EFFECTS OF HIGHER CLASS POPULATION TO STUDENT PERFORMANCE IN NEGROS ORIENTAL HIGH SCHOOL FOR SUMMER CLASS 2015 John Edgar C. Rubio Bachelor of Secondary Education, Major in English - I Rica Rose A. Bumagat Bachelor of Secondary Education, Major in English - I Prof. Ronelaine B. Picardal Basic Communication 25: Research Writing in the Disciplines - I May 2015 TOPIC OUTLINE EFFECTS OF HIGHER CLASS POPULATION TO STUDENT PERFORMANCE IN NEGROS ORIENTAL HIGH SCHOOL FOR SUMMER CLASS 2015 Thesis: An overpopulated class is the major factor leading to reduced attention span of students towards their teacher and retention of lessons. Introduction I. Internal and external factors affecting the students' attention and retention Less focus and concentration from an unconducive classroom Cleanliness problems Warm classroom temperature Students doing irrelevant activities Insufficient attention for academically challenged students Problems faced by visually impaired students Problems faced by handicapped students Teachers effort in helping these students Classroom activities which do not involve all the students Concerns on aloof students Concerns on time management II. Behavioral problems resulting from overcrowded classroom Weakening of the morale of students and teachers due to a larger class size Student's lack of motivation Teacher's ineffective approach Student's inability to listen Failure of establishing effective rapport among students Teacher's failure to recognize the students individually Lack of personal enhancement activities Inability to impose discipline by the teachers to the students III. Educational incapacities influencing the students' gains in studying. Pedagogical issues concerning language teachers Difficulties in speaking, reading and writing Avoidance of tasks Unending flow of papers and essays to be corrected by teachers Incapacity to provide corrections and feedbacks Repetition of errors by the students Adversity of poor grammar and sentence construction C. Insufficient attention given by the teacher individually to the students Less one-on-one time between the teacher and student Low test scores as a result Conclusion SENTENCE OUTLINE EFFECTS OF HIGHER CLASS POPULATION TO STUDENT PERFORMANCE IN NEGROS ORIENTAL HIGH SCHOOL FOR SUMMER CLASS 2015 Thesis: An overpopulated class is the major factor leading to reduced attention span of students towards their teacher and retention of lessons. Introduction: Do you ever believe in the line, “the more, the merrier”? Or “one size fits all”? These utterances can be accepted in some sort of gatherings or events. However, in the context of education management, it is a big NO. Can you repeat everything? I don’t understand. These statements might be a kind of cliché, but it can be clearly heard and seen in classrooms where students get stuck in a state of confusion. Understanding mathematical problems and assistance in constructing a sentence are few of the difficulties faced by students. If left disregarded and unresolved, students would resort to unresponsiveness in their studies and probably would lead to student's poor performance and achievement. Let us take the case of a classroom which contains a population of around fifty students. Due to this, the researchers have intensively gathered information, researches and went through surveys that will aid them in discovering the relationship between population and student performance. The researchers of the study are trying to point out the identical cause of students’ poor academic performance. Coping with the demands of the subject, catching up with the deadlines of submission, and more at a day might debilitate the students’ performance in school. The attention and retention of students in an overpopulated class are disturbed due to internal and external factors. Students under a small classroom cannot focus well because it is not conducive for learning. Problems like cleanliness arise in and affect the teacher’s dealing with students. Students are congested inside the room which results to extreme warmness. In smaller classrooms, cases like reading of unrelated books, using and/or playing their cellular phones, etc. are rampant. Academically challenged students are left behind and cannot fully grasp the lessons in an overcrowded class. For visually impaired students, they find it difficult to keep up with what the others are doing. Handicapped students have problems when it comes to grouping and class activity. Teachers need to exert more effort and time to help these students gain something out of the subject. Not all students in the class can participate in classroom activities. Students who are aloof remain to be aloof since they are not given the chance to integrate with others. Teachers cannot provide opportunities to all students since time is limited. Overcrowded class results to behavioral problems. The morale for both students and teachers in an overpopulated class weakens as it decreases focus and attention. Students lack the motivation to participate in classroom activities. The teacher will not discuss his/her lesson because the class is not paying attention to him/her. The students will not listen to their teacher because the classroom is noisy disorganized. Teachers in larger class size fail to establish effective rapport with students. In a class of 60 students, the teacher cannot effectively recognize each student. Personal enhancement activities for students are dimmed to happen Discipline cannot be fully imposed by the teacher to all students in an overpopulated classroom. Larger class size leads to inconsiderable gains in studying due to seldom or less individualized instructions and attention. Language teachers