Teachers’ Experience, Class Size And Students Behaviour In Colleges
Teachers’ experience and teaching practices should be related in a meaningful way, as is the case for other teaching tasks, such as student assessment, in which conceptions of assessment and assessment practices are significantly associated.
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Class size has been a much-debated policy issue, with a long history of research. Prior to the 1970s, research on the effects of class size reduction was controversial, because studies yielded very different results. Recent studies using causal inference methods have found that smaller class sizes can improve student test scores and provide long-term benefits
TEACHERS’ EXPERIENCE
Teaching experience of a teacher can be measured based on the teacher’s ability around comprehension and transformation of knowledge, concept to be imparted to learners. Teaching experience suggests that the most significant gains in students’ performance will likely be realised when students receive instruction from teachers with good teaching experience. The underlying assumption is that, experience appears to promote competence. It appears, students attain higher levels of achievement when taught by more experienced teachers. It has been observed by the researchers that the newly employed graduates are placed directly in Senior Secondary School classes with little or no experience to teach. This seems to be wrong because, they are supposed to be monitored and mentored by the experienced teachers. In essence, they are not to be teaching higher classes until when they have gathered enough expertise. The penetration of this system into teaching and learning seems to hinder proper coordination of the students. Hence, it appears, academic performance of students may be negatively affected.
THE ROLE OF CLASS SIZE
Class size can affect how students learn and even determine the amount of material covered during a class period. For example, a large class with a lot of noise may mean less time for the teacher to cover academic tasks slated for the day. The teacher may also be deterred from assigning group work, which is a best practice in education, because there are simply too many groups to manage. A small class, in contrast, may encourage more teacher pupil interactions, which has been shown to improve student outcomes. A smaller class leads to a connected classroom community, where children are recognized for their contributions and are invested in daily learning activities. Children respect their peers and help maintain order. They have more time for collaborative, hands-on-work and can make their own predictions, formulate their own findings, and draw their own conclusions. Teachers have more opportunity for personalized assessment with students, such as individual conferencing. With a small class, teachers can maximize best teaching practices, heightening students’ academic achievement.
CLASS SIZE AND STUDENT BEHAVIOUR
Another set of theories focus on student behavior, which generally propose that students in smaller class sizes are more likely to be engaged socially and academically, and less likely to display problematic behavior, thus allowing teachers to focus more on subject-matter instruction. From on sociological and psychological perspectives one can believe that being in a small class size increases the “visibility of the individual” and the “sense of belonging”. With increased visibility, students cannot easily escape detection from teachers when they misbehave, and they also face more pressure to participate. In smaller class sizes, members also tend to feel greater affiliation with the group, which may influence behavior in positive ways. Some evidence exists for improved student behavior in smaller class sizes, although the evidence generally hinges on teacher perceptions.
TEACHERS’ EXPERIENCE, CLASS SIZE AND STUDENTS BEHAVIOUR
The classroom management practices teachers adopt have been shown to relate to their years of teaching experience. Comparing novice (i.e., student teachers having less than 40 hr of classroom teaching experience) and expert (i.e., teachers with at least 10 years of teaching experience and whose classroom management expertise was recognized by peers and/or school administrators) teachers’ representations of classroom management issues. Students’ beliefs and behavior about their competence and their expectations for success in school have been directly linked to their levels of engagement, class size and teachers’ experience, as well as to emotional states that promote or interfere with their ability to be academically successful. For example, students who believe they are academically incompetent tend to be more anxious in the classroom and more fearful of revealing their ignorance; the same also goes to students in small classrooms with teachers that have no experience. They fear that educational interactions will result in embarrassment and humiliation, and this, in turn, inhibits them from behaving in ways that might help them, such as asking questions when they are confused or engaging in trial-and-error problem solving.
