CLASSROOM DYNAMICS: CLASS SIZE AS DETERMINANTS OF ACHIEVEMENT IN SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSROOM IN NIGERIAN SCHOOLS

Aims of the study: This study examined class size as determinants of achievement in social studies classroom in Nigerian Schools. The schools used for this study were located in three different local government areas of Ekiti State. Methodology: The sample included one hundred and eighty students whose ages are between 10 and 15 years, a total number of one hundred and eighty students were randomly selected as sample for the study. The parallel or equaling technique ws used to distribute forty into the first group sixty into the second and eighty into the third group; which were moderate and large group respectively the first and third group constituted the experimental groups, the second groups as the control group. A total number of one hundred and eighty copies of achievement multiple while best mix administered on the pupils as pretest before commencement of the study, rearranged and used as posttest after four weeks of intensive coaching of the experimental and control groups by the researcher and research assistants. Findings: The findings of the study revealed that there was a significant digress between the pupils in the experimental group and those in the control group in terms of their performances in the test administered before and after treatment. Equally, the study revealed that there is a significant difference in the retention mean scores of the three groups with the small size group having a higher retention measure. Conclusion: It is recommended that teachers of social studies should ensure that there should be proper policy formulation that will ensure adequate implementation of student teacher ratio as recommended by UNESCO and National Policy on Education. equally, government at all levels should discourage over counting in classrooms as this apart from contributing to attainment of good and also of health related class sizes.