experience several pedagogical issues in large classroom population. Issues on overcrowded classes include difficulties with speaking, reading and writing tasks; problems at individualizing works; etc. Students avoid tasks which are demanding to implement. In a higher class population, the flow of papers and essays for language teachers are never ending. Teachers cannot fully read and check the entire paper and cannot give the appropriate amendments. Students find the same mistakes because think that they did it correctly. The knowledge of grammar and sentence construction cannot be honed because of the leakage between the teachers’ guidance and the students’ work. Students get insufficient needs and attention in their individual studies. Teachers give less one-on-one time with the students. Less instruction time to students leads to lower test scores. Conclusion: After all the exhaustive method and process, the researchers were inferring from the data collected. In summary, overpopulation leads to lesser attention and retention. Overall, the researchers found out that a smaller class population will indeed lead to more attention and retention. After all the data gathering and survey, the participants of the study recognized that class size reduction is important for the increase in student performance. The result of the data is significant to the administrators and policy makers to further probe on overpopulation and how to respond with the challenges faced by teachers and students. The researchers intend to collate the evidences and data stated above and pass it to the people mostly concerned and in authority. Education has embarked a great leap to the achievement of an individual. Successful people are whetted inside the classrooms. Teachers are challenged to hone the skills of the students. Schools and other educational institutions are to provide students with the intensive and effective learning system they deserve. On the other hand, parents have the responsibility to keep on guiding their children and lead them to the fulfillment of their aspirations. Therefore, the researchers argue that the number of students in a classroom should be limited because it affects the performance for both the teachers and the students. EFFECTS OF HIGHER CLASS POPULATION TO STUDENT PERFORMANCE IN NEGROS ORIENTAL HIGH SCHOOL FOR SUMMER CLASS 2015 Do you ever believe in the line, “the more, the merrier”? Or “one size fits all”? Well, these utterances can be accepted in some sort of gatherings or events. However, in the context of education management, it is a big NO. Can you repeat everything? I don’t understand. These statements might be a kind of cliché, but it can be clearly heard and seen in classrooms where students get stuck in a state of confusion. As students, we have been through a lot of struggles. Understanding mathematical problems and assistance in constructing a sentence are few of the difficulties faced by students. If left disregarded and unresolved, students would resort to unresponsiveness in their studies and probably would lead to student's poor performance and achievement. On the other side, earning a degree and applying the knowledge learned in high school are some of the motivations that drive students to graduate. This upcoming school year, a great number of students are expected to enter high school because of the implementation of the K-12 Program. The said program covers kindergarten and 12 years of basic education: six years of primary education; four years of junior high school; and two years of senior high school. It is to provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship. However, unforeseen circumstances are being encountered by most of our basic education students nowadays. Let us take the case of a classroom which contains a population of around fifty students. Quite a large number, right? Coping with the demands of the subject, catching up with the deadlines of submission, and more at a day might debilitate the students’ performance in school. Students who are enveloped with this endeavor find the difficulty of submitting the desired requirements due to seldom approach of teachers and lack of students’ motivation. Consequently, advisers and instructors find it hard to accommodate a large class size in less than two hours. Due to this, the researchers have intensively gathered information, researches and went through surveys that will aid them in discovering the relationship between population and student performance. The researchers of the study are trying to point out the identical cause of students’ poor academic performance. In the advent of K-12 Education System, overpopulation is the major factor leading to reduced attention span of students towards their teacher and retention of lessons. What does the population do with the decrease of student performance? This question has been the foremost guide of the researchers to finding out the answer. Within the process of determining the effects of population, the researchers primarily listed issues and concerns that can be seen inside an overcrowded classroom. They made a concept map out the ideas. Interestingly, it came out that the root or main cause of students’ poor performance in class is due to overpopulation. Although some problems were not genetically coming from population, somehow it created a link between them. The study relies on certain literatures and evidences which support the claim that an overpopulated class leads to lesser attention and retention of students. The researchers present three main arguments that prove the thesis. The first part discusses on the internal and external factors affecting students’ attention and retention. The second