Strategies for teaching and assessing students in large mathematics classes in secondary schools in Tanzania: A systematic review

This study explores strategies for teaching and assessing students in large mathematics classes in secondary schools. Specifically, the study answers the following questions: “What are the recommended strategies for teaching large mathematics classes? And what are the recommended strategies for assessing students’ learning in large mathematics classes?” The study employed a systematic literature review approach whereby 40 documents were retrieved from various databases and analysed using thematic analysis with the help of MAXQDA software. The findings reveal that group discussion, peer instruction, think-pair-share, participatory lecture, question and answer, problem-based learning, team teaching, projects, flipped classroom, inquiry-based teaching, and jigsaw methods are recommended for teaching students in large classes. The most recommended strategy is teaching by combining more than one teaching strategy, such as lecture combined with discussion, lecture combined with questions and answers, think-pair-share combined with group discussion or problem-based learning combined with a case study. Regarding assessment, the literature recommends the use of group assignments, short examinations, oral assessment, pair assessment activities, portfolios, question-response sessions and short quizzes or tests. Additionally, peer grading and peer or audio feedback are highly encouraged to minimise the marking load. The study recommends an interventional study to determine whether teaching by combining lecture with discussion or lecture with think-pair-share and similar strategies could yield positive results on students’ engagement and, hence, academic achievement in a large class context. • Systematic review identifies key teaching strategies for large mathematics classes. • No single strategy that universally fits all large mathematics classes. • Combining teaching strategies increases student engagement in large classes. • Peer grading and feedback help reduce marking workloads in large classes. • Audio feedback is faster and more effective than written feedback for large classes. • Interventions combining strategies improve engagement and achievement in large classes.