class size

This study investigates the alignment between teacher allocation and learner enrolment patterns in Eswatini high schools following the 2023 teacher allocation policy, assessing whether deployment corresponds to learner demand and to the policy goals of equity and efficiency. Guided by the Theory of Compensating Differences, it analysed disparities in enrolment and teacher distribution using documentary evidence from enrolment records, class registers, staffing information, and policy documents from 23 high schools, supplemented by contextual observations. Findings revealed substantial variation: some schools faced overcrowded classrooms, while others had enrolments far below the advised threshold of 400 students required for certain staffing provisions, with several reporting between 172 and 286 students. This raised concerns about the effective use of human and financial resources, particularly in high-density communities where staffing levels did not consistently reflect student numbers. The study concludes that reallocating teachers is necessary but complex, requiring a more responsive and context-sensitive model that goes beyond fixed enrolment thresholds to incorporate regular monitoring, redistribution mechanisms, and consideration of demographic and school-specific conditions. Such an approach would better balance educational equity, resource efficiency, and sustainability of teaching provision. Limitations include reliance on documentary and administrative records from a convenience sample of 23 schools, restricting generalisation to all Eswatini high schools. Nonetheless, the study provides valuable evidence to inform refinement of teacher allocation policy and offers lessons for other resource-constrained education systems experiencing uneven teacher distribution and shifting enrolment patterns.

Creativity is a core competency within Kenya’s Competency-Based Education framework, and Integrated Science offers opportunities for learners to investigate, collaborate, experiment, and apply scientific knowledge. However, limited context-specific evidence exists on how teachers combine instructional strategies to foster creativity in Junior School Integrated Science. This study assessed variations in teachers’ combined use of inquiry-based, collaborative, experiential and hands-on, and technology-enhanced strategies in public Junior Schools in Ainabkoi Sub-County, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. Guided by Piaget’s Cognitive Constructivist Theory, it adopted a pragmatic worldview and convergent parallel mixed-methods design. Questionnaires were completed by 81 Integrated Science teachers, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 Lead Integrated Science Teachers. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. Collaborative learning recorded the highest use (M = 4.06, SD = 0.65), followed by inquiry-based learning (M = 3.94, SD = 0.66), experiential/hands-on learning (M = 3.54, SD = 0.53), and technology-enhanced instruction (M = 2.92, SD = 0.37). HCA yielded three exploratory profiles distinguished by relative emphasis on technology, inquiry and experiential learning, and collaboration. Interviews indicated that teachers adapted strategy combinations to lesson demands, resources, time, class size, and preparation requirements. The findings show variation in teachers’ reported practices, supporting differentiated professional development and improved access to practical and digital resources. Learner creativity was not directly measured.

Background School-aged children that experience social anxiety and have difficulty with interactions among peers can create significant challenges to their development in terms of both psychology and behavior. A team sport such as volleyball provides a common setting that naturally includes all aspects of social interaction (communication, cooperation, role coordination, etc.) and shared goals which is essential to improve the child’s confidence in interacting socially and abilities to interact socially with peers. Objective This research is an examination of the effect that a 12-week collective volleyball cooperative tactical training program will have on social anxiety and peer interaction in children (8–12). Methods A sample of 80 healthy school-age children was obtained via two methods of campus based, voluntary and/or open recruitment. These children were then randomly assigned to either an experimental intervention group ( n = 40) or an active control group receiving standard physical education ( n = 40). For 12 consecutive weeks, participants in the experimental group engaged in a type of volleyball cooperative tactical team training that occurred on 3 days each week at 1 h per day. During this time the participants in the control group engaged in standard physical education classes of matched frequency and duration. Social anxiety was measured by use of the Social Anxiety Scale for Children (SASC); SASC measures include total social anxiety, fear of negative evaluation and social avoidance/distress. Participant peer interaction was evaluated using a study-specific 25-item peer-interaction questionnaire covering interaction initiative, peer acceptance, interaction coordination, interaction openness, and conflict resolution ability. Data collection occurred prior to, as well as subsequent to, the intervention. Statistical analyses were conducted utilizing SPSS version 26.0 software. A 2 × 2 mixed-design ANOVA was conducted to examine Group × Time interaction effects, with group (intervention vs. control) as the between-subjects factor and time (pre-intervention vs. post-intervention) as the within-subject factor. Effect sizes were reported using partial eta squared ( η 2 p ), and post hoc comparisons were performed when significant interactions were identified. Results Group × Time Interaction Effects from a mixed-design ANOVA were found to be statistically significant for both of the outcomes (social anxiety and peer interaction) of this study. Children participating in an intervention that included an instructional program using the Collective Volleyball Cooperative Tactical Training Model showed significantly greater improvement than did those in the Control Condition in reducing their level of social anxiety as well as improving their peer interaction abilities over the course of the 12-weeks. Although we found a statistically-significant improvement in both children’s social anxiety, and their peer interaction skills through a 12-week program, there is no data available for us to understand if those positive results will continue into the future because we did not assess children at later points in time. Thus, future researchers are encouraged to consider extended assessment periods as part of their study designs to determine how long such interventions have an impact. Secondly, as a feasibility study in a controlled environment showed promise for implementation of cooperative tactical volleyball programs, there may be barriers to successful implementation in regular school settings such as lack of facilities, class size and teacher workload. Future research is needed to examine how cooperative tactical volleyball programs can be adapted to encompass large groups of students and incorporated into routine physical education curriculum. Furthermore, although the intervention showed feasibility under controlled conditions, implementation in regular school settings may face practical challenges, including limited facilities, larger class sizes, and teacher workload. Future studies should examine how cooperative volleyball tactical training can be adapted for broader school-based implementation. Conclusion Collective Volleyball Cooperative Tactical Training is an effective method for reducing social anxiety and improving the ability of school aged children to interact with peers. The program offers a viable, school-based model for integrating sport skills acquisition (training) and psychosocial growth through physical activity.