portion touches on behavioral problems resulting from an overcrowded classroom. The last segment explains some pedagogical issues and concerns in teaching a larger class size. According to Robinson (2010), "Reducing class size is often proposed as an educational intervention, holding much promise for improving educational backgrounds." This implies that holding a few number of students in a classroom would increase students’ motivation and participation. What really lies ahead is the assurance of molding and producing students who are competent enough to face the real work force. The classroom is the breeding ground in shaping students, in catering them to apply what they learned and in preparing the youth for greater challenges in life. If the classroom itself is not adequately superior by the mode of teaching and the like, students would probably have a difficult time in grappling future endeavors. Prior to knowing the relationship between class population and student performance, the researchers have to discuss some certain terms. The population of students handled by a teacher in a specific time is called class size. The pupil/teacher ratio standard used in calculation contains teachers who work all day as administrators, librarians, guidance counselors, and itinerant teachers. Although class size and pupil/teacher ratio can be related in some ways, class size is more linked with learning. (Ehrenberg, et. al., 2001) This is the probable support why the researchers used the term class size in the entire study. The number of students in a class has the potential to affect how much is learned in several ways. It is also stated in the same paper about the extent of different class sizes. A small class size is defined as a teacher holding fifteen to twenty-five students in a particular time. A regular class is composed of twenty-six to thirty-five students. A large class size consists of thirty-six to forty students. Therefore, a larger class size would probably illustrate a population of more than forty-one students. Larger class size is prevalent in the Philippine Education System. To localize the commonness of higher class population, the researchers take Negros Oriental High School as the subject of the study. NOHS is having the largest population in Dumaguete when it comes to students and teachers. For the purpose of the research, data were collected through conducting a survey among summer class instructors in Negros Oriental High School for the year 2015. The procedure that the researchers followed was floating of questionnaires. The researchers used qualitative questionnaire adapted from Sarah Leahy’s thesis entitled A Survey of Selected Teachers Opinions to the Effects of Class Size on Student Achievement among Middle School Students, 2006. For the questionnaire, the researchers followed a four-point Likert scale that consists of 1) Strongly Agree, 2) Agree, 3) Disagree, and 4) Strongly Disagree. The questionnaires were distributed to the teachers under the provision of the school principal, Mr. Arnold Junco. Part of the questionnaire was the background information of teachers, which asks their subject and year level of teaching, years of teaching, etc. However, to maintain confidentiality with the teacher’s responses, the researchers contemplated not to include the teacher’s name. The participants of the survey were twenty teachers instructing in summer class subjects. Although the questionnaire is designed for a particular area, the researchers want to localize the scope and have a clear assessment of how class population relates to the decrease of student performance. The responses of the twenty respondents were collated and inserted in selected paragraphs as supporting evidence in proving the thesis statement. Implications on the gathered data are essential in determining the perceptions of the respondents and how they cope with having that reality. Teachers were the chosen respondents of the research because they can see the bigger picture of the classroom. They are the ones who can see and know the problems faced by the students, the teachers and the school as a whole. The attention and retention of students in an overpopulated class are disturbed due to internal and external factors. Students who find difficulties learning in school may be drawn from typical factors. Environmental factors include the area occupied by the students. As stated earlier, the classroom is the breeding ground for productive students. The classroom itself should be taken into consideration when it comes to facilities, conduciveness, etc. The failure to establish a facilitative classroom probably leads to cleanliness problems. Cleanliness is next to Godliness, as wise folks say. It’s amazing how quickly a newly cleaned classroom can become dirty and disorganized. On a daily basis, most classroom environments are full of lively students involved in a variety of activities. Students, teachers and administrators should understand the importance of keeping the classroom clean as possible. A classroom should be clean and orderly so that the mind can think and process information effectively. Otherwise, it would influence the students’ behavior and the teacher’s approach to students. The lack of ventilation can be a possible effect from overpopulation. A room inhabited by fifty students would subsequently stifle the passage and circulation of air. According to a simple logic in science, when two or more bodies are rubbed together, it creates heat and energy. The same thing with having an overcrowded room, students are congested inside which will increase the warm temperature. In the survey conducted, about 55% (eleven respondents) of the total participants