Improving English Language Teaching in Large Class Size

Abstract

The phenomenon of large language learning classrooms in Nigeria is tied to two broad and related factors: worldwide introduction of universal education and rapid increase in population. Society’s realization of the impact of formal education coupled with government efforts at various levels to ensure mass education of Nigerians have contributed to the phenomenon of large class size in schools. Other vital contributory factors include inadequate provision of the needed human and infrastructural resources to commensurate with the people’s desire and government’s efforts at ensuring mass educational delivery. Large class is therefore the result of a high demand for education with no corresponding provision of the needed resources. Such resources include inadequate qualified teachers, insufficient classrooms, and inadequate teaching materials, among others. The situation is serious in English language classes since English is not only a subject but also the language of instruction across all the levels of the Nigeria educational system. That is to say language classes, particularly English, are large in primary, secondary schools and tertiary institutions. For instance, in primary and secondary schools, there are classes of over eighty to ninety students while in tertiary institution e.g. GST 110 (Use of English) in my university has class of three hundred students. This situation is bound to have many negative effects on the students, the teacher, and the educational system itself. The solution to this problem may not be immediate therefore the paper aims to provide worthwhile suggestions and strategies for tackling the challenges of teaching and learning English in large or overpopulated class size.