Effect of Class-Size on the teaching of English language

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page
Certification II
Dedication III
Acknowledgement IV - VIII
Table of Content IX - XI
Abstract XII
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study 1 - 3
Statement of Problems 3 - 4
Purpose of the Study 4 - 5
Significance of the Study 5 - 6
Research Questions 6
Scope of the Study 6 - 7
Definition of Terms 7 - 8
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Introduction 9 - 10
Concept of Class-Size 10 - 15
Effectiveness of English Language Teaching and Learning in 15 - 16
Large and Small Class-Size

II
Effectiveness of English Language Teaching and Learning in 16 -18
Large Class-Size
Effectiveness of English Language Teaching and Learning in 18 - 21
Small Class-Size
Methods of Teaching and Learning of English Language in a 21 - 28
Large Class-Size
Appraisal of Literature Review 28 - 29
CHPATER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Design 30 - 31
Population 31
Sample and Sampling Technique 31 - 32
Instrumentation 32 - 33
Procedure for Data Collection 33
Reliability of the Instrument 34
Validity of the Instrument 34
Procedure for Data Analysis 34 - 35
CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION AND DATA ANALYSIS
Data Analysis and Results 36 - 45
Discussion of Findings 45 - 50

III
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONLCUSION AND
RECOMMENDATION
Summary 51 - 53
Conclusion 53
Recommendation 54 - 55
References 56 - 60
Appendix 61 - 64

IV
ABSTRACT
This study focused on the Influence of Class-Size on the Teaching
and Learning of English Language in Ilorin West LGA. Five research
questions were raised for the purpose of effectively carrying out the study,
after which two different questionnaires were structured to elicit
information from both teachers and students. One Hundred and Fifty
students and Twenty Four teachers were randomly selected from Twelve
different schools in the area of focus and simple percentage method o
statistical analysis was used to analyse the data collected.
It was discovered from the study that large class-size is a great
challenge to achieving success in the teaching and learning of English
Language, as teachers could hardly prove their efficacy in classes
thereby resulting to poor output from students. It was thus further
recommended by the researcher that government should make adequate
provision for language instructional materials and at the same time
workshops and seminars should be organized for teachers of English
Language to curb the menace of class-size in our secondary school.

V
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
With the abolition of slave trade in Nigeria at the beginning of the
19th century, British Colonial interest shifted to agricultural production
from exportation to Europe. During this period, precisely in 1842 and 1846
{2009 Britannica enyclopaedia} the first missionary stations were
established in Badagry (near Lagos in the South West) and Calabar (in
the South-East) respectively. The then evangelism grew sporadically to
produce the first generation of students who were made up of mainly
children of slaves whom the village communities thought they would not
miss much. As the British Colonial government felt the needs of African
who were literate in English language, who would serve both trade and
colonial interests, the missionary therefore in 1880s was officially ordered
to teach English language in their schools. So English language became
a language of concentration for reasons such as: it was financially
rewarding to study English language more than any of the indigenous

VI
languages; certification became conditional upon passing English before
any recognition or consideration is given. However, this development and
the need to learn English as a Second Language {ESL} necessitated the
establishment of the first state school in Nigeria in 1899.
It is undoubtedly obvious that English language in Nigeria has an
enormous importance so much that for over a century now, it has
continued to enjoy the pride of place in all spheres of the nations
endeavours – educational, business, communication to mention a few.
English language today has gained constitutional recognition to have
served as an official language and even gaining the advantage of being
the First Language {L1} over the Mother Tongue {MT}.
Despite all the importance and the position of English language in
the country‟s educational system, it still suffers set back in its output. This
has been ascertained and established by various examination bodies,
government, education planners and individuals. It is highly pathetic and
embarrassing that a secondary school graduate could not write an error-
free sentence. Some of these students are eloquent but their reading and

VII
writing are nothing to talk about. These problems of drastic failure in
English language when investigated into, was attached to issues like
cultural background, incompetent teachers, over-population, non-
availability of materials among others.
It is highly paramount to mention at the juncture that one of the
reasons giving for the mass failure in the subject is Large Class-size. This
reason is identified by both students and teachers of English language. It
is as a result of this that the researcher needs to throw a search light on
this subject matter to ascertain the fact if truly class-size, whether large or
small influences the teaching and learning of English language. Moreso, it
shall be known at the end of this research, the ways by which teachers of
English language can teach their subject effectively in an over-crowded
class.
Statement of Problems
As stated earlier in the introductory part of this research that
teachers and students do associate failures in English language to class-

VIII
size. It is to this insinuation that the researcher tends to investigate into
the following problems:
I. Challenges faced by teachers in managing class with over-
populated students.
II. Lack of sufficient instructional materials and other teaching facilities
that could aid teaching and learning processes in the classroom.
III. Poor teaching strategies and approaches adopted by teachers in
large class-size.
IV. Inability of the gifted and talented students to participate fully in the
class activities and vice versa.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to investigate and proffer solutions to
the negative effect of class-size on the teaching and learning of English
Language in Secondary Schools. Looking critically at the subject matter,
the researcher aims at:
I. assisting teacher of English Language to cope and manage classes
that are either over-populated or normally populated;

IX
II. ensuring effective use of the few available instructional materials to
enhance teaching and learning processes in English Language;
III. providing English Language teachers with appropriate teaching
methods and techniques in large classes; and
IV. fostering teacher-students interaction for full participation of student
in the classroom.
Significance of the Study
The significance of the study lies in the fact that little has been
written on the Effect of Class-Size on the Teaching and Learning of
English Language in Secondary Schools in Ilorin-West Local Government
Area of kwara State and Nigeria as a whole. The study will therefore:
I. Assist teachers of English Language in adopting suitable teaching
methods in teaching over-populated classes coupled with proper
management.
II. Provide educational planners and curriculum planners with ways of
combating problems of teaching English Language in over-
populated classes.