strongly agree that “an overcrowded class contributes to the heightening of heat and noise level in a classroom.” This implies that teachers really have seen the struggle of warm temperature in a larger class size. Heat can be a great factor. Why? If you have a warm environment, it affects the way you act and your mood. Warm temperature would steam up anger and uneasiness, which might disrupt the teacher’s means of instructing. Lastly, the rise of doing irrelevant activities is rampant in larger class sizes. On the threshold of modern technology, most students are into downloading and/or playing smartphone apps. Correspondingly, students are more engrossed with updating facebook statuses, uploading instagram photos, etc. Another case would be students reading unrelated books. Most of the teenagers in Negros Oriental High School, especially girls, have interests in reading novels and the widely known wattpad stories. They spend most of their time catching every detail of the novel rather than absorbing information from academic texts or books. These situations are frequently happening inside the classroom. As a result, students are no longer attentive to their studies. Another influence that affects the performance of students would be due to biological factors. This mainly involves persons with disabilities, disorders and among others. In the survey conducted, 40% (8 respondents) of the participants agree in the statement, “academically challenged students (i.e. handicapped, mentally challenged) find it difficult to keep up with what other students are doing in a larger class size.” However, another 40% of the respondents disagree. The teachers can’t escape from the fact that in a class, there are students who are incapable or have defects when it comes to learning. As the researchers scan through the answered questionnaires, most of the teachers who agree to the statement are Music, Physical Education, Science and Math instructors. This means that they seek to have more time for these students who are academically challenged. Like in the case of visually impaired students, they find it hard to keep up with what the others are doing. They also encounter problems in grouping activities. Students with disabilities felt isolated from their classmates (Sundaram, 2011). In a rare conversation with a teacher, she explained that some teachers are swerving away from the traditional type of class discussion. They plan to create an interactive discussion through involving all students in the class. To solve the issue, teachers themselves should execute more effort and time just to aid students to cope with the demands of the subjects. However, in other cases, there are some students having the attitude of not involving themselves in classroom activity. Aloof students remain to be aloof even if the teacher will reach out to them. In this statement, “the lack of interest of motivation of some students is not recognized in an overpopulated class”, 35% of the teachers strongly agree while another thirty-five percent disagree. Those who agreed believe that the problem is apparently based on the attitude of the student. Meanwhile, another consideration would be that teachers cannot supply enough opportunities for all students because time is limited. According to a teacher in NOHS, in order for instructors to provide chances for every student, they should enforce the class to form groups for reporting, presentation, stage play, etc. Overcrowded class results to behavioral problems. Overpopulation inside the classroom means a great number of students. A great number of students denote that there is a great responsibility. It is true that the responsibility lies on the teacher. It is not enough for a teacher to just impose policies and select class leaders in order for the class to be well behaved. In an overpopulated class, the morale of both the students and teacher weakens. The teacher will not discuss because no one will listen to his/her discussion. Although this attitude is unseemly, it does occur to teachers whose class is overpopulated. Moreover, students will not listen because the environment is noisy and disorganized. It goes back to the concept of classroom management. If the classroom is topsy-turvy in terms of cleanliness and order, both the teachers and the students are affected. In addition, the teacher’s way of delivering his/her lessons or discussion is inferior and incompetent. In the survey, 60% (12 participants) of the respondents coincide to the statement, “mode of instruction can be a factor in student achievement.” In short, teachers are challenged to enhance their way of teaching. The teacher can never rest assure that in a class of fifty students, all of them will listen or participate. Instructors are encouraged to create strategic method and build up camaraderie among students. Hruz (2000) claims that reductions in class size will reduce classroom problems, and increases focus and attention. Class size reduction has been constantly reevaluated by policy makers as an intervention to more effective student learning. Teachers teaching in smaller class size can attend to students through richer individualized instruction. This results to having order and discipline; letting the teacher boosts his/her interest in learning and teaching; and accelerating the participation among students. However, issues in Wisconsin have hindered the realization of class size reduction. It does not have any benefits, academically and financially, on both parts of the teacher and the students. Smaller class sizes will have better effects on students and teachers. Lowered pupil-teacher ratios lead to higher achievement due to abrupt response to the