THE IMPACT OF CLASS SIZE AND OVERPOPULATION ON SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

As the school population grows, so do class numbers, and student performance becomes a problem. Class size, according to Dror (1995), has become a topic that is frequently cited in the educational literature as having an impact on students' moods and achievement, as well as administration, quality, and school budgets. In his opinion, class size is virtually entirely a managerial choice over which instructors have little or no influence. Most investigations begin with the premise that class size will be a key driver of students' level of performance. In reality, with the exception of a few research, many have shown that in ideal circumstances, class size appears to be a significant impact (Brian, 1996). The first point that has to be clarified is how many pupils should be considered a large group and how many should be considered a small group. Bray (1990) described a small group as having few professors with tiny pools of skill, offering a restricted variety of disciplines, and typically finding it difficult to justify significant library investments... Their students have little rivalry and interest because they have the same instructor for their whole school experience. The description seems to be the polar opposite of what happens in huge groups (Vincent, 1987). Large school/class sizes, on the other hand, are frequently impersonal, with larger curricula and more support for instructors, but children may have discipline issues since teachers cannot readily get to know their pupils. They find it simple to sort kids into groups based on their abilities, while work ethic may endure the test of time. The National Policy on Education (1977, updated in 1981) prescribed a numerical strength of 20 in pre-primary, 30 in primary, and a maximum of 40 in secondary schools. Because of the high population density in cities, these directions look impossible. According to statistics, large courses have a size of 30-336 students while small classes have a size of 8-45 students (Kolo, 1991). The empirical research on class size and academic achievement has been cumbersome and perplexing. Jordan (1964) determined that School Location, among other factors, was directly connected to mean achievement level of students in all the selected subjects in his examination of the inter-relationship between intelligence, achievement, and socio-economic condition of high schools. When educational possibilities are equivalent, however, the size of the school and length of attendance have little or no influence on kids' achievement, according to a report by some researchers on primary school students. In his conclusion, he claimed that instructors had a clear preference for the size of the schools in which they desire to teach, and that the greater the size, the lower the level of student achievement. The observation that supports Walberg's (1969) findings that there is a strong and consistent association between the achievement of students in small classrooms of roughly 1-20 students who scored higher on scientific examinations than their peers in big courses is critical for student achievement. The impact of class size on student attitudes, actions, and outcomes has been studied extensively. The vast majority of these research have focused on the impact of class size on student achievement in elementary school and even pre-school. Smaller class sizes, according to common knowledge among parents, teachers, school administrators, and policymakers, lead to better student learning and results (Sitkei, 1968). Empirical data, on the other hand, hasn't always backed up popular opinion. While some studies support the idea that class size matters in terms of student achievement, others strongly disagree, indicating that class size has little to no impact on objective student outcomes. Class size is sometimes not directly observed but rather proxied by pupil-teacher ratios at the state, district, or school level, which makes determining the causal effect of class size on student outcomes, such as achievement, challenging. Many of the data sets used to investigate this subject are cross-sectional, which means they can't account for fixed student, teacher, class, or school impacts, and class size might be endogenous in a student outcome equation (Esther, 1970). Nonetheless, the overall view among scholars looking into this topic is that, if class size matters at all, it has the greatest impact at the elementary school level. Only a few research have looked into the influence that class size may have in tertiary education results. Clearly, the educational atmosphere differs significantly from that of an elementary school classroom and learning environment. Even so, the conventional wisdom about the advantages of small class sizes persists in higher education. Despite the absence of convincing evidence that class size has a major impact on student achievements, class size is one of the fifteen factors into the U.S. News & World Report college rankings methodology. Overpopulation occurs when the overall number of people in a given location outnumbers the available resources. Overpopulation is also characterized as a lack of resource development in comparison to the number of people available  (osuji, 2008). This means that current resources are unable to keep up with the current population. Evidence suggests that the number of pupils enrolled in urban schools is increasing (Andy, 2004). One of the causes contributing to the overpopulation of secondary schools in metropolitan areas is the consistent availability of recreational facilities, which keeps students occupied after school. The under-representation of secondary school students in Nigeria has had a detrimental impact on the Nigerian educational system, with disastrous consequences in terms of loss of quality and its consequences. This overpopulation issue might be blamed for enormous misery, corruption, social chaos, low living standards, crime, and so on. There will be a lesser level of schooling as a result of this.

However, the impact of class size and overcrowding on secondary school student academic achievement will be examined in this study.

1.2   STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

According to the Federal Ministry of Education, the overall number of secondary schools in Nigeria was 118,200 in 2004, while the total number of secondary schools in Abia state was 225. (205). With a student population of 7,615 pupils, the Osisioma Municipal Council had around seven (7) secondary schools. This statistic was significantly high as compared to that of 1999, which was inclusive according to the Federal Ministry of Education, since it was so during that time to draw Federal Government attention. According to the aforementioned figure, there are almost 21828 secondary schools in Nigeria now, with Abia state having 312 secondary schools and Osisioma Municipal having 9 government secondary schools. The number of pupils enrolled in urban secondary schools has risen steadily over time (Uche, 2007). This has been steady, despite no expansion in facilities, teachers, or infrastructure, among other things. With the decline in the quality of education and output, it is necessary to determine whether the increase in student population has a direct impact on their academic performance, as well as to determine the causes of the increase in student population in government secondary schools in the Osisioma educational zone and what can be done to remedy the situation.

1.3   OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The primary goal of this research is to determine the impact of class size and overcrowding on academic performance of government secondary students in particular.

i.Calculate the student-to-teacher ratio at public secondary schools.

ii. Determine the reasons for the growth in the school of pupils in government secondary schools.

iii. Determine the impact of an increase in the number of students in government secondary schools on secondary school students' academic performance.

iv. Make advice on how to keep the student population from growing.

1.4   RESEARCH QUESTIONS

i.What are the student-to-teacher ratio at public secondary schools?

ii. What are the reasons for the growth in the school of pupils in government secondary schools?

iii. What are the impacts of an increase in the number of students in government secondary schools on secondary school students' academic performance?

iv.  How can the student population be kept from growing?

1.5   SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Students, teachers, educational planners, the government, and society as a whole will gain greatly from this research. It will encourage and raise kids' enthusiasm to attend school, as well as assist them improve their academic achievement. It will assist instructors in improving their ability to manage the classroom effectively since a reduction in the number of pupils improves teacher-student relationships, which leads to effective and efficient academic achievement. It will be a guide document for education planners, allowing them to verify the number of pupils in proportion to the available schools to accommodate them. It will act as a guide for the government in determining the need to improve the facilities available for teaching and learning. The research will be extremely beneficial to society as a whole since it will assist in the production of qualified people who will contribute positively to the society's progress, as well as serving as a resource and reference material for future students.

1.6  SCOPE OF THE STUDY

Due to budget and time constraints, the sample for this study was obtained from one local government in Osisioma, Abia State.

1.7   DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The primary constraints that hampered this study were a lack of time to finish the task and a lack of funds to fund it.

1.8   DEFINITION OF TERMS

OVERPOPULATION: the situation of having an extremely large population.

ACADEMIC: anything related to education .

SECONDARY SCHOOL: a school that is between elementary school and college.

ACHIEVEMENT: a student's achievement of his or her academic objective.

CLASS SIZE: The number of pupils in a specific course or classroom.

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