Perceived Effect of Class Size on Academic Achievement of Junior Secondary School Students in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume II, Issue VII, July 2018 | ISSN 2454–6186

Perceived Effect of Class Size on Academic Achievement of Junior Secondary School Students in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria

 EBOATU, VERONICA. N.¹, EHIRIM, Jennifer Uchechi²

 ¹ Ph.D., Department of Educational Management and Policy, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria
²Department of Educational Management and Policy, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria

Abstract: – This study examined the perceived impact of class size on academic achievement of junior secondary school students in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. The descriptive survey design was used and the study was guided by four research questions. The population of the study was 179 junior secondary school teachers from which a sample of 110 was selected from five schools in the area of study using thesimple random technique. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire titled: ‘‘Perceived Impact of Class Size on Academic Achievement of Students’’ (PICSAAS) and wasvalidated by two experts in Educational Management and Policy and one expert in Measurement and Evaluation. The reliability of the instrument was ascertained using the test-retest method and the Pearson Product Moment Correlation analysis which yielded a co-efficient of 0.67. Data collected were analyzed using weighted means. The results, among others, showed that class size affects students’ academic achievement through interaction between teachers and students. The implications of the study were highlighted and the researcher recommended that government, in order to achieve optimum class size, should build more schools and classrooms for more conducive teaching-learning environments.

I. INTRODUCTION

Improving students’ academic achievement has been the concern and the reason for most educational research and programmes. In addition to the students’ qualities, other determinants such as home factors, school variables, and teacher qualities have been found to impact on students’ academic achievement, either positively or negatively. Class size is one of the school variables that determine how effectively students learn. Studies such as Molnar, Chase and Walden (2000) and Gentry (2002) report that school population and class overcrowding (large class sizes) and teaching methods are among the school factors that impact on students’ academic achievement.

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