96 61

71 69 71 69 66 72 70 69 58 50 52 52 46 47 56 31 68 67 60 66

62 85 80 62 59 55 58 63 58 48 50 36 53 59 63

80 81 86 83 60 79 85 77 50 58 65 70 . 45 50

77

80

60

30 65 70

Source: Class Registers through the counselling Department of each school. * Note that all the classes are over-populated except SSS 1A in schools D, E, F and H which are science classes.

DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS

Below is the analysis and results of the data collected in relation to the research questions. The first question sought to find out if there was any relationship between the rankings of the teachers and students with regard to the problems of overcrowded classroom. Table 2 below presents the analysis and result of the data collected. Table 2: Result of Spearman's rho performed to compare the rankings of teachers and students on the problems of over-crowded classroom and teacher student interactions.
No of Teachers Ranking by Students Response Ranking by d d2

Response 1. Noise-making is very rampant during lessons. 24 2. Securing students total attention during lessons is almost impossible. 16 3. Many pupils at the back do not participate much in the lesson. 17 4. Quiet students often get neglected. 7 5. Only brilliant students answer questions in class. 8 6. Teachers' questions cannot spread round the class. 7 7. Teachers' movement is restricted to the front of the class because Students lockers have blocked every space. 22 8. Teachers cannot move round the class to mark students' assignment 12 9. It is impossible to catch students cheating. 2 10. Late-comers sneak in unnoticed. 6 11. It is difficult for teachers to see students who are not paying attention. 5

Teachers 1 40

Students 1 0 0

18

-1

3 10

10 20

8 4

-5 6

25 36

10

-3

30

25

13

11

121

13

49

13

35

11

121

11

-2

11

15

25

12. Truants go unnoticed in the class. 4 13. Teaching aids cannot go round everybody. 10 P = 1 - 6 (450) 2 13 (13 - 1) P = 1 - 2700 2184 P = 1 - 1.236 P = 0.236

12 6

12 9

7 9

5 -3

25 9

The result in Table 2 above showed a weak positive correlation (P = 0.236) between the ranking of teachers and students'. This result implied that both sides shared a slight consensus on the problems associated with overcrowded classrooms. Both the teachers and the students ranked item 1 - "noisemaking is very rampant during lessons" as the most serious problem of overcrowded classroom. Other rankings are not so similar. The teachers' other rankings showed item 7 -"teacher's movement is restricted to the front of the class because students' lockers have blocked every space" and item 3 - "many pupils at the back do not participate much in the lesson" received second and third place respectively. Students on the other hand, ranked item 9 - "it is impossible to catch students cheating" second (ranked last by teachers) and item 6 - teachers' questions cannot spread round the class due to time limit." was ranked third, though ranked eighth In teachers, for the students item 7. ranked second by the teachers, was the least of the problems and was ranked last (thirteenth) by them. Other rankings are as shown in Table 2. The second question desired to know if there was correlation between the rankings of teachers and students concerning the coping strategies adopted In teachers in dealing with the problems of over-crowded classrooms. The result is presented in fable 3 below. fable 3: Result of Spearman's rho performed to compare the teachers' and students' ranking of the coping strategies adopted by teachers.
Items a. Standing in front of the class all the time. b. Teacher raising his or her voice. c. Dividing students into groups for lessons TEACHER Frequency Count 48 72 0 STUDENTS Ranking Frequency Count 5 2 7 144 134 36 Ranking d 2.5 4 7 2.5 2 0 d2 6.25 4 0

d. Re-arranging students from time to time so that those at the back come to the front for some part of the term. e. Class assignments are always collected to be marked after the lessons. f. Punishments for students who disturb. g. Sending disobedient students off the class. p = 1 - 6 (17.5) 7 (72-1) p = 1 105 336 p = 1 - 0.313 p = 0.687.

12 54 84 66

6 4 1 3

66 102 144 156

6 5 2.5 1

0 -1

0 1

-1.5 2.25 2 4

(d2=17.5

As shown in Table 3. a moderate positive correlation (p = 0.687) was found between the ranking of both teachers and students with regard to the coping strategies used by teachers, thus implying that both sides had almost similar view of the frequently used teachers coping strategies. According to the teachers, the most frequently used coping strategies is "punishment for students who are disturbing." This is followed by "teacher raising his or her voice" and "sending disobedient students out of the class", both ranked second and third respectively. "Dividing students into groups for lessons" was found to be unpopular as a coping strategy for the problem of over-crowded classes. For the students, the most frequently used strategy by teachers is "sending disobedient students out of the class". Table 3 also showed that "standing in front of the class all the time", and "punishment for students who are disturbing" received equal ranking from the students.

