Teaching Large Classes at an Institution of Higher Learning in South Africa

Abstract

In line with the notions of increased access to education as well as massification of education in South Africa and elsewhere, large classes have become common in Universities. While the size of a large class varies from country to country, in a South African context, and at our institution in particular, large classes can mean approximately 120 students in one seating. Although large classes can have a negative effect on student participation and engagement, especially when dealing with first year students, some strategies could be devised to deal with large classes. This study was undertaken to examine the problems students and lecturers experience in large classes as well as strategies that the lecturers have devised in promoting and sustaining student participation and engagement. The setting of the study is the Central University of Technology, Free State, an institution of Higher Learning in the Free State province of South Africa. The population for the study were first-year education students in 2017. A sample of 248 first year education students, from different areas of specialisation was used in the study. A self-constructed questionnaire was used to collect data from the students while semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from the lecturers. The findings revealed that large classes do pose challenges to both students and lecturers. However, both students and lecturers have developed strategies of dealing with large classes. Lecturers have resorted to team teaching, group assignments, and team marking. Students have benefitted from group assignments and group presentations as such activities afforded them opportunities to work collaboratively with one another. Although there is limited participation in class as there is no individual attention, within the groups, they are able to participate and engage with one another. The institution is charged with the responsibility to expand its facilities as the students cannot be turned away.

It gives me anxiety! Black Academics’ experiences of teaching large classes during the Covid-19 pandemic in a South African university

“…This is because, in a large class setting, learning is lecture centred, often resorting to traditional forms of teaching and learning, with minimal student engagement. The poor engagement and performance of students are exacerbated by the fact that, in many large class settings, students are usually heterogeneous in terms of language and aptitude, making it difficult for those who cannot express their opinions and raise their concerns in class (Maringe, 2020) This argument is further supported by a study conducted by (Matoti et al, 2018), which found that 60% of the students who participated in their study reported that the presence of many people in class deterred them from asking questions.…”

“…Hence, this transition process left many academics and students behind. For students, online learning had its own challenges like (a) a sense of isolation due to lack of interaction between peers (Moore, 2020); (b) difficulties with hands-on learning activities (Matoti et al, 2018); (c) academics' limited presence (Maringe, 2020); and (d) timely support (Trust & Whalen, 2020). A sudden move from traditional face to face learning to online resulted in a big shock to academics and students, regardless of whether these stakeholders were ready for it or not.…”

“…The sad reality is that not all students have that confidence to engage in front of many people. At the same time, academics are usually unable to pay adequate attention to all students; hence the material used or taught becomes easy for some students, but difficult for others (Matoti et al, 2018). As a result, students' opportunities to learn are lessened, and only a few good students improve their learning, while many average or weak ones make little progress and fall further behind.…”

Assessing the Academic Writing Skills of Final Year English Second Language (Esl) Educations Students to Determine Their Preparedness as Language Teachers: A Practical Approach at a University of Technology

“…Much attention was given to the preparedness of lectures to teach academic writing skills and how well students are prepared for academic writing tasks. Another huge challenge is the overcrowded classes and small venues makes it difficult for lecturers, especially the Education programme to teach and assess academic writing skills (Matoti & Lenong, 2018). The findings of Boughey and McKenna (2016) suggested that it has become obvious that the way in which academic literacies expected of students in academic contexts is viewed by some students as colonial and writing 'skills' out the belief that it was needed by students to succeed in the academy (Pineteh, 2014.…”

Lecturers’ Challenges and Strategies in Teaching English Writing Skills in Large Classes

“…Indonesia also deals with the same issue regarding the size of university classes, where there are commonly more than 30 students (Hadi & Arante, 2015). As a consequence, large classes have become an issue that is of great concern for many researchers who have investigated this topic in different countries such as China, Africa, France, and Vietnam, with a particular focus on the context of English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching and learning (Matoti & Lenong, 2019;Mulryan-Kyne, 2010;Shan, 2020;Thi & Anh, 2019). While, in Indonesian EFL context, the topic of large classes has not been much explored, and most importantly, how teachers handle them is scarcely discussed.…”