Writning Assignment

1

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION

Introduction to the Problem

In America, increasingly students are graduating from high school than ever before.

According to the Insider (2019), last yeast about 85% of the country's graduating class walked

across the stage and received their high school. As the graduation rate increases nationwide, we

are also witnessing a surge in schools' enrollment around the country. The vast graduation rate is

generally a positive development for our country's educational system, but it does provide some

consequences, particularly overcrowded classrooms and a shortage of educators. Due to the

congestion in classrooms, the future of academic excellence is endangered as the focus shifts to

the number of graduates from a class rather than the quality of education. In a report from

Learning Policy Institute, the educator shortage crisis is present, and it will get worst, and the

educator occupation is at its lowest point in 20years (Floyd, 2019). With the predicted lousy

situation, it is crucial to assess this overcrowded class issue to provide solutions and

recommendations to the government on ways to enhance resilience and resolving the issue in the

long-term plans. Overcrowding in schools has become major fretfulness in our educational

system, compelling most states to take legislative action to limit the number of students per

classroom.

Notably, the Florida citizens approved an amendment to the Titled Chapter 2003-391,

Laws of Florida, requiring a reduction in the number of students by at least two students per year

beginning in the 2003-04 school year until the maximum number of students per classroom did

not exceed the requirements in law (Class Size, n.d.). A qualitative survey will be an essential

tool for this study to collect data and insights on the experiences with the crowded classrooms to

understand the crisis deeply. Besides, a qualitative survey will help account for the educators'

2

and students' opinions and experiences about the overcrowded school environment. Therefore,

the researcher can attain insights on what would have been different if the congestion issue was

absent or well addressed. Thus, to acquire knowledge about congestion challenges in the

classrooms, this study poses a guiding qualitative question on the impacts of the overcrowded

classroom on the educators, school, and learners' performance.

The previous studies focused on reducing congestion rather than focusing on educators

and students' performance in the classroom. Therefore, this study will aid educators, students,

and education administrators increase performance in overcrowded classrooms across the nation

using innovative technology. Notably, this study contributes significantly to the existing body of

knowledge by focusing on areas or strategies for attaining top-level resilience within the

congested environment. The data collected from this qualitative survey can assist educators,

students, and administrators improve their performance in an overcrowded classroom

environment using technological advancements, rather than focusing on reducing overcrowded

classroom sizes only as the previous studies had before.

The data collected from this study will provide educators, students, and administrators

dealing with overcrowded classrooms and improve performance and decision-making. Thus, the

research will address the previously studied approaches for decreasing congestion in schools

while building the resilience of the stakeholders to thrive in the challenging environment to

enhance performance. Therefore, this study will attempt to heighten educators and students'

performance and administrators' decision-making in a congested education environment.

Background, Context and Theoretical Framework of the Study.

Studies confirm that the rise in the overcrowding in the American classrooms originates from the

rising size of the population, shortage of teachers or educators, and reduction in funding, causing

3

the class sizes to rise (Hachem, 2019). Therefore, this study proposes strategies for enhancing the

overall performance of the educators, school, and students by tolerating the escalating population

and limited resources. Overcapacity is one of the essential matters confronting educators and

students in America today. This issue is a blend of growth in population, a lack of educators, and

a reduction in financing which has caused class sizes to ascend. The ideal class sizes should be

topped at 15 to 20 students in a perfect educational environment (Hachem, 2019). Unfortunately,

countless classrooms typically surpass the 20-student mark, and even in certain circumstances,

schools exceed more than 30 students in one class.

It is presently a typical thing to have overcrowded classrooms in schools if the population

increase persists and the human and financial resources remain scarce. A significant body of

evidence explores the class overcrowding issue accounting as it impacts the overall performance.