This study explored how the quality of teacher feedback affects students' academic success in public secondary schools across Imo State, Nigeria. It was structured around five research questions and four null hypotheses, all tested at a significance level of 0.05. A correlational survey research design was employed, focusing on a population of 22,155 SS2 students and 5,576 teachers from 308 public secondary schools in the region. Using a multistage sampling technique, a sample of 1,200 SS2 students and 300 teachers was selected. For data collection, three instruments were utilized: the Teacher Feedback Quality Questionnaire, the Students’ Academic Achievement Record Sheet, and the Challenges to Feedback Provision Scale. These tools were validated by experts and demonstrated Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficients of 0.84 and 0.79. The data analysis involved mean, standard deviation, Pearson Product Moment Correlation, and Independent Samples t-test, all conducted with SPSS Version 27. The results indicated that teachers provided feedback to a high degree in terms of specificity (M = 3.12) and clarity (M = 3.05), but were less timely (M = 2.41). Key challenges to delivering quality feedback included large class sizes (M = 3.45), heavy workloads (M = 3.38), and insufficient training (M = 3.21). A significant moderate positive relationship was found between the timeliness (r(1198) = 0.42, p <0.001), specificity (r(1198) = 0.56, p <0.001), and clarity (r(1198) = 0.51, p <0.001) of feedback and students’ academic performance. Additionally, students who received high-quality feedback (M = 64.82, SD = 11.34) outperformed those who received low-quality feedback (M = 57.19, SD = 12.01), t(1198) = 6.87, p <0.001, d = 0.65. The study concluded that the quality of teacher feedback-specifically its timeliness, specificity, and clarity-plays a significant role in influencing students’ academic achievement in English and Mathematics. It was recommended that the Imo State Ministry of Education organize regular in-service training sessions for teachers focused on assessment and feedback literacy, school administrators should reduce class size and workload, and teachers should ensure timely, specific, and clear feedback.

این پژوهش به بررسی تأثیر کیفیت بازخورد معلم بر موفقیت تحصیلی دانش‌آموزان در دبیرستان‌های دولتی سراسر ایالت ایمو، نیجریه پرداخت. ساختار پژوهش بر اساس پنج سؤال پژوهشی و چهار فرضیه صفر بود که همگی در سطح معناداری ۰٫۰۵ آزمون شدند. طرح پژوهش از نوع همبستگی بود و جامعه آماری شامل ۲۲٬۱۵۵ دانش‌آموز پایه SS2 و ۵٬۵۷۶ معلم از ۳۰۸ دبیرستان دولتی منطقه بود. با استفاده از روش نمونه‌گیری چندمرحله‌ای، نمونه‌ای متشکل از ۱٬۲۰۰ دانش‌آموز SS2 و ۳۰۰ معلم انتخاب شد. برای گردآوری داده‌ها، از سه ابزار استفاده گردید: پرسشنامه کیفیت بازخورد معلم، برگه ثبت پیشرفت تحصیلی دانش‌آموزان و مقیاس چالش‌های ارائه بازخورد. این ابزارها توسط متخصصان اعتبارسنجی شدند و ضرایب پایایی آلفای کرونباخ به ترتیب ۰٫۸۴ و ۰٫۷۹ را نشان دادند. تحلیل داده‌ها با استفاده از میانگین، انحراف معیار، همبستگی حاصل‌ضرب لحظه‌ای پیرسون و آزمون t مستقل، همگی با نرم‌افزار SPSS نسخه ۲۷ انجام شد. نتایج نشان داد معلمان از نظر ویژگی‌های خاص بودن (M = 3.12) و وضوح (M = 3.05) بازخورد را در سطح بالایی ارائه می‌دهند، اما از نظر به‌موقع بودن (M = 2.41) کمتر عمل می‌کنند. چالش‌های اصلی در ارائه بازخورد با کیفیت شامل تعداد زیاد دانش‌آموزان در کلاس (M = 3.45)، حجم بالای کار (M = 3.38) و آموزش ناکافی (M = 3.21) بود. رابطه مثبت و معنادار متوسطی بین به‌موقع بودن (r(1198) = 0.42, p <0.001)، خاص بودن (r(1198) = 0.56, p <0.001) و وضوح (r(1198) = 0.51, p <0.001) بازخورد با عملکرد تحصیلی دانش‌آموزان مشاهده شد. همچنین، دانش‌آموزانی که بازخورد با کیفیت بالا دریافت کردند (M = 64.82, SD = 11.34)، عملکرد بهتری نسبت به دانش‌آموزانی که بازخورد با کیفیت پایین دریافت کردند (M = 57.19, SD = 12.01)، t(1198) = 6.87, p <0.001, d = 0.65 داشتند. نتیجه‌گیری پژوهش نشان داد کیفیت بازخورد معلم، به ویژه از نظر به‌موقع بودن، خاص بودن و وضوح، نقش معناداری در پیشرفت تحصیلی دانش‌آموزان در درس‌های زبان انگلیسی و ریاضیات ایفا می‌کند. پیشنهاد شد که وزارت آموزش و پرورش ایالت ایمو دوره‌های آموزش ضمن خدمت منظم برای معلمان با تمرکز بر ارزیابی و سواد بازخورد برگزار کند، مدیران مدارس اندازه کلاس و حجم کار معلمان را کاهش دهند و معلمان بازخورد به‌موقع، خاص و واضح ارائه دهند.