X
III. Serve as a measure for government to know their weaknesses and
thus make provision for infrastructural and human resources
management.
Research Questions
I. Does students‟ population have any effect on their learning?
II. How effective is a teacher‟s method of teaching in a large class-
size?
III. How effective is a teacher‟s method of teaching in a small class-
size?
IV. Are the lesson objectives achievable in a large class-size?
V. What is the level of students‟ participation in a large class-size?
Scope of the Study
This research work examines the Effect of Class-Size on the
Teaching and Leaning of English Language in Selected Secondary
Schools in Ilorin-West Local Government Area of Kwara State. It is worth
mentioning that this study focuses on some selected secondary schools

XI
in Ilorin-West Local Government and not the entire kwara State and the
figures provided therein are based on the responses of the teachers and
students of the selected schools, which is believed to cover the entire
Local Government Area. This research is limited to this area as a result of
some constraints but could still be valuable in educational planning.
Moreso, this research work is closely related to the Effect of Class-
Size on teachers of English Language and to a certain length the
performance of students of these class-sizes.
Definition of Terms
The following terms are constantly used in the research work and
are briefly explained to avoid ambiguity:
Class-size: An educational tool that can be used to describe
the average number of students per class in a school
Mother Tongue: The native language of a child, particularly the
local language of the father.
L1: This refers to a First Language contact of child. Mostly it is the
native language in most cases.

XII
L2: This is known as Second language and it is mostly the official
language or the language learnt after the acquisition of the First
Language.
Instructional Material: This may also be called teaching aid
and it is the material used to facilitate teaching and learning
process.

XIII
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Introduction
Despite the importance of English Language in our society, it still
suffers a great set-back in all of our institutions of learning. The secondary
education is not left out of this educational / language trauma. It has been
discovered that most complaints by students and teachers of English
Language is the alarming rate at which the class-size increases. The truth
of the matter is that that the first curriculum priority is language. Therefore
English Language as far as Nigeria is concerned provides the connecting
tissue by which all other subjects are pursued.
Combating the issue of class-size especially in English Language
classes remains a problem that needs to be solved. Observations have
revealed that most of our classes in secondary schools have not less than
fifty students this is an indication that for each of the classes, their would
be the challenges of the classroom management, classroom control,

XIV
classroom maintenance, deviance e.t.c. for the teacher. It is no doubt that
most of the time needed to carry out the teaching-learning activities shall
be wasted.
On the other hand educational planners like Okoro (1985) and
others opined that “few pupils per class are uneconomical, as they do not
make full use of space, teachers and teaching materials”. This implies
that small class-size is also not beneficial as optimal use of human and
material resources would not be attained.
Concept of Class-Size
Class-Size is simply an educational tool that can be used to
describe the average number of students per class in a school, in order to
impart and measure their academic performance. The concept of class-
size has been given series of definitions in different context by
educationists. Hoffman (1980) defined class-size as the number of
students per teacher in a class. While Kenedy (1989) sees it as a tool that
can be used to measure education system. In relation to class-size,
Stepaniuk (1969) argued that there are approved norms of class-size, 40

XV
pupils per class for the grade 1 to 8. This is in line with the National policy
on Education under section 5 sub-section 27 which states that the ratio of
teacher and students in the class for secondary school should be 1:40.
Meaning that as far as Nigeria is concerned, the approved number of
students in a class should be 40 students per teacher.
Class-size based on students‟ population is therefore divided into
two. These categories are small class-size and large class-size.
a. Large Class-Size: What is considered small in one country, (e.g.
Pakistan, China and some other developed nations) may be seen
as large class in another country such as North-America. Even
within the same country, perception and experience of class-size
varies according to different factors such as students‟ age and level.
However, generally 41 and above is considered large (43rd
IATEFL
Conference 2009). Therefore, a large class-size is one in which “the
possibility of individual relationship between professor (teacher) and
students is precluded, in which not every student who want to speak
in class can be call on, and in which grading essay exams can take

XVI
up every evening and weekend of the course (Weimer, 1987).
International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign
Language (43rd Conference 2009) also opined that a large class is
the one which “teachers face problems in teaching, managing and
evaluating”. It is also defined as a class in “which there are many
challenges and opportunities for the teachers as well as for the
learners in terms of managing resources, time and space”.
The above definitions depict that a large class-size is any
class where there are challenges for teachers and students in
having a problem free teaching and learning processes, which at
the end makes evaluation more time consuming than normal.
b. Small Class-Size: The National Council of Teachers of English of
United States {NCTE, 1990) described a small class-size as a class
where there is increase in teacher-students contact and interaction
among students help them understand one another, and increase
their desire to assist one another. Blatchford P. et al (2002) is of the
opinion that small class-size is a class in which there is less or no

XVII
concentration on class control and management and management
of students delinquencies and deviances. A small class-size is a
class with the population of students ranging from 1 to 40.
Lots of arguments have been generated by teachers, students and
even educational planners within and outside Nigeria as to if there is any
effect of class-size on the teaching and learning of English Language.
The results of researchers on this subject varied from country to country.
Glass and Smith (1987) conducted a research on this subject and
concluded that “the average size when class-sizes were reduced from 25
to 15 was 0.9, but more importantly, there was a non-linear effect”. He at
the end argued that what matters is the quality of instruction, teacher‟s
attitude, school climate and interpersonal regard. (Hattie 2005) after
researching on the subject matter in almost all countries of the world,
finalized that “…it has been difficult to find studies identifying differential
effects of achievement relating to class-size”. Dean (1994) compared
class-size in some countries and found that Turkey, Norway and