An empirical study by Tayeg (2015) confirms that classroom congestion or overcrowding

negatively affects the student-educator interactions leading to poor performances. The

hindrances to identified teacher-student interactions include limited opportunities to speak,

attention to individual learners, focus on action, and less exciting lessons. In any case, this issue

is not probably going to be resolved soon, so educators and school administration must think of

plans and answers to minimize the negative effect of overcrowded classrooms in schools across

America. In the words of Benjamin Franklin, "An investment in knowledge pays the best

interest." History has shown us that the exchange of past knowledge, abilities, and ethical values

of cultures from age to age has aided individuals in providing positive contributions to

themselves, society and help guide others to develop their potentialities. It is the communication

of stored knowledge and the value of community. The prominence of education made the

school's foundation essential; a school is dedicated to learning; it serves as a focal point where all

4

forms of education are provided. An environment produces educated women and men.

Therefore, with the incapability to manage the resources and learning environment, the

classroom overcrowding issue affects all main stakeholders at school, including the teachers and

students in terms of performance and administrators concerning decision-making.

This study is guided by the tenets of Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) as a learning theory

holding that people learn by observing others. Thus, interactions with others are critical

motivations for pursuing goal-directed activities (Schunk & DiBenedetto, 2020). With its

substantial usefulness in psychology, communication, and education, SCT holds a robust portion

on knowledge acquisition directed to observing others through interactions and experiences.

Considering the significance of the school environment, the condition of schools in America,

especially public schools in low-income areas, is inappropriate for salient academic competition.

As the population increase in America, it has increased the population of school enrollment in

children and adolescents. Most government-funded schools are overcrowded and accordingly

exist with natural and classroom issues like performance, learning curve, commotions, and

fighting among students. Therefore, the arising elements in the crowded classrooms relate to

poor interactions, limited participation, poor class assessment, and competition over the

resources hindering the vicarious learning for self-efficacy.

Because of these issues, this research materialized utilizing a qualitative study and the

phenomenological research design to analyze the impact of overcrowding classrooms and its

impact on the performance of educators, students, and administrators. The phenomenological

research design provides a significant opportunity to explore stakeholders' accounts of their

experience with overcrowded classrooms. Studies confirm that phenomenological studies are

essential to account experiences of the affected persons (Flick, 2018). Therefore, accounting for

5

the individuals' experiences with the overcrowded classes would help provide a deeper look into

the condition of public schools and the deteriorating level of education provided to students by

accounting for diverse perceptions regarding the issue.

Statement of the Problem.

It is unknown how and to what degree the negative impact an overcrowded classroom can have

on the productivity of educators, administrators, and students' self-confidence be exaggerated in

crowded classrooms. Trying to keep students focused can be difficult when the students to

educator ratio start to increase. When a classroom has reached its capacity, the educator's role

turns from educator to crowd control and becomes a stressful environment for all parties.

Students may not feel it easy to ask questions or seek additional assistance with larger classroom

sizes, so quieter or less confident students are at risk of staying under the radar. Educators are

confronted with the tasks that surface in overcrowded classrooms as they are accountable for

educating and students in a learning environment. Educator's concerns are being addressed as

they are left to deal with oversize classrooms and all the issues that come with them.

According to Lanny and Hall (2010), learner–educator relations depend directly on the

quality of education. These issues significantly impact an educator's quality of education and

diminish the learning experience in an overcrowded classroom. Educators can become very

frustrated when dealing with problems that prevent them from providing quality education in a

learning environment. In any learning environment, you have diversity and students with

different needs. Students learn at different rates, and students may need individual assistance

because of learning barriers. Prior studies indicated issues related to overcrowded classrooms

have negative impacts on learning and overall outcomes in academics.

6

There is a rising need to study the overcrowded class issue to enhance overall

performance and promote quality teaching and learning approaches. This study focuses on the

performance of educators, students, and administrators in a congested learning environment.

Discovering the perfect strategies for cultivating resilience in a crowded school environment to

attain quality performance is an essential need to fix with this study. It is unknown the effective

classroom management strategies when focusing on performance in overcrowded classrooms.

Thus, there is a need for more research to resolve the congestion issue in the classrooms by

attaining effective classroom management strategies. It is essential to manage, focus and enhance

the performance through effective engagement and communication practices.

