INFLUENCE OF LARGE CLASS SIZE ON BUSINESS EDUCATION TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF PRACTICAL-BASED COURSES IN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN SOUTH-WEST, NIGERIA

Abstract

The disparity between the rate of admission in Nigeria's higher institutions of learning and the available facilities has been a longstanding issue in the country's education system. The situation is persistent, and it becomes worrisome as it affects both students and teachers, especially when it comes to practical-based courses. The study examined the influence of large class size on business education teachers and students‟ performance in practical-based courses in colleges of education in south-west Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. Two research questions guided the study; two null hypotheses were formulated and tested at a 0.05 level of significance. The population consisted of 1,403 business education students and 33 teachers in two Federal Colleges of Education in Oyo and Ondo states respectively representing Federal Colleges of Education offering Business Education in South-west, Nigeria. One hundred and forty students were randomly sampled, and the entire 33 business education teachers were the respondents for the study. A structured questionnaire with 20 items which was duly validated by three experts in business education with a Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient of 0.87 was used to generate data from the respondents. Mean was used to analyze the data collected to answer the research questions while the hypotheses were tested using independent t-test statistics at a 0.05 level of significance. The study found that large class size has a great negative influence on business education teachers and students‟ performance in practical-based courses in colleges of education as teachers find it difficult to move around the class, have difficulty in assessing students in large classes due to work overload and they are more prone to high rate of stress and health issues. The study concludes that large class size has a significant detrimental influence on both the teachers and students of business education, especially when it comes to practical-based courses. Based on these findings, it was recommended among others that adequate facilities most especially laboratories and computer systems be provided to ease the teaching/learning process in practical-based courses and that an appropriate teacher-student ratio be maintained in the colleges of education to relieve the teachers of excess workload and enhance students‟ academic performance.