XVIII
Netherland had the class-sizes of 20 or more; the UK, USA, Japan,
Canada and Ireland had sizes between 15 and 20.
However in Nigeria, educational planners like Nwadiani (2000)
argued that the higher the class-size, the lower the cost of education. He
contented however, that most classrooms are overcrowded, spreading
resources thinly and thereby affecting the quality of education. Ajayi
(2000) supported the viewpoints and argued that in order to control rising
capital cost of education, the average class-size could be increased. Toth.
L. et al (2000) reported that the increase in enrolment in many institutions
which has become major concerns of students could definitely lead to an
increase in class-size. In contrary to Ajayi, Nwadiani and others,
Commeyras (2003) is of the opinion that “effective teaching seems
impractical for teacher educators having large class-size of 50, 75, 100 or
more”.
To this end, the concept of class-size is generally acceptable as a
toll to achieving educational goal and objectives with the population of 40
students as basic standard. Despite this, there has not been unanimous

XIX
agreement on the influence of class-size on the students outcome in the
teaching of English language; yet teachers and students‟ complaints
especially in this area of study is the class-size being too large, which
causes deviance and delinquencies on the part of the students and loose
of concentration and inability to meet the objectives of the lesson on the
part of the teachers.
Effectiveness of English Language Teaching and Learning in Large
and Small Class-Size
Having considered the concept of class-size and views of
educationists on its influence of Teaching and Learning of English
Language in relation to students‟ performances, the effectiveness of
teaching in both class-sizes need to be looked into. To determine the
effectiveness of any teaching such as English, the outcome or
performance of the students need to be ascertained. In terms of output,
Simkins (1981) reported that output “represents the immediate results of
the systems activities”. According to him, “the main outputs in education
are expressed in terms of learning, that is changes in the knowledge,

XX
skills and attitude of individuals as a result of their experiences within the
educational system”. Tsang (1988) remarked that output consists of
educational effects such as cognitive and non-cognitive skills that are
learned by students. In agreement to this, Lord (1984) enumerated four
major areas in which the measurement of output in education could be
analysed. This has he listed include the assessment by the teachers;
standard examinations as a measure of educational output; other
standardized tests for national and local monitoring and market research
techniques
Effectiveness of English Language Teaching and Learning in a Large
Class-Size
A large class-size as earlier stated is a class in which teacher
concentrates more on management and control of the students rather that
working towards the achievement of the lesson objectives. A large class-
size therefore base on definitions could also be referred to as over-
crowded classroom. Most of the secondary schools in kwara State,
particularly those of Ilorin-West Local Government hardly meet the

XXI
standard of the teacher-students ratio. It has been noticed that the
minimum population of students in various classes are 50 and above. As
a result of this, teachers and students are tend to face difficulties in
teaching-learning processes. Ijaya (1997) in her research opined that a
large class-size offers nothing but noise making, difficulty of 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. She
added that the increase in examination malpractices cannot be divorced
from poor seating arrangement in classrooms. She finalized that the
quantity and quality of interaction 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.
Though many researchers have conclude that large class-size
poses lots of problems, but Hess (2001) on the contrary states that large
classes have many advantages. He affirms that the number of the
students is so huge; it means more communication and interaction in the
classroom, moreover a diversity of human assets. In addition, outstanding

XXII
students will cooperate with their weak peers. Ur (196) in support of this
clarifies that while the teacher has a big number of students and cannot
provide help to all students, nevertheless students can expand strategies
to be better by doing peer-teaching and group effort, thus benefiting and
nurturing an environment of cooperation and mutual end.
Juxtaposing the merits and demerits of large class-sizes, it would be
realized that large class-sizes forces teachers to be teacher-centered and
Teaching English as a Second Language {TESL} based on research is
not effective when a teaching is teacher-centered. The National Capital
Language Resources Council of the United State (NCLRC, 2007}
identified the two major draw backs in teacher-centered model of
teaching. These are:
a. It involves only a minority of students in actual language learning.
b. It gives students knowledge about language, but does not
necessarily enable them to use it for purposes that interest them.
Effectiveness of Teaching and Learning of English Language in a
Small Class-Size

XXIII
Efficiencies and effectiveness of English Language Teaching and
Learning of in a Small Class-Size to some extent is known. Some
researchers have investigated and concluded that the class-size has
nothing to do in the students achievements, wile lots of them are of the
opinion that effectiveness of teaching is high when there is reduction in
class-size. NCTE (1999) has identified the following encouraging results
from small class-size and improving instructional methods:
I. Smaller classes result in increased teacher-students contact.
II. More leaning activities take place in small class-sizes.
III. Students in smaller classes show more appreciation for one another
and more desire to participle in classroom activities.
IV. Smaller class-sizes allow for potential disciplinary problems to be
identifies and resolved more quickly.
V. Smaller classes result in higher teacher morale and reduced stress.
VI. Less retention, fewer referrals to special education, and fewer
dropouts are the ultimate rewards of class-size reduction.

XXIV
IATEFL (43rd Conference 2009) argued that in smaller classes
teachers move from group to individual instruction; time spent on
procedural activities is reduced; time on review increases. In support of
small class-size, Blatchford et. Al (2002) commented that in small
classes, there exist individualization of teaching and less time spent in
management or procedural activities, hence more teaching overall.
To contradict the positive influence of Teaching and Learning
English Language in Small Class-Size, Bakare (1986) affirmed that
smaller classes were correlated with smaller number of teacher-students
interactions and less questions from students. He added that there would
be less lecturing from the teacher and more prying and waiting for
responses when teachers asked questions. Nigeria being a developing
nation with limited resources seems to denounce the reign of small class-
size. Adeyemi (1998) portrayed this by saying that average class-size
influences the cost of education while capital cost could be reduced by
increasing the average class-size in schools.