Purpose of the Study

This purpose of this study aims to analyze the impact of overcrowded classrooms in

America on the performance of educators, students, and administrators. This research must focus

on exploring the productivity of the educators, administrators, and learners in enhancing

confidence in the overcrowded classroom. Besides, accounting for the mental and social impacts

of the overcrowded classrooms is a salient approach to initiate measures for improving the social

and psychological capabilities in the congested school environment to improve interactions. The

current study presents inadequate solutions for reducing the size of congestion in the class.

However, a critical challenge with this suggested solution is that it disregards the elements of

rising population size and scarcity of the resources related to educators and finances to the

schools. However, this study focuses on tailoring effective strategies such as using technological

tools for the schools to enhance performance while coping with the inadequacy problem. A

qualitative research method is preferable for this study to uncover thoughts, opinions, and trends

regarding the phenomenon to derive in-depth insights into the motivations to the underlying

7

challenge. Besides, the qualitative or unstructured surveys will be essential for the study to

account for the affected persons' perceptions about the studied phenomenon. Essentially few key

aspects will be targeted in this study specifically, decrease in educators' performance, the

learning environment, decrease in student performance, and the psychological growth of the

student and educator will be evaluated through unstructured surveys. This study will bear how

and to what degree overcrowded classrooms can impact students' academic success and how

educators can effectively control the learning environment. Overcrowding a classroom can have

a direct a severe impact on learning. Educators prefer to educate in smaller classroom sizes

because they are less stressful and easier to handle. This study will provide data that can be

useful to educators, students, administrators, and even the government to consider the

overcrowding of classrooms as a salient issue and devise programs to improve the education

system in America.

Research Questions or Hypotheses.

Qualitative Studies

This research will answer the following questions:

1. Is there a level difficulty that administrators, teachers, and students face in overcrowded

classrooms in teaching-learning performance?

2. Is there a solution to the complications administrators, teachers, and students face due to

overcrowded classrooms on teacher and student's dealings in the teaching and learning process?

3. Is there a level of influence that overcrowded classrooms have on teacher and students'

interactions in teaching and learning performance?

Significance of the Study

8

This study examines the performance of educators, students, and administrators in an

overcrowded learning environment. The data generated from this study will enable educational

leaders to think about offering workshops, support structures, and training that prepare educators

with the necessary skillset to overcome the challenges of an overcrowded classroom. This study

furthermore provides educational leaders with information that can aid them to develop new

strategies and reallocate capital to assist educators to manage overcrowded classrooms. The

allocated capital can be utilized to aid schools to hire more educators and provide better

resources to the students. This study also produces data for education policymakers to take into

consideration of overcrowded classrooms when developing of educational policy that is not

intended or modified for overcrowded classrooms. As research, I have noticed that numerous

researches have been conducted on overcrowded classrooms but none of these researches have

given ample focus on the performance educators, students, and administrators.

Rationale for the Proposed Study

This study aimed to analyze the impact of congestion on the performance of educators,

students, and administrators. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB, 2002) provides all

children with a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education. A

quality-learning environment that provides educational support for some student's crowd is not

necessarily the most incredible answer for entire student crowds. This study evaluates the

performance of educators, students, and decision-making of administrators, who deal with the

difficulties of classroom sizes daily – they have a firsthand outlook on how classroom sizes can

affect the quality of education in a learning environment.

9

This study is imperative for enhancing the learning environment by pursuing

transformational strategies to establish quality-based approaches for performance enhancement.

It is crucial to note that administrators, as the key decision-makers in the learning institutions,

this research will help them devise resilience programs to cope with stressful environments,

focusing on the quality of education for enhancing performance. By linking educators, students,

and administrator decisions to an overcapacity-learning climate, this study may offer firm data

indicating a necessity for change in our educational policy to address the delivery of quality of

education in a learning environment for all students – the present and future learners.

Relevance of the Study

This study examines the performance of educators, students, and administrators in an

overcrowded learning environment. The data generated from this study will enable educational

leaders to think about offering workshops, support structures, and training that prepare educators

with the necessary skillset to overcome the challenges of an overcrowded classroom. Therefore,

the research will broaden the educational leader's options for enhancing performance in crowded

classes. Thus, educational leaders attain information that can aid them in developing new

strategies and reallocate capital to assist educators in managing overcrowded classrooms. The

allocated capital can help schools hire more educators and provide better resources to the

students.