concerns. Affective concerns include difficulty in learning student names, establishing effective rapport with students, attending to weaker students, and assessing students’ interests and moods. Having said that teaching in an overpopulated class, disciplinary problems arise and are hard to be pacified directly. In the survey, 45 % (9 teachers) of the respondents believe in the statement, “larger classes have more discipline problems (i.e. cheating, brawls).” This conveys that teachers saw the common problem with an overcrowded class. Cheating is rampant because there is no enough space for the students to spread out. Brawls and fights happen because of peers and other related reasons. It goes to show that population should be defined properly to refrain from these unwanted situations. Later on, the researchers informally asked the opinion of Prof. Hermiesela Duran, an instructor of BC 25 in Summer Class 2015. She happened to hold the highest class population this summer term, having fifty-three students in section H alone. The researchers interrogated if having a large number of students is helpful and effective. She stated that it encumbers huge responsibilities on both side of the students and the teachers. Dealing with noise and complexity inside the class has been chaotic, especially on the occasion of research writing. Prof. Duran had compartmentalized the class for the reason of attending to students in smaller groups. A day was set to the first group for their consultation, and the day after was for the second group. It was indeed a great strategy of how to keep students in track of the lessons and activities. According to Mitchell and Beach (1990), they proposed four competing theories of how class size affects student learning. The first is the Classroom Overhead Theory, or the resorting of non-instructional activities like taking attendance, collecting and passing papers, etc. The second effective theory is the Student Interaction Time, or the giving of additional time for the students in the integration between teachers and classmates. The third method is the Teacher Adjustment to Student Ability, or the reaching out of the teachers to the students and assigning them by the ability they have. The last is the Fixed Instructional Resource, or the dividing of teacher’s total capacity to all students. These theories can be adapted to enhance the teachers’ mode of instruction. Larger class size leads to inconsiderable gains in studying due to seldom or less individualized instructions and attention. The purpose of going to school is to learn something out of the subjects and applying the knowledge for practical purposes. If someone has learned less in school, the student would accordingly perform poorly in the work force. Similar situations can be vividly projected in Negros Oriental High School. Holding a population of around fifty students and above can cause problems when it comes to student performance, assessment and learning outcomes. In the data collected, 55% (11 respondents) concede to the statement that “smaller class sizes lead to substantially faster gains in reading due to more individualized instruction.” It is true and will remain a fact that “less is more”. The notion about “the more the merrier” is greatly demoralized by most of our teachers. By just having few students, the teacher can then fully impart his/her knowledge to the students and can have much greater time for personal enhancement activities. Due to large class sizes, language teachers feel that there are several pedagogical issues that are weakened at times. Christensen (1994) emphasized that the nature and the implications of problems in a large class size have been argued for many years. The concerns of the teachers were difficulty with speaking, reading and writing task; difficulty with monitoring and giving feedback; and problems on providing individualized works. Furthermore, there were issues concerning avoidance of tasks which are demanding to implement and the difficulty getting around the classroom. As a conclusion, poor attention to students mostly troubles the educators. The researchers therefore support that smaller class size should be the basis of our classroom population. According to Risley (1997): Spending much time standing in front of the class has many unhealthy encounters of the teachers. Although the teacher is held liable to the giving of knowledge and instruction to students, teachers have to suffer the ways in order to fulfill those needs. Physically, it greatly undergoes the standing for several hours in class; the using of large voice in discussing; and the fatigue experienced in utilizing the mind all the time. Small classes do not achieve significantly more than large classes because the typical teacher does not change teaching style appropriately when moving from large to small classes. Another troublesome reality is that more students mean more papers to grade. The result can be significant paper overload, a strong contributory factor to teacher’s burn out. Time is needed to fully attend the essays and other writing outputs. If there is a constant increase in population, the teacher might drown himself/herself underneath an ocean of papers. In the statistical data, about 50% (10 teachers) of the respondents concur to the statement, “language teachers have difficulties grading the large flow of students’ work (i.e. essays and papers).” This connotes that most of the teachers, not only language teachers, find the calvary of checking endless flow of papers: journals, compositions, essays, examination papers, researcher papers, etc. It is unethical for a teacher to just grade a paper without checking or reading it. Writing