XXV
Support giving to large class-size is majorly warranted especially in
Nigerian schools as a result of economic factors. Researches have
therefore shown that the negativity attached to English Language
Teaching and Learning in Large Class-Size out weigh that of small class-
size. While small classes focus on more time to identify problems and
provide feedback on more time to identify problems and provide
feedback, large class teachers experiences more stress along with issues
of control, marking e.t.c. In Blatchford (2002) research, he concludes that
“…while small class-size will not make a bad teacher better, they can
allow teachers to be more effective. Earnest Boyer (1987) also concludes
that “the central qualities that make for successful teaching can be simple
stated thus: command of the material to be taught, a contagious
enthusiasm for the play of ideas, optimism about human potential, the
involvement of ones students. When these combinations are present in
the classroom, the impact of a teacher can be powerful and enduring.
Methods of Teaching English Language in a Large Class-Size

XXVI
It has been proved beyond reasonable doubt that large class-size
unlike small class-size has negative influences on the Teaching and
Learning of English Language in our schools. The issue at hand is
therefore not the discussion of the demerits of large class-size, rather it is
a matter of the challenge on how to find ways of following the principles of
“good practice” for teaching English in the specific context of a large class
in difficult circumstance. Generally in any teaching and learning, it is of
great importance to select and utilize the right instructional strategies.
Onasanya (1988) said that:
“The effective teacher is one that uses instructional
strategies in communicating with the learners and
guiding him / her to the desired performances of
understanding as specified in the lesson objective(s)”
Onasanya however highlighted some learning facilitating strategies
that characterizes effective teaching. These strategies include:
a. Beginning a lesson by stating its objectives and outlining its
structure;

XXVII
b. Demonstrating effective delivery skills built n clarity, gestures and
direct rye contact with learners;
c. Presenting clear, precise guidelines and routines that make the
classroom run smoothly;
d. Involving the learners actively in the learning tasks;
e. Scanning the classroom frequently and drawing the learners back to
the lesson when attention wanders;
f. Moving round to supervise and offer help as needed when students
work at their desks;
g. Getting down to students interest level, listening sensitively, and
accepting meaningful learner responses that differ from the
teacher‟s view;
h. Commencing and stopping lesson on time;
i. Treating the learners with trust and respects;
j. Creating room for reviews and repetitions especially where difficult
tasks are involved;

XXVIII
The strategies for teaching English Language in large class-size as
stated by the IATEFL (43rd Conference 2009) is tagged problem-
solution approach. These involve:
a. Managing Large Classes: This involves the grouping of students
into different categories. This would ensure the management of
limited resources and also give room for easy identification and
assessment of those that refuse to be involved.
b. Teaching Writing: it is of the opinion that when this is done,
students are totally involved in the activities of the class.
c. Assessing Speaking / Writing: This approach emphasizes the
learner-centered method of teaching, whereby teacher only
supervises the students and let the main activities to be carried out
by the learners.
d. Dealing with Limited Resources: After the grouping of students,
this ensures the identification of the inadequacy or non-availability
of resources and thereby making provision for such

XXIX
Teaching and learning a language like English is a scientific process
that has been studied and researched a great deal over 50 years
(http://eslflow.com). There are good and bad ways to teach a language
and part of the responsibility instructor / teacher is to update their skills as
often as possible to reflect current ways of teaching and to have the most
positive impact possible especially on students in large classes. Some of
the ways / approaches of tackling the large class-size problem is the
understanding the variety of teaching methods and how those methods
have changed through history. This will help teachers tailor their lessons
to the needs of the class. The English as a Second language website
(http://eslflow.com) highlighted some basic effective teaching methods for
languages. These methods are:
1. Grammar Translation Method: This method arose in Germany in
the late 18th century. It originated with the study of classic
languages like Greek and Latin. By using this method, teachers
assume that students will probably need to use a language but that
just studying a language will be good for them. The method puts a

XXX
high priority on the ability to read literature in foreign language and
translate accurately into first language. Some features of this
method are:
i. Teaching is done in students‟ first language thereby causing
total concentration by students
ii. Reading and writing are emphasized and little time is spent on
speaking or listening.
iii. Class exercises are usually grammatical and focus on control
of form
2. Communicative Language Teaching {CLT}: This method was
developed around 1990. The goal of the method is to make the
language classroom as much like the real world as there is problem
for students to communicate in a large environment. It also
emphasizes appropriate use of language. Some of the features of
this method are:
i. Students and teachers are involved in the teaching and
learning processes using the target language.

XXXI
ii. Errors in this method are considered natural and thereby
result to the participation of students without fear of
condemnation by peers or teacher.
iii. Variety is emphasized when studying language functions.
3. Total Physical Response {TPR}: This method was developed in
the 1960s and 1970s and it is called TPR because one of the
principles is that students learn more and faster when they involve
their entire body. This method is based on series of commands
given by teacher and emphasizes listening and comprehension and
allows students as much time as they need to begin speaking.
Features of this method are:
i. The attitude is relaxed and comfortable and errors are
acceptable.
ii. In TPR, students are generally active.
iii. The teacher speaks relatively little and only in the target
language

XXXII
Some other methods of teaching language in large class-sizes are
Notional-Functional Approach, Structural Approach e.t.c
To teach and learn English Language effectively in a large class-
size, it is stated that learners‟ needs are to be met using different
techniques. The ESL website (http://eslflow.com) categorizes learners
into 4. These are the imaginative learners, analytic learners, common
sense learners and dynamic learners. It is further emphasizes that when
teachers technique of teaching are set to meet these learners needs
certainly the learning activity will lead to a positive outcome
Appraisal of Literature Review
To critically analyse the subject matter, it has been generally
accepted that class-size is a vital educational tool that determines the
learning outcome in any educational system. The unanimous agreement
of researchers on the subject matter of discourse is that class-size could
be large or small. Having investigated into the two categories of class-
size, both with demerits and merits, which influence the teaching and
learning of English Language.