DISCUSSION
The main objective of this study was to identify the major problems associated with over-population of students in classrooms resulting in poor seating arrangement as they affect teacher-student interactions in the class. The findings showed that noise-making, difficulty of catching cheating students, restriction of teacher's movement to the front of the class and inadequate participation in the lesson by students sitting at the back are the major problems caused by overcrowded classes. Findings also showed that questions cannot

spread much round the class. The findings of this study revealed the trend or direction of concern for both the teachers and the students. While both of them consider noise making as a number one problem, the students were however more concerned with catching fellow students who indulge in cheating during tests and examinations than do the teachers. This is not strange since the students are expected to know each other better than the teachers, being together most of the time. This, coupled with the teachers' movement restricted to the front of the classroom, makes it difficult for the teachers to catch those cheating. That teachers were also concerned about their movement being restricted also showed that they were aware of the limitations that the seating arrangements has forced on them. Both the teachers and students were however concerned about lack of enough opportunity for students' participation in the lessons due to the size of the class (See Table 1). The pedagogical-cum-educational implications of these findings cannot be over-emphasised. That both die teachers and students identified noisemaking as the most serious problems of over-populated classroom is significant. This confirms Nolasco and Arthur's (1988) observation that noise is a major problem of large classes. Any experienced teacher would agree that very little meaningful learning, if at all, can take place in a noisy environment. Noisemaking implies that such students are not paying attention to the on-going lesson. Besides, noise-making has been recognised as a barrier to effective communication and effective teaching (Ogunsaju, 1990). The finding also indicates the level of class control problems in such classes. This therefore raises serious questions about the quality and quantity of teaching/learning in such classes. Also, a close observation of classroom behaviour shows that noisemakers tend to concentrate at the back of the class. The finding that students at the back do not participate much in the lesson is therefore not surprising. This however calls for better strategies or skills from the teachers to handle this section of the class more constructively. Questioning is an integral part of teaching. In fact, no teaching is complete without evaluation. It is through evaluation that the teacher determines whether the lesson objectives have been achieved or not. The finding that teachers' questions cannot spread round the class seems to suggest that many students have no opportunity to participate in the evaluation. How then does the teacher identify their strengths and weaknesses so as to assist them especially when the teachers rely so much on oral evaluation for every lesson? All these have serious implications for curriculum development and implementation.

Also, where teachers are glued to the front of the classroom, it becomes near-impossible to go round either to mark pupils' work or assist the individual student. They are also forced into using the lecture method all the time because of the rigidity in the seating arrangement. On the issue of coping strategies adopted by teachers, findings showed that punishment is the most popular measure. The use of punishment over and above other more positive strategies is not in the best interest of the students. Such punishment sometimes turn to be negative reinforcement and acceptable to the student. And though its use cannot be totally avoided, educationists would rather recommend the use of positive reinforcement (Fontana, 1981). By using punishment, teachers seem to have picked the most convenient way of getting out of the problem of class control (for example, sending erring students out reduces the number of students to cope with). More positive options like dividing students into groups will likely make more demand on their energy and time, hence the avoidance.

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS

From the findings of this study, one can conclude that seating arrangement in over-populated classes places limitations on the quality and quantity of interactions between the teachers and the students as well as on the quality of teaching and learning. The findings also cast some doubt on the skills of the teachers in dealing with the problems. Indulging in negative reinforcement like punishment, is not educationally expedient. These are direct consequences on inadequate classrooms and furniture as well as poor quality training of teachers. In view of the above, the following suggestions are made. Shortages of classrooms and teachers in secondary schools need to be treated as a national crisis worthy of the attention of both the Federal and State Governments, A lasting solution is therefore building of additional classrooms and employing more teachers, hi fact, judging by Table 1, there is a need to double existing facilities. A ratio of 1:35 teacher to students is hereby suggested. Federal and State Governments should lift embargo specifically on the employment of teachers. On students' furniture, the Ministries of Education should direct schools to treat them like school uniform which is organized by each school in order to ensure uniformity. In the alternative, the Government could design a standard set (chair and desk) for students to buy from specified local furniture shops at an affordable price. On the coping skills of the teachers, a more positive approach as

suggested by Nolasco and Arthur (1988) is to establish some formality in class activities right from the beginning of the lesson. This could be in form of class routines and convention that would keep the students busy as soon as the lesson starts. Adequate planning and implementation of lessons would also keep them busy throughout the lesson. To this end, seminars and workshops should be organised for teachers to sharpen their skills of teaching.

REFERENCES
Adaralegbe, A. (1983) 'Secondary Education in Nigeria', in Adesina, S. Akinyemi, K. and Ajayi, K. (eds): Nigerian Education. Trends and Issues. Ile-Ife: University of Ife Press Ltd. Akinyemi, K. (1983) Trends in Development of Primary Education in Nigeria', in Adesina, S. Akinyemi, K and Ajayi, K. (eds): Nigerian Education. Trends and Issues. Ile-Ife: University of Ife Press Ltd. Adesina, S. (1990) Educational Management. Nigeria: Fourth Dimension Publishers. Cohen, L. and Manion, L. (1983) A Guide to Teaching Practice. London: Methuen. Fontana, D. (1981) 'Class Control and Management in Fontana, D(ed.): Psychology For Teachers. London: The Macmillan Press Ltd. Ndagi, J.O. (1983) 'Financing of Education in Nigeria Under Military Rule (1968-1978)' in Adesina, S. Akinyemi, K. and Ajayi, K. (eds): Nigerian Education. Trends and Issues. Ile-Ife: University of Ife Press Ltd. Cert. 10. Ogunsaju, S. (1990) A Guide to School Effectiveness in Nigeria. Ibadan: Laville Publications.