THE EFFECTS OF CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1   Background of the study

This study focuses on the analysis of classroom management approaches in secondary school level. Classroom management is a significant part of an effective teaching learning process. Due to an effective classroom management, students flourish in a positive class climate and a compassionate environment. From a student’s perspective, effective classroom management provides them the opportunities to socialize themselves while learning. From a teacher perspective, effective classroom management involves precautionary discipline and fruitful teaching. Okoli (2008) concluded that physical environment of the classroom and seating arrangement are interrelated and managed alongside.

      The ability to manage, lead and supervise students during the learning process has been shown to be an indispensible component of effective teaching and learning, more so in Nigeria where the challenge of overcrowded classrooms hinders effective teacher instruction in the classroom. For the classroom to serve its purpose, the teacher must be able to establish order. This requires him/her to have the knowledge, attitude and skills necessary. He/she must be able to establish rapport with the students and their parents, involve students in the processes of establishing ground rules for behavior and being accountable for their actions, manage transitions during instructions, and motivate students to maximize time-on-task, supervise students in their learning activities and lastly deal with students’ misbehavior effectively. This study is expected to help students master these key skills. It will also equip them with the ability to be open-minded and creative about the application of these techniques to their challenges.

         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 over whelming number of students that the teacher has to deal with within a forty-minute lesson.

        Effective classroom management is much more than just administering corrective measures when a student misbehaves; it's about developing proactive ways to prevent problems from occurring in the first place while creating a positive learning environment. Establishing that climate for learning is one of the most challenging aspects of teaching, and one of the most difficult skills to master. For those new to the profession, failure to set the right tone will greatly hinder your effectiveness as a teacher. Indeed, even experienced faculty may sometimes feel frustrated by classroom management issues. Strategies that worked for years suddenly become ineffective in the face of some of the challenges today’s students bring with them to the classroom.

          Classroom management is the process of organizing and conducting the business of the classroom. Many perceive it as the preservation of order through teacher control. Classroom management is much more than that, however! It also involves the establishment and maintenance of the classroom environment so that educational goals can be accomplished (Savage & Savage, 2010).

        Effective classroom managers create orderly, safe environments where students feel valued and comfortable, thus setting the stage for teaching and learning. To achieve that, they strategically arrange classroom space to support a variety of independent, small and large group activities (Crane, 2001). Elementary teachers also designate a large area of floor space where students can gather for read a louds, demonstrations, and class meeting. In all classrooms, there should be no “blind” areas in the room where students can be out of view. To structure “traffic flow” and minimize disruption, teachers separate high-traffic areas such as group work areas, learning centers, students’ desks, and the teacher’s desk.  

        Effective classroom managers provide a structured, caring environment that meets students’ personal and academic needs. Such teachers are perceived as authority figures in the classroom. They share high behavioral expectations, design/implement developmentally appropriate lessons, and establish and enforce behavioral guidelines. Because effective teachers respect students as individuals with rights, values, and feelings, they carefully choose their words and actions to protect students’ dignity. They actively engage students in meaningful, challenging educational experiences and provide plentiful positive feedback. In short, they set their students (and themselves) up for success.

         Ineffective teachers are poor planners. They do not start class on time; become sidetracked easily; use limited, low-interest teaching strategies; create a disorganized environment; and hold unclear academic and behavioral expectations. Furthermore, they abdicate responsibility for helping students to make good behavioral choices by trying to be the students’ friend instead of their teacher. When that approach generates misbehaviors, ineffective teachers use ridicule, sarcasm, and put-downs to “put students in their place.” Students’ disrespect for these teachers is evidenced through increasingly frequent classroom disruptions and exceedingly poor behavioral choices.

Statement of the problem

The classroom is the heart of any educational system. No curriculum planning is complete without implementation and evolution, 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 p.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 p.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 Nigeria 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 ratios 1: 50 and 1: 150 in certain cases. This study was therefore interested in identifying the major problems caused by overpopulated classes in Nigeria growing towns and cities with a view to making suggestions that could help to alleviate the problems.

         Observation reveals that in recent times, there has been astronomical rise in class size due to increase in enrolment of students in public secondary schools in Cross River State. Some schools have as many as eighty (80), hundred (100) or above 100 students per class as against the teacher-student ratio of 1:40 recommended by the National Policy on Education (FGN 2004). This situation has had multiple negative effects on teaching and learning as well as students’ academic outcomes.

This is evidenced in the failure rates recorded by students in external exams like W.A.E.C in a core subjects like English Language between 2004 and 2006 (Osim 2009). Apart from this, students no longer have confidence in writing exams on their own without examination malpractice (Mgbekem, 2004). This also is consequent upon the fact that small class sizes do no encourage effective teaching and learning environment.

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