XXXIII
Significantly, the large class-size tends to make teachers being
over-worked with added weight of extra students, having strain on
resources, students with disabilities are at disadvantage because they
may not get the individualized attention, and teachers are tend to
experience discomfort, problems of controlling and evaluation; lack of
individual attention and as a whole bad learning outcome. The small
class-size on the other hand, though being condemned for economic
purpose, has many advantages such as more interaction with teachers,
identification of individual differences, sense of concentration and helping
hand being render by peers and many more.
As a result of the negative influence of the large class-size on
teaching, the need to overcome the problem is then necessitated to
facilitate proper teaching of English Language. It is discovered that for
effective teaching of English, teacher needs to select and utilize
appropriate instructional strategies. Furthermore, the Problem-Solution
Approach needs to be adopted by English teacher for effective teaching

XXXIV
and learning coupled with the adoption of good method and techniques of
teaching and mastery of the language.

XXXV
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
This chapter is set to expose readers to the kind of methods and
approaches used by the researcher in carrying out his research. The
research was carried out and discussed under the following headings:
Research Design, Population, Sample and Sample Techniques,
Instrumentation, Procedure for Data Collection, Procedure for Data
Analysis, Reliability and Validity.
Research Design
This research will make use of survey method of descriptive
research. This is done in an attempt to collect data and valid information
for the manipulation of the variable in order to determine the current
status of the population or sample of the population.
This method will be used to collate information about the Effect of
Class-Size on the Teaching and Learning of English Language. To

XXXVI
achieve this, three majors ways shall be used for data collection i.e.
interview, questionnaire and documentation
Population
The population of this research is basically teachers and students of
English Language. Due to the fact that the whole English Language
teachers students in Ilorin-West Local Government cannot be assess, the
researcher therefore uses Random Sample Technique in order to achieve
the possible outcome of the whole population.
Sample and Sampling Technique
As stated earlier, the researcher would use Random Sampling
Techniques for this study. It is hoped that ht schools that are randomly
selected can be used to generalized the population.
The accessible population includes secondary school teachers and
students, out of which 24 English teachers and 150 students were
randomly selected from twelve (12) secondary schools. The twelve
secondary schools are:

XXXVII
1. Ilorin Grammar School
2. Government Day Secondary School, Adeta
3. Model Secondary School
4. Baboko Community Secondary School
5. Sheikh AbdulKadir College
6. Alore Secondary School
7. Mandate Junior Secondary School
8. Mount Camel College, Oloje
9. Government High School
10. Government Girls Day, Pakata
11. Barakat Community Secondary School
12. Banni Community Secondary School
Instrumentation
The instrument used by the researcher was mainly the
questionnaire meant for the secondary school teachers and students. The
researcher assumed that the information derived from their responses will

XXXVIII
be valuable as they are those who are directly involve in the teaching –
learning processes.
The questionnaire is categorized into 3 sections A, B, and C.
Section A requires the personal information of respondents. This involves
question like name of school, the school being taught, teachers
experience e.t.c. In section B and C, 12 and 13 questions were carefully
organized respectively. These are questions that tackle the general
problems of teachers and students in teaching and learning English
language in large and small class-sizes.
Procedure for Data Collection
The questionnaires were distributed to 36 English teacher and 300
students of selected schools with permission from principal of various
schools. The questionnaires were responded to by teaches and students
after the explanation of the purpose of the study by the researcher.
With cooperation by the head teachers, the teachers and students,
the questionnaire were directly collected by the researcher and some
were collected through the head teacher.

XXXIX
Reliability and Instrumentation
Test Retest method was used to ascertain the reliability of
questionnaire. The questionnaires were administered to the same group
at an interval of two weeks and 85%of the same responses were still
derived from the respondents.
Validity of the Instrument
In respect of the validity of the instrument, the draft copy of the
questionnaire was shown to the project supervisor, after which necessary
corrections were made to correlate with the study in question.
The questionnaire has both face and content validity as it was
concerted to by the supervisor to match the content of the literature
review.
Procedure for Data Analysis
After the collection of data, the researcher sorts the questionnaire
into two. One part of the questionnaire favoured the large class-size and

XL
the other favoured the small class-size. Frequencies were then expressed
in percentage, based on the total number of responses.
The data obtained were transferred into data sheet using descriptive
statistics for the data analysed. The detailed analysis of the data are
shown in chapter four

XLI
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION AND DATA ANALYSIS
Introduction
This chapter presents and discusses the analysis of the data
analysis of the data gathered from the questionnaires that were
administered by the researcher. The data that will be presented consists
of 24 teachers and 150 students responses that are randomly selected
from twelve {12} school in Ilorin-West Local Government.
Research Question 1: Does Students‟ population have any effect on
their learning?
Table 1: Simple percentage analysis on students’ responses for Research
Question one
S/N ITEMS YES % NO %
2 Are you able to contribute to the lesson
when you want to?
120 80 30 20
7 When the teacher is in the class, do you 77 51.3 73 48.7

XLII
always hear murmur of noise within the
classroom?
9 Does the English textbook provided go
round the students?
81 54 69 46
It is obvious that the above presentation in table 1 shows that One
Hundred and Twenty (120) students covering 80% of the students „
responses affirmed that they do contribute to the lesson when they want
to, while 20% of that response amounting to Thirty (30) students deny
their ability to contribute to the lesson when they want to.
Also, Seventy Seven (77) (71.3%) students opined that they always
hear noise within the class when the lesson is on. On the other hand,
Seventy Three (73) students, equated as 48.7% disagree with hearing
murmur within the class.
However, Sixty Nine (69) students i.e. 46% disagree with the
question of having enough English textbook for the students. While 54%,