tasks are both essential and time-consuming. Time is needed for teachers to successfully read all students’ works. With class population as the main factor, the teachers find it difficult to read and analyze each work. Shamim (1993) expressed the reality of holding a large class size as strenuous on the side of the teachers. It clearly connects that having a large class size would mean increase of workload. A common option for teachers is to just check the papers directly. Some might even amend the papers but only minimal corrections. Students find the same mistakes and repeat the same error over again. The students would probably assume that they have done it correctly because there were less or no feedback received. Hence, the knowledge of grammar and sentence construction cannot be honed because of the leakage between the teachers’ guidance and the students’ work. Truly, there is a need to lower the class population to help our teachers and students perform effectively. Mathematics achievement scores were low in schools having larger class sizes. Most of them were affected due to less individualized instructions and attention by teachers. Another factor was due to the teacher’s level of competency. Teachers of math and sciences should thoroughly assess themselves to heighten the mastery of the subject (Wenglinsky, 2001). This literature can be supported through the survey followed. In the thick of twenty respondents, all of them agree that smaller classes allow more time for teachers to spend on mathematics skills which can increase student achievement. Mathematics is indeed a subject which requires analysis and comprehension. If students have gaps and troubles in answering some equations, the teachers should attend to them. However, in the case of higher class population, it seems to be vague that a teacher would tutor all students in their math problems. Indeed, the need to decrease the population of students in a classroom should be imposed to cater to students’ effective learning. The researchers have examined the possible effects of overpopulation and how to react to these endeavors. The researchers acknowledge the fact that there are some factors contributing to students’ poor performance in class. In the long run, population is generally recognized by most school in the Philippines and is a concern for Negros Oriental High School. That was the mere reason why the researchers chose population as a topic and NOHS as the scope of the study. From the statistical analysis, all contentions have been supported due to teachers’ responses from the said survey. Most of the teachers in Negros Oriental High School believe that large class population is a main factor contributing to the decrease of student academic performance. If there is a lower class population, students can significantly focus on the subject matter and can acquire great intellectual learning and social approach due to teacher’s individualized instruction and fixed attention. Studying, which is very important to a student’s life, will come easy among teachers and students in a lower class population because of one-on-one instruction of the educator. One of the most alarming problems faced by the academe in today’s time is the absence of motivation of students in their studies. Many high school students do not have the desire to do academic tasks that will be given to them. Without the motivation in doing academic activities, this can lead to frustrations and creates a feeling of discontentment (Legault, et. al., 2006). Hence, holding a larger class size will affect the performance and learning outcomes of the teacher and the students. Arguing that the number of students should be limited and/or decreased, the researcher then suggested possible recommendation to hasten the problem on higher class population. Through this, the students can adapt with the requirements of the subject. It provides more individualized instructions, less management problems on the part of the teacher (i.e. the use of loud voice, giving back homework quickly after tests, etc.), and can increase student achievement. In some aspects, the proposal of class size reduction would further afflict on monetary issues. As what Shamim (1993) expressed, large class sizes would denote as a least cost intervention on financial expenditures. Whereas in reducing class size, the idea comes with greater responsibility in purchasing facilities, construction, etc. The offer of reducing class population would greatly include the planning of classroom sites, additional classroom materials, and among others. 80% (16 teachers) of the respondents agree in the statement of the survey that, “class size reductions are costly.” However, in a brief interview with one of the teacher, he then stressed that the finances and funds needed for this proposal may be brought up to the Commission on Audit, since it is a necessity for a public school to provide the possible educational care to the students. Leahy (2006) stated several factors in discovering the extents of class size on academic achievement. Among the factors were the CSR (Class Size Reduction) Program, mode of instruction, financial aspects, classroom and student affects, mathematics achievement and language learning and reading. All of these affirm the theory that class size or class population is a major factor in student achievement. Long before, class size reduction has been propagating as a “cure” for students and classroom-related problems. Class size reduction touches on different issues, like monetary, physical space and the search of competent teachers to hold such classes. It is both a consideration between the teacher’s part and the students’ effort. This has