This study also produces data for education policymakers to consider overcrowded

classrooms when developing an educational policy that is not modified for crowded classrooms.

Therefore, this study reveals a significant opportunity to engage policymakers in an advocacy

program to promote new initiatives focusing on enhancing performance through enhanced

10

creativity and creative problem solving. This research is a salient avenue for engaging diverse

stakeholders such as the community comprised of the parents in decision-making that enhances

their children's performance. I have noticed that numerous researches have been conducted on

overcrowded classrooms, but none of these researches have focused on the performance of

educators, students, and administrators.

Nature of the Study.

This study will embrace the qualitative method, specifically a phenomenological research design,

focusing on exploring overcrowding classrooms issues based on individuals' experiences and

accounts regarding the challenge. A qualitative approach contains composed information in the

form of verbal or written. This study method is chosen to gain insight into the performance of

educators, students, and administrators' decision-making in an overcrowded classroom

environment. This method will allow all participants to fully express their concerns and produce

valuable data, so the study is a performance using a qualitative approach.

This study is guided by a qualitative approach that methodical inquiry into the social

atmosphere in a natural setting. These settings can be included but are not regulated to

professional experiences, how individuals and groups act, how institutes operate, how

interactions lead to better performances. In a qualitative approach, the researcher is the primary

instrument of data collection. This research accounts for the experiences of affected persons,

meaning it is crucial to document their perceptions regarding the issue and recommended

solutions they believe could address the performance challenge in overcrowded classes.

Therefore, qualitative research provides a salient opportunity to reveal the respondents' opinions,

thoughts, and feelings regarding the effects of a specific phenomenon. As the researcher, I will

11

examine all events that occur concerning all subject's performance in an overcapacity classroom

in a learning environment.

This study will be conducted in phenomenological research design using a qualitative

survey to address every insight. A qualitative survey is an open questionnaire or a sequence of

questions directed to selected individuals who respond to the questionnaire that would provide

insight into the context of the issue and exemplify the critical point of this study. The survey is

being used because of numerous individuals in learning institutions. Therefore,

phenomenological research design fits this study since it will investigate and define the

performance of educators, students, and administrators in an overcapacity-learning environment

based on the individual experiences with the class congestion. This allows any individual insight

into all parties affected by an overcrowded learning environment.

The Definition of Terms.

There are several terms important to this study. As such, the following terms defined include:

Administrators. They are persons who ensure that an organization operates efficiently.

Their specific duties depend on the type of company, organization, or entity where they work.

Above all, administrators must be highly organized and have excellent communication skills

(MBN, 2019).

Classroom. A classroom in which all students in a particular grade (or in a division of a

grade) meet at certain times under the supervision of a teacher who takes attendance and does

other administrative business (n.d.)

Classroom Management. Refers to the wide variety of skills and techniques teachers use

to ensure that their classroom runs smoothly, without disruptive behavior from students.

(Mulvahill, 2018).

12

Educator. An educator stands shoulder to shoulder with the learner and shares a vision of

what can be done or making the past better. Exploration of facts can lead to deep questioning that

instills marvel and astonishment. This can assist the learner in journeying through the joys and

frustrations of trying out something new. The educator is there to support, encourage, and lend a

guiding hand to what can be, at times, the "painful" experience of learning deeply (Schmidt,

2019).

Overcrowded Classroom. The number of students exceeds the optimum level, such that it

causes hindrance in the teaching-learning process (Akech, 2016).

Performance. The accomplishment of a given task is measured against preset known

standards of accuracy, completeness, cost, and speed. In a contract, performance is deemed as

the fulfillment of an obligation, releasing the performer from all liabilities under the contract

(n.d.).

Interactions. Interactions refer to the events occurring between the learners and the

educators that affect their participation in the learning activities.

Assumptions, Limitations and Delimitations.