XLIII
which is equal to Eighty One (81) students supported having enough
textbook for ht subject.
Research Question 2: How effective is a teacher method of teaching in a
large class-size?
Table 2.1: Simple percentage analysis on students’ responses for
Research Question two
3 Does your teacher‟s method of teaching
make you like the subject?
122 81.3 28 18.7
4 Is your English teacher able to carry
everybody along?
120 80 30 20
6 Does you English teacher supervise your
work individually or go round the class?
125 88.3 25 16.7
In the presentation above, it is glaring that One Hundred and
Twenty Two (122) students i.e. 81.3% responded to show their likeness
with the teachers method of teaching, while 28 of them i.e. 18% dislike

XLIV
their teachers method of teaching, which results to their hatred for the
subject.
Moreso, One Hundred and Twenty (120) students amounting to
80% acknowledge their teachers‟ ability to carry them along and in
contrary, Thirty (30) students amounting to 20% acknowledge their
teachers‟ inability to carry them along.
For question 6, One Hundred and Twenty Five (125) students
(83.3%) testified that their English teacher supervise their work, while
16% equated at Twenty five (25) students confirmed that their teachers
neither go round to supervise their work nor check individually.
Table 2.2: Simple percentage analysis on teachers’ responses for
Research Question two
1 Is your method of teaching effective in an
overpopulated class?
8 33.3% 16 66.7
2 Is your method of teaching effective in a 24 100 0 0

XLV
class of lower students?
3 Do you find coping with students easy in
an overpopulated class?
1 4.2% 23 95.8
From the data presented above, it can be deduced that 33.3%
which is Eight (8)of the teachers‟ responses attest that teaching is
effective in an overpopulated class. On the other hand, Sixteen (16)
teachers covering 66.7% confirmed that teaching is not effective in an
overpopulated class.
Consequently in question 2, Twenty Four (24) teachers which is
100% agreed that their method of teaching is effective in classes of lower
students.
Out of Twenty four (24) teachers, only one (4.2%) teacher believed
that coping with students is easy in an overpopulated class; while the
remaining Twenty Three (23) amounting to 95.8% affirmed that coping
with students in overpopulated class is not easy.

XLVI
Research Question 3: How effective is a teacher‟s method of teaching in
a small class size.
Table 3: Simple percentage analysis on teachers’ responses for Research
Question three
7 Do you find teaching in a small class-size
more tasking than that of a large class-
size?
8 33.3 16 66.7
8 Is assessment in an overpopulated class
stressful?
22 91.7 2 8.3
9 Are instructional materials adequate in an
0 0 24 100
The table above shows that 33.3% which is also Eight (8) teachers
accepted that teaching is more tasking in a small class-size, while 66.7%

XLVII
which represents Sixteen (16) teachers opined that teaching is not tasking
in small class-size.
Furthermore, Twenty (22) teachers which is 91.7% confirmed that
assessment is stressful in an overpopulated class while Two (2) teachers
(8.3%) sees assessment as being easy in an overpopulated class.
Question 9 portrays that 100% which is the total of the Twenty Four
(24) teachers concur with the inadequacy of instructional materials in
Research Question 4: Are the lesson objectives achievable in a large
class-size?
Table 4: Simple percentage analysis on teachers’ responses for Research
Question four
11 Do you usually meet the lesson
objectives when teaching in an
11 45.8 13 54.2

XLVIII
12 Is performance of students in small class-
size24
24 100 0 0
In the data presentation in Table 4 above, we can infer that Eleven
(11) teachers which is 45.7% do meet the lesson objectives in over
populated class, while 54.2% which is equivalent to Thirteen (13)
teachers stated that they do not usually meet the lesson objectives in an
100% covering the whole of the teachers confirmed that
performance of students in small class size is better than that of students
in overpopulated class.
Research Question 5: What is the level of students participation in a
large class-size?
Table 5.1: Simple percentage analysis on students’ responses for
Research Question five
2 Are you able to contribute to the lesson
when you want to?
120 80 30 20

XLIX
80% of the students in the above presentation of table 5 states that
they are able to contribute to the lesson when they want to, while Thirty
(30) students (20%) responded that they are unable to contribute to the
lesson when they want to.
Table 5.2: Simple percentage analysis on teachers’ responses for
Research Question five
5 Is there cordial relationship between
teacher and students in terms of their
interaction in a small class-size?
24 100 0 0
6 Do students in overpopulated class
participate in the lesson than students in
non-populated class?
2 8.3% 22 91.7%
Considering table 5.2 above, all the teachers opined that there is
increase in teacher-students interaction in small class-size.

L
Similarly in the next question, Two (2) teachers representing 8.3%
believed that students in overpopulated class participate in the lesson
than students of non-populated class, while 91.9%, which can be equate
to Twenty Two (22) teachers did not believe the assertion.
Discussion and Findings
The data presentation in table 1 indicates that students‟ population
does not really have much effect on the students‟ learning. Question 2 of
the table shows that almost all the students, 80% are able to contribute to
the lesson when they want to. Though 87.3% of the total respondents are
more than 40 in their various classes, yet they still have the opportunity of
contributing to the lesson. This development cannot be divorced from the
experience of the teachers, which helps them to manage largely
populated class. This fact is derived from the researchers finding in
section c number 4 of the questionnaire where 79.2% of the teachers
strongly pointed out that their experiences helps them in managing over
populated class.

LI
Still on table 1, 51.3% of the students stated that they do not hear
murmur / noise within the classroom when the lesson is going on; while
48.7% confirmed that they do hear murmur / noise while the lesson is
going. Considering the two percentages of the respondents (51.3 and
48.7%), it is a fact that students population in one way still affects their
learning as there is just little difference of 2.6%. Moreso for any classroom
that has more than 40 students, there cannot be absolute silence in such
class.
The textbook as collectively shown by the students‟ responses go
round the class with 54%. Contrary to this, the teachers responses with
100% states that the instructional material is not adequate. The
researcher therefore go by the responses of the teachers as the have
direct contact with the available material and that the students in the
course of answering the questionnaire exercise the fear of being punished
by the teachers if some responses against their teachers are chosen.