been the basis of the questionnaire and on proving that large classes really deem the performance of the students. The researcher claims that population is the root to students’ ineffective performance in class. In the conducted survey, 65% of the teachers accept the idea that “larger class sizes contribute to a decrease in student achievement.” This implies that the student achievement lies on the classroom population and how the learning process works. Teachers should also be creative enough in promoting an educational-friendly environment despite holding a large class size. After all the exhaustive method and process, the researchers were inferring from the data collected. In summary, overpopulation leads to lesser attention and retention. Overall, the researchers found out that a smaller class population will indeed lead to more attention and retention. Nevertheless, the participants of the study recognized that class size reduction is important for the increase in student performance. The results of the data are significant to the administrators and policy makers to further probe on overpopulation and how to respond with the challenges faced by teachers and students. The researchers intend to collate the evidences and data stated above and pass it to the people mostly concerned and in authority. Education has embarked a great leap to the achievement of an individual. Successful people are whetted inside the classrooms. Teachers are challenged to hone the skills of the students. Schools and other educational institutions are to provide students with the intensive and effective learning system they deserve. On the other hand, parents have the responsibility to keep on guiding their children and lead them to the fulfillment of their aspirations. Therefore, the researchers argue that the number of students in a classroom should be limited because it affects the performance for both the teachers and the students. REFERENCES Christensen, T. (1994). Large classes and their influence on language teaching. Journal of Hokusei Junior Colege, 30, 121-129. Ehrenberg, R. G., Brewer, D. J., Gamoran, A., & Willms, J. (2001). Class size and student achievement. Psychological Science in Public Interest, 2(1). Hruz, T. (2000). The costs and benefits of smaller classes in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Policy Research Institute Report, 13(6). Leahy, S. E. (2006). A survey of selected teachers' opinions to the effects of class size on student achievement among middle school students (Unpublished master's thesis). Marygrove College, Detroit, Michigan. Legault, L., Pelletier, L., & Green-Demers, I. (2006). Why do high school students lack motivation in the classroom? Toward an understanding of academic amotivation and social support. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(3), 567-582. Mitchell, D. E., & Beach, S. (1990). How changing class size affects clasrooms and students. Policy Briefs, pp. 1-4. Risley, L. (1997, December). Aspects of class size. Retrieved from http://web.cortland.edu/flteach/FAQ/FAQ-Class-Size.html Robinson, G. E. (1990). Synthesis of research on the effects of class size. Educational Leadership, 80-90. Shamim, F. (1993). Teacher-learner behavior and classroom processes in large ESL classes in Pakistan (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom. Sundaram, A. (2011, August). The challenges facing children with disabilities in Rwanda. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/rwanda/reallives_10304.html Wenglinksy, H. (2001). Teacher classroom practices and student performance: How schools can make a difference (RR-01-19). Princeton, New Jersey. APPENDICES APPENDIX A TRANSMITTAL LETTER SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY Dumaguete City 6200, Philippines Mr. Arnold R. Jungco Principal IV Negros Oriental High School 24 April 2015 Dear Mr. Jungco: We are students from the College of Education who are currently conducting a research entitled The Effects of Higher Class Population to Student Performance in Negros Oriental High School for Summer Class 2015. The study is in partial fulfillment for the requirements in Basic Communication 25: Research Writing in the Disciplines. In light to this, we would like to conduct a survey among the teachers at their convenient time. Kindly contact us through this cellular number, +639 15 996 8909, whenever they are ready. Their inputs and ideas will greatly aid us in the completion of the study. We assure you that everything they have stated will be kept with utmost confidentiality and will be exclusively used for the purpose of the study. We are looking forward for a great partnership. Thank you for your time and cooperation. Sincerely Yours, John Cabañog Rubio BSEd - Major in English Rica Rose Bumagat BSEd - Major in English Noted by: Prof. Ronelaine B. Picardal Instructor, BC 25 SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY Dumaguete City 6200, Philippines Prof. Hermiesela Duran Instructor, Basic Communication 25 Silliman University 19 May 2015 Dear Prof. Hermiesela: We are students from the College of Education who are currently conducting a research entitled The Effects of Higher Class Population to Student Performance in Negros Oriental High School for Summer Class 2015. The study is in partial fulfillment for the requirements in Basic Communication 25: Research Writing in the Disciplines. In light to this, we would like to conduct a survey an interview at your convenient time. Kindly contact us through this cellular number, +639 15 996 8909, whenever you are ready. Your inputs and ideas will greatly aid us in the completion of the study. We assure you that everything you have stated will be kept with utmost