Assumptions

The following assumptions will be present in this study:

1. Overcrowded classrooms are harmful to educators and student's performance.

2. Innovative technology will positively impact educators' and students' performance in a

crowded classroom.

3. This study will aid leaders in making better decisions at the administration level in the

educational system.

13

Limitations

The following limitation will be present in this study:

1. The sample size and sampling method used will make it difficult to generalize the results

of the whole population of administration, educators, and students via surveys.

2. The school authorities may decline to participate in the study or responding to the

change-driven surveys.

3. Some of the study respondents may not provide accurate information.

Delimitations

The following delimitations will be present in this study:

1. The survey for this study will only be done in the United States

2. Only an educational administrator, educator, or student at the K-12 level can only

complete the survey.

Chapter 1 Summary

The chapter presented a summary and background to educator familiarities with

overcrowded classrooms. The trials such as discipline, management, lack of space, emotional

and psychological issues, and increased workload faced by educators in overcrowded classrooms

were identified, and the problem's statement was outlined. Educators have had negative

experiences with crowded classrooms that make them abandon the teaching profession and are

affected by the overwhelming demand for congested classes. The importance of this study was

also outlined. This chapter will present the rationale for the research and the objectives and

critical questions guiding the research. This study accounts for the various assertions discussed

14

by Hachem (2019), recognizing the significant causes of overcrowding in the classroom are the

combination of increasing population size, reduced number of educators, and scarcity of

finances. Thus, integrating Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) elements in learning, as advocated by

Schunk & DiBenedetto (2020), create a salient trajectory to motivate learners into creative

interactions that steer mental and social development. This chapter acknowledges the primary

interest is building school capabilities to attain optimal performance in the learning environment.

The phenomenological research design and methodology were also presented. The next chapter

will review literature related to the impacts of overcrowded classes on the performance of

educators, students, and administrators.

15

References

Akech, 2. E. (2016). The impact of over-crowded classrooms to teachers and students. Retrieved

from https://www.grin.com/document/374513

Articulate - Dictionary Definition. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/articulate

Class Size. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.fldoe.org/finance/budget/class-size/

Flick, U. (2018). An introduction to qualitative research. SAGE.

Floyd, D. (2019, September 17). Teacher Shortage in Schools – a National Crisis Looming.

Retrieved from https://www.nfhs.org/articles/teacher-shortage-in-schools-a-national-crisis-

looming/

Hachem, H. (2019, October 04). Overcrowding in Schools: Why is it a Huge Issue? Retrieved

from https://patch.com/michigan/dearborn/overcrowding-schools-why-it-huge-issue

How has this term impacted your life? (n.d.). Retrieved July 19, 2020, from

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/performance.html

Krause, A. (2020, July 20). High-school graduates are taking a new kind of gap year as the

coronavirus upends their college plans. Retrieved from https://www.insider.com/high-

school-graduates-taking-gap-years-coronavirus-2020-7

Lannoy, A., & Hall, K. (2010). Statistics on children in South Africa. Cape Town: Cape Town

University Press.

MBN. (2019, June 30). What does an administrator do? Duties and examples. Retrieved from

https://marketbusinessnews.com/financial-glossary/administrator-definition-meaning/

16

Mulvahill, E. (2018, February 27). What is Classroom Management? Retrieved from

https://www.weareteachers.com/what-is-classroom-management/

NCLB. (2002, December 19). Title I - Improving The Academic Achievement Of The

Disadvantaged. Retrieved August, from

https://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/pg1.html

Reporter, T. (2011, July 08). Overcrowded schools lower quality of education. Retrieved from

https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/97865

Schmidt, G., Sr. (2019, April 27). I'm an Educator. What Are You? Retrieved from

https://plpnetwork.com/author/geralyn/

Schunk, D. H., & DiBenedetto, M. K. (2020). Motivation and social cognitive

theory. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 60,

101832. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2019.101832

Tayeg, A. (2015). Effects of Overcrowded Classrooms on Teacher-Student Interactions Case

Study EFL Students at Biskra University [Master's thesis]. http://archives.univ-

biskra.dz/bitstream/123456789/5846/1/Tayeg%20Asma%20.pdf