Teaching Experiences with Overcrowded Classrooms in Primary Schools in the Or Tambo Coastal District of South Africa

Abstract

The focus of this paper was to explore teaching experiences with overcrowded classrooms in primary schools in OR Tambo Coastal District of South Africa. The paper took on a subjective exploration approach in which a contextual investigation configuration was embraced. Unstructured interviews were used to gather data. The paper’s overall findings indicate that teachers’ experiences with overcrowding in their classrooms are “stressful.” The overcrowding of a classroom has been identified as a stressful environment by teachers themselves. Inadequate classroom space, health and safety concerns, a lack of learner-teacher interaction, and disruptive behaviour were some of these conditions. Inadequate teaching time, an increase in workload, and emotional and psychological issues were also experienced by teachers. The research also reveals the factors that contribute to stressful experiences namely, Discipline, limited space, and insufficient resources. Additionally, the findings demonstrated that teachers use individual resources and collaborate with one another to manage classroom overcrowding. The paper recommends that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) builds more classrooms and puts in measures to ensure that the ratio of teachers is always below 1:30 in order for teachers to teach students without the stress of facing overload. This article adds to the existing literature on employee welfare in the South African educational system. Keywords: Overcrowded Classroom, Primary Teachers’ Experience, Classroom Discipline, Classroom Management Techniques.