confidentiality and will be exclusively used for the purpose of the study. We are looking forward for a great partnership. Thank you for your time and cooperation. Sincerely Yours, John Cabañog Rubio BSEd - Major in English Rica Rose Bumagat BSEd - Major in English Noted by: Prof. Ronelaine B. Picardal Instructor, BC 25 SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY Dumaguete City 6200, Philippines Principal and Faculty Negros Oriental High School 24 April 2015 Dear Teachers: We are students from the College of Education who are currently conducting a research entitled The Effects of Higher Class Population to Student Performance in Negros Oriental High School for Summer Class 2015. The study is in partial fulfillment for the requirements in Basic Communication 25: Research Writing in the Disciplines. In light to this, we would like you to have the leisure time in answering few questions from this survey. Your inputs and ideas will greatly aid us in the completion of the study. We assure you that everything you have stated will be kept with utmost confidentiality and will be exclusively used for the purpose of the study. We are looking forward for a great partnership. Thank you for your time and cooperation. Sincerely Yours, John Cabañog Rubio BSEd - Major in English Rica Rose Bumagat BSEd - Major in English Noted by: Prof. Ronelaine B. Picardal Instructor, BC 25 APPENDIX B QUESTIONNAIRE The questionnaire is adapted from Sarah Leahy's thesis entitled A Survey of Selected Teachers Opinions to the Effects of Class Size on Student Achievement among Middle School Students, 2006. Year Level of Teaching: ___________________________ Subject(s) or Course(s):____________________________ Background Information Sheet Directions: Shade the box of your answer. 1. What age bracket do you fall under? 25-35 36-45 46-55 2. How long have you taught in the education system? 1-5 yrs 6-10 yrs 11-15 years 16-20 yrs Above 20 yrs 3. Do you have a master’s degree? Yes No Have you been teaching high school students throughout your career? Yes No Do you teach more than one subject on a daily basis? Yes No 6. If yes, how many subjects or courses? Two Three Four Five and more Part II Directions: Read each statement and shade the box of the response that you agree the most. There are no right or wrong answers. NOTE: Small classes consist of 15 - 25 students. Regular classes consist of 26 - 35 students. Large classes consist of 36 - 40 above. 1. Larger class sizes contribute to a decrease in student achievement. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree 2. Mode of instruction can be a factor in student achievement. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree 3. Class size reductions are costly (i.e. building construction, area expansion). Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree 4. Larger classes have more discipline problems (i.e. cheating, brawls). Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree 5. Smaller classes allow more time for teachers to spend on mathematics skills which can increase student achievement. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree 6. Language teachers have difficulties grading the large flow of students’ work (i.e. essays and papers). Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree 7. Smaller class sizes lead to substantially faster gains in reading due to more individualized instruction. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Academically challenged students (i.e. handicapped, mentally challenged) find it difficult to keep up what other students are doing in a larger class size. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree The lack of interest or motivation of some students is not recognized in an overpopulated class. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree An overcrowded class contributes to the heightening of heat and noise level in a classroom. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree APPENDIX C FREQUENCY TABLE STATEMENTS Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Larger class sizes contribute to a decrease in student achievement. 8 5 6 1 Mode of instruction can be a factor in student achievement. 7 12 1 Class size reductions are costly (i.e. building construction, area expansion). 16 4 Larger classes have more discipline problems (i.e. cheating, brawls). 5 9 6 Smaller classes allow more time for teachers to spend on mathematics skills which can increase student achievement. 11 9 Language teachers have difficulties grading the large flow of students’ work (i.e. essays and papers). 8 10 2 Smaller class sizes lead to substantially faster gains in reading due to more individualized instruction. 11 8 1 Academically challenged students (i.e. handicapped, mentally challenged) find it difficult to keep up what other students are doing in a larger class size. 4 8 8 The lack of interest or motivation of some students is not recognized in an overpopulated class. 7 6 7 An overcrowded class contributes to the heightening of heat and noise level in a classroom. 11 9 APPENDIX D GRAPHS OF THE DATA APPENDIX E INTERVIEW SHEET Name of Interviewee: Prof. Hermiesela Duran Date of Interview: May 18, 2015 Interviewers: Rica Bumagat and John Rubio Time Started: 9:00 AM Purpose of the interview: For the research Time Ended: 10:00 AM Questions: What section in BC25 for summer term 2015 do you have the most students? How many were the students in that section? What were some of the problems you encounter while teaching in an overpopulated class? What were the strategies you did to deal with an overcrowded class? Was the strategy effective? Why? _____________________________________________ Name and Signature of Interviewee 35