THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS AND EFFECTIVENESS IF THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS

Abstract

The issue of students‘ number in the classroom and its impact on the effectiveness of learning process is the focus for the educational society and specialists.

The International practice shows that the interest towards the number of students in the classroom is caused by the will to determine the relation between the academic performance and the number of students in the classroom.

Also, based on the international studies, considering the National Curriculum and our own experience of observations the teaching process we think that the reduction of students‘ number in the classroom will not encourage the growth of academic performance. This is confirmed by the situation at the small schools of Georgia, where the number of students at the classroom is relatively smaller. At the international testing in the rural schools of Georgia, where there is relatively smaller number of students in the classroom, the average results are worse than in the urban schools, where the number of students in each classroom is larger. In this case determinants are the followings – teachers‘ qualifications, their professional competence, readiness for teaching, school administration qualification, students‘ social-economic conditions, etc.

At the same time, if there is a students with behavioral problems it is preferable to reduce the number of students but in this case the situation should be properly assessed to avoid the incorrect assessment of students‘ behavior due to the low professional competences of a teacher or not considering the classroom management issues. 

Also, it is preferable to reduce the number of students in the primary classes to 15 students in each (if allowed by the school budget), to make the division of Georgian language and literature and Foreign languages classes mandatory not envisaging the financial conditions of a school according to the National Curriculum.