LII
The analysis from research question 1 can therefore be
summarized to affirm that students‟ population have effect on their
learning.
Similarly table 2.1 and 2.2 helps in determining the efficacy of the
teachers in a large class. Under these tables, the responses of both the
teachers and the students are critically examined. 81% of the students
responses shows that the teachers‟ method of teaching make them like
the subject; while 80% of the students also confirmed that their English
teachers are able to carry them along; and 83.3% asserted that the
English teachers usually supervises their work individually or go round the
class.
The teachers‟ responses concerning this research question depict
that 66.7% stated that their teaching methodology is not effective in an
overpopulated class. 100% of the teachers equally supported that method
of teaching is effective in a class of lower students and 95% of this same
teachers did not find coping with students in an overpopulated class easy.

LIII
Without mincing words, teachers‟ methods of teaching in a large
class-size is not effective but have been professionally managed with the
experiences of the subject teachers.
For research question 3, teachers‟ responses are used to determine
the effectiveness of teachers‟ teaching method in small class-sizes.
Based on the responses which state that 66.7% unanimously agreed that
teaching in small class-size is not tasking, it can be deduced from that
that teachers will be able to explore varieties of method of teaching when
teaching in a small class-size, which makes it easy for the teacher to
evaluate s teaching methodology. 97.7% of these teachers also find
assessment in overpopulated class stressful. This implies that when
classes are within the normal teacher-students ratio, there would be room
for teacher to properly assess his / her student which will in-turn cause
him her to know the areas of strengths and / weaknesses of the students
and at the same time will be able to study the students individual
differences.

LIV
Instructional materials are also no doubt a tool for effective
teaching. Under table 3 of research question 3, we are made to realize
that instructional materials are not adequate at all with 100% of the
teachers supporting this. It is obvious from this that when students are in
classes of lower size, teachers will be able to widely spread the
instructional materials and will immensely contribute to his / her teaching
methodology.
Research question for focuses on how achievable the lesson
objective is in large class-size. With 54.2% of the teachers supporting that
they hardly meet up with the lesson objective(s) and 100% also attesting
that students‟ performance in small class-sizes are better than the
performances of students in large class-sizes, we can categorically
summarise that lesson objectives are not usually achievable in large
class-sizes, for students performances are great determinant of lesson
objectives realization. Similarly, if students in lower class-sizes can
perform better that the students in large class-sizes, it means that the

LV
teacher is able to cover up with all scheme of work that are entailed in the
syllabus, which is also tantamount achieving the lesson objectives.
Summatively, research question five examines the level of students‟
participation in a large class-size. In table 5.1 under this research
question, 80% of the students affirmed that they are able to contribute to
the lesson when they want to and 20% disagreed with this. When some of
the students who affirmed this assertion were interviewed, they added
that they mostly contribute to the lesson in response to the teachers
inquisitions.
The teachers‟ responses on the other hand have 100% of them
agreeing that there is increase in teacher-students interaction in a small
class-size. To sum up with this, 8.3% of the teachers opined that students
in overpopulated class participate in the lesson than students in non-
populated class, while 91.7% justify the high participation of students in
overpopulated class-size than that of overpopulated class.
Judging from the above, the students in overpopulated classes do
not participate well in the class compared to the participation of students

LVI
in lower class-sizes. For the few ones in highly populated classes that
participate in the lesson are been forcefully influenced by the teachers
persistence and repetitive questioning.

LVII
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Summary
This study is aimed at researching and determining the Effects of
Class-Size on the Teaching and Learning of English Language in
Selected Secondary Schools in Ilorin-West Local Government Area of
Kwara State.
The study was conducted in twelve (12) selected secondary schools
in Ilorin-West Local Government, after which One Hundred and Fifty (150)
responses and twenty four responses by the teachers were randomly
picked to collate the data. To ensure the validity and reliability of result,
unstructured interview was conducted for some of the students.
At the end of this research, the study revealed that:
1. virtually all the secondary schools in Ilorin-West Local Government
are faced with the large class-size syndrome. The study shows that
the least population of students per class is 50 as against the Policy

LVIII
in the National Policy on Education which states 1:40 as -teachers-
students ratio {Section 5 sub-section 27};
2. the students learning of English Language is being marred by the
teeming population of students as it reduces the efficacy of the
subject teachers, who find coping with students in large class-size
challenging;
3. teaching English Language in classes of small class-sizes are
easier as teachers are able to evaluate the students without being
burdened by the population of the students. Through this, teachers
can also evaluate his / her own teaching methodology to suite the
needs of each student;
4. Teachers who have longer years of experience scan easily manage
and handle large class-sizes effectively but at times do not meet
their lesson objectives;
5. students from large class-sizes perform below standard unlike their
counterparts from non-populated classes;

LIX
6. there is always increase in teacher-students interaction and high
participation in lesson when handling students of lower class-sizes
than students of populated classes; and
7. instructional materials are meagerly spread amongst students in
larger sizes.
Conclusion
From the result of the research, it is glaring that class-size has great
effects on the teaching and learning of English Language. Students of the
large class-sizes suffer a lot in their acquisition of skills in English
Language. They are subjected to lack of adequate materials and low
dedication to the study of the language. The teachers of the large class-
sizes equally find it difficult to discharge their duties as a result of the
superfluous population of students in the class.
It is highly advantageous for the government, the school, the
teachers and the students should the recommendation that would be
highlighted taken into consideration.

