Effect of Class Size on the Academic and Social Life of Primary School Pupils in Nigeria: Teachers’ Perspective

Chinwe Patience Ihuoma, Mirabel Emakpor

Abstract


The study examined the effect of overpopulation on the academic performance and social life of pupils in primary schools in Local Education District IV of Lagos State. The sample was selected using the systematic random sampling technique. Some research questions and hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Questionnaires were employed to obtain information about the topic under study. The sample size was 100 respondents. The data collected were subjected to chi-square statistical analysis.  The major findings of the study indicate that there is a significant effect of overpopulation on the academic performance of pupils in primary schools in Local Education District IV as the X2 calculated value of 22.911>the X2 value that was 21.026 at 12 degrees of freedom. Also, there are significant effects of overpopulation on the social life of the pupils as data revealed that the X2 calculated value was 35.829>the X2 value 24.966 at 15 degrees of freedom. Overpopulation has made teachers dispassionate about their jobs. It is then recommended that the government should devise means of ensuring that not more than 35-40 pupils are in a class for primary schools. Training for the teachers on how to effectively manage large classes where there are more than 40 pupils in a classroom was also recommended. 


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References


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