Abstract:
Nations continue to strive to improve their education systems through various
strategies and plans. Some of these are outcomes of research on various aspects of
education; hence the need for continuous research on all aspects of education.
Based on this, the present study aims to assess how school administrators handle
the issue of the placement of pupils in classes in Nigeria. The study, designed as a
survey, used questionnaires and interviews to elicit responses from the sample. A total
of 382 teachers, who participated in a workshop organised at the National Institute
for Educational Planning and Administration, constituted the sample. A contingency
analysis, as well as a t-test, was used to analyse data.
Results showed that most schools adopted the random placement criterion, an
observation that was not a chance phenomenon, but refl ected the actual practice
in the schools sampled (X2 computed = 520.76 > X2 table = 21.69, @ .05 level,
12df). Results also showed that older schools used this practice more than the
relatively newer ones. A t-test showed that between the educationally advanced
states of the south and the educationally backward states of the north, the practice
was the same (F computed 1.3 < F critical 1.3 @ .05 level). The implication is that a
heterogeneous rather than a homogeneous class grouping is created that offers both
low and high achievers the opportunity to interact and learn from one another, with
the less academically bright pupils benefi ting from the brighter ones. The implication
of this and other appropriate recommendations are discussed to aid overall education
success in Nigeria.
Description:
Proceedings of the 3rd biannual International Conference on
Distance Education and Teachers’ Training in Africa (DETA) held at
the University of Cape Coast,
Cape Coast, Ghana, August 2009