LX
Recommendations
Having discovered the aforementioned from the study, the following
recommendations are therefore postulated to solve the challenges in the
teaching and learning of English Language in large class-sizes:
I. Workshops and seminars should be organized for teachers of
English Language periodically to enhance and improve their
classroom efficiencies.
II. Government should make provision for more language instructional
materials such as language lab, conducive and serene learning
environment for the purpose of optimizing the teachers‟ and
students‟ output in English Language.
III. There is need to effect the teacher-students ratio policy stated in the
National Policy on Education so as to reduce the congestion in our
classes.
IV. Each school administrator should also see to it that classes
exceeding forty students should be broken into arms and liase with

LXI
appropriate authority to make proc=vision for infrastructural and
other necessary facilities.
V. In cases where large classes could not be broken down as a result
of factors beyond the administrators and teachers control, the
English teachers should embark on grouping the students. This will
give room for efficiency, monitoring the students‟ participation in the
class, identifying the deviant students, identifying students‟
individual differences and also make the available instructional
materials to circulate.
VI. English teachers should not be keen about one particular teaching
method. Inter-changing the styles of teaching will arouse different
students for if a method is admired b a student, it might be
otherwise to another student.

LXII
REFERENCES
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Saharan Africa.. A publication of Nigeria Society for Educational
Planning {NSEP}
Ajayi, I. A. (2000), Cost Analysis in Education”. Tropical Issues in
Research and Education. Institute of Educational Occasional
Publication, University of Ado-Ekiti
Blatchford, P. (2003), “The Class Size Debate: Is Small Better?”.
Maidenhead: Open University Press. London
Blathchford, P. et al (2002), “A Study of Class-Size Effects in English
School Reception Year Classes”. British Educational Research
Journal, Vol 28, P169-185
Britannica Encyclopaedia (2009), http://www.britannica.com
Bourke, S. (1986), “How Smaller is Better: Some Relationships Between
Class-Size, Teaching Practices, and Students Achievement”
American Research Journal , 24 (4)

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Commeyras, M. (2002), “Promoting a Culture in Reading”. The Comet
Thursday, February 13. Pp:32
Dean, C. (1999), “Large Classes on the Rise”. The Times Educational
Supplement, No 4079. September 2, P 4
English as a Second Language Flow (2002), “ESL Teaching: Idea &
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ativelanguageteaching.html
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foundation.tripod.com/fafunwafoundation/id1.html
Fauzia, S. (2009), Teaching and Researching English in Large Classes.
43rd International Association of Teachers of English as a
Foreign Language {IATE} Conference, Cardif, UK, 31 March –
4 April, 2009.
Federal Government of Nigeria, (2004), “National Policy on Education”
4th Edition
Glass, G, and Smith M. L (1978), “Meta-Analysis of Research on the
Relationship of Class-Size and Achievement” San Francisco:

LXIV
Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and
Development, California, USA.
Hattie, J. {2005}, “The Paradox of Reducing Class-Size and Improving
Learning Outcomes. International Journal of Educational
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pp:8

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National Capital Language Resource Centre {NCLR}. {n.d}. “The
Essentials of a Language Teaching”. Retrieved April 23, 2007
from http://nclrc.org/essentials
National Council of Teachers of English, “Statement on Class Size and
Teacher Workload: Secondary”. Retrieved from
http://www.nctc.org/positions/statements/classsizesecondary
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Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

LXVII
KWARA STATE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, ILORIN
DEPARTMNENT OF ENGLISH / ISLAMIC STUDIES
CLASS-SIZE QUESTIONNAIRE
Dear respondents,
The questionnaire is strictly designed to investigate into the Effect of
Class-size on the Teaching and Learning of English Language in Selected
Schools in Ilorin-West LGA. All information supplied shall be treated with utmost
confidentiality. Kindly respond to the items by ticking {√} in the spaces provided.
Thanks for your cooperation.
SECTION A
For Students
Name of School:……………………………………………………………………
Gender: Male { } Female { }
Class:………………………
SECTION B {Students}
INSTRUCTION: Please tick the column that best suits you opinion by ticking{√}
Yes or No
S/N ITMES YES NO
1 Are you more than 40 in your class?
2 Are you able to contribute to the lesson when you want to

LXVIII
3 Does you teacher‟s method of teaching make you like the
subject?
4 Is your English Teacher able to carry everybody along?
5 Do those who sit at the back contribute to the lesson at all?
6 Does your English teacher supervise your work individually
or go round the class?
7 When the teacher is in the class, do you normally hear
murmur or noise within the classroom?
8 Is cheating rampant I your class when writing test or
examination?
9 Does the English textbook provided go round the class?
10 When given an assignment, do you engage your co-
students in answering the questions?
11 Is your English teacher able to mark the assignments given
to you?
12 Does your English teacher usually point out your areas of
mistakes after marking?

LXIX
SECTION C {Teacher}
Class Being Taught:…………..
Years of Teaching Experience:…………….
Number of English Teachers in the School:……………
INSTRUCTION: Please provide answers in this section by ticking the column
that corresponds or suits your opinion or idea to the statements.
S/N ITMES YES NO
1
Is your method of teaching effective in an overpopulated
class?
2
Is your method of teaching effective in a class of lower
students?
3
Do you find coping with students easy in an overpopulated
class?
4
Do you think your experience helps in managing an
5
Is there cordial relationship between teacher and students
in terms of their interaction in a small class-size?
6 Do students in overpopulated class participate in the lesson

LXX
than students in non-populated class?
7
Do you find teaching in a small class-size more tasking than
that of a large class-size?
8 Is assessment in overpopulated class stressful?
9
Are instructional materials adequate at all in an
10
Do you think that providing more instructional materials and
classrooms can solve the problem of large class-size?
11
Do you usually meet the lesson objective when teaching in
an overpopulated class?
12
Is performance of students in small class-size better than
that of students in overpopulated class?
13 Does students‟ population have effects on their output?

Effect of Class-Size on the teaching of English language

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