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 90 70 107 100 71 62 80 77
JSS 1B 88 73 109 98 69 69 85 81
JSS 1C 82 70 110 95 — 71 80 86
JSS 1D 61 — 119 — — 69 — 83
JSS 1E — — 104 — — 66 — —
JSS 1F — — — — — 62 — —
JSS 2A 94 52 99 100 72 59 60 80
JSS 2B 95 50 104 100 73 70 55 79
JSS 2C 100 56 101 94 — 69 58 85
JSS 2D — — 100 81 — 58 — 77
JSS 2E — — 110 — — 50 — —
JSS 2F — — — — — 63 — —
JSS 3A 84 43 82 82 52 58 50 60
JSS 3B 85 43 79 74 52 52 48 58
JSS 3C 78 — 85 75 56 46 — 65
JSS 3D 77 — 79 74 — 47 — 70
JSS 3E — — 83 — — 56 — —.
JSS 3F — — — — — 50 — —
SSS 1A 90 79 65 21 31 36 45 30
SSS 1B 133 — 70 85 68 53 50 65
SSS 1C 123 — 123 96 67 59 — 70
SSS 1D — — 85 61 — 63 — —
SSS 1E — — 84 — — 60 — —
SSS 1F — — — — — 66 — —
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 over-
crowded 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 Ranking Students Ranking d d2

Teachers by Response by
 Response Teachers Students
1. Noise-making is
very rampant
during lessons. 24 1 40 1 0 0
2. Securing
students total
attention during
lessons is
almost
impossible. 16 4 18 5 -1 1
3. Many pupils at
the back do not
participate much
in the lesson. 17 3 10 8 -5 25
4. Quiet students
often get
neglected. 7 10 20 4 6 36
5. Only brilliant
students
answer
questions
in class. 8 7 6 10 -3 9
6. Teachers'
questions
cannot spread
round the class. 7 8 30 3 5 25
7. Teachers'
movement is
restricted to
the front of
the class
because
Students’
lockers have
blocked every
space. 22 2 2 13 11 121
8. Teachers cannot
move round the
class to mark
students'
assignment 12 5 3 13 7 49
9. It is impossible
to catch
students
cheating. 2 13 35 2 11 121

10. Late-comers
sneak in
unnoticed. 6 9 5 11 -2 4
11. It is difficult for
teachers to see
students who
are not paying
attention. 5 11 15 6 5 25
12. Truants go
unnoticed in the
class. 4 12 12 7 5 25
13. Teaching aids
cannot go round
everybody. 10 6 9 9 -3 9

P = 1 - 6 (450)
2
13 (13 - 1)
P = 1 - 2700
2184
P = 1 - 1.236
P = 0.236

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 over-
crowded classrooms. Both the teachers and the students ranked item 1 - "noise-
making is very rampant during lessons" as the most serious problem of over-
crowded 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.

TEACHER STUDENTS
Items Frequency Ranking Frequency Ranking d d2
Count Count
a. Standing in front of the
class all the time. 48 5 144 2.5 2.5 6.25
b. Teacher raising his or
her voice. 72 2 134 4 2 4
c. Dividing students into
groups for lessons 0 7 36 7 0 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. 12 6 66 6 0 0
e. Class assignments are
always collected to be
marked after the lessons. 54 4 102 5 -1 1
f. Punishments for students
who disturb. 84 1 144 2.5 -1.5 2.25
g. Sending disobedient
students off the class. 66 3 156 1 2 4
Σ(d2=17.5
p = 1 - 6 (17.5)
7 (72-1)
p = 1 105
336
p = 1 - 0.313
p = 0.687.
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 noise-
making 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. Noise-
making 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 noise-
makers 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.