Influence of classroom conditions on students’ performances in secondary schools

Introduction
Background of the study
Classroom is as old as modern education in Nigeria. Ever since then, learners of different categories are taught in one classroom or the other under the guidance and control of the teacher. Education is explained as transmitter of worthwhile values, norms, morals e.t.c of the society from one generation to another. Equally, education is regarded and seen as a social change agent. The dreams and aspirations of a society are articulated for the school to effect such changes. It is in the classroom which is likened to a factory in an industrial concern that these changes could be actualized. If this is true, the society should accord more recognition to the teachers, students, the classroom and indeed the entire school system.
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 6th edition defines class as “a group of students who are taught together” Classroom by implication is explained as a space where a group of students are brought and taught together. The classroom is an important place in the operation of a school where the teaching/learning interactions take place to achieve the purpose of education and the society. As a social institution, students from different families with divese traits are brought together to be consciously manipulated or indoctrinated through a pre-determined instruction that will lead to the accomplishment of the goals of education. The classroom is a place where educational plans are carried out, a place where research findings are tested or tried out, Akube (1991). He went further to describe a classroom as a place where learning experiences are coordinated and where various types of instructional efforts are housed. Classroom was constructed to meet the growing demand for education at all levels.
Wikipedia .org (2008) – defines a classroom as a room in which teaching or learning activities can take place. Classrooms are found in educational institutions of all kinds, including public and private schools, corporations, religious and humanitarian organizations. The classroom attempts to provide a safe space where learning can take place uninterrupted by other distractions.
The importance of classroom cannot be over emphasized. For the classroom to achieve its objectives, the condition of the classroom must be conducive. Classroom condition is an aspect which has been over looked in our educational institutions which needs to be looked into. This is very necessary as it has much influence to the attainment of the overall educational objectives. A number of study have shown that many schools particularly those in the rural areas and high poverty areas are plagued by decaying buildings that threaten the health, shelter and learning opportunities of the students, Lemer (1995).
School environment should be designed with appropriate and sufficient infrastructure with the view to aiding learning process. Facilities appear to be an important pre-condition for students learning in schools. One could attribute the poor structural facilities to be low level of our development, general poverty educational sector by the various levels of government. Decaying environment conditions such as peeling point, crumbling plaster, non-functioning toilets, poor electrification, lack of desk and chairs and inadequate ventilation can affect learning as well as the health and moral of both the students and staff.
Student’s learning is influenced most directly by classroom condition which is as a result of state, district and school conditions as well as individual teacher preferences, capacities and motivations.
Classroom condition includes the following:
Class size
Teaching loads
Teaching in area of formal preparations.
i. Class size according to researchers suggests that reductions from a typical 22 to 30 students class to an approximate of 15 students in a class has the potential of increasing students achievement, provided the suitable changes are made. Small class size helps the teacher to arrange and manage the class very well to achieve a better result. Another effect includes greater engagement by students in instruction, more opportunities for better teaching to take place, reduced grade retention, reduced drop-out rates in secondary schools and increased aspirations among students to attend school.
Teaching loads, the total number of students per teacher, over the course of an academic year is significant, especially in junior secondary schools. Where as a consequence of subject specialization, teachers typically sees many different groups of students over the course a week. This view is based on the premises that effective instructions depends on a deep understanding of the cognitive resources brought to class by individual students along with opportunities to both asses and monitor their learning progress. The chances of meeting either of these conditions for effective instruction diminish with increased students diversity and total numbers of students taught.
Teaching in areas of formal preparation means that assigning teachers to subjects or areas of the curriculum in which they have formal preparation and certification is important. There is a significant, positive relationship between formal preparation and quality of instruction and student’s achievement.
Other classroom conditions include the following:
Furniture, student’s faces, that is, their sounds, location of teacher, teacher’s attitude, voice, class discussion, stuff, this is room overflowing with good books, art supplies, animals and plants, science apparatus, tasks, appealing atmosphere, that is a place where people would want to spend time. Room characteristic is one of the classroom conditions because of the limited wall spaces not attractive or effectively used in many cases. The resource available was also a limiting characteristic in most cases.
Much insight has been gained through scientific studies about the thermal environment of a school building and its relation to learning. Many studies have revealed that the thermal environment in the classroom will affect the ability of students to grasp instruction. Herrington (1952) found the temperatures above 80 degrees tend to produce harmful physiological affects that decreases work efficiency and out-put. Furthermore, Herrington also explained that poor ventilation interferes with heat loss from body surfaces produced from the effects of temperature, humidity and air movement. Based on a survey given, Mc Donald (1960) concluded that classroom conditions improved by air conditioning include reduced annoyances, improved visual display and flexibility and work patterns were significantly improved due to less fatique. Likewise, student’s performances, attitude and behaviour improve in proper air conditioned climates making it easier to concentrate and make them feel less drowsy and fatique. Nolan (1960) reported that higher temperatures have a negative relationship with academic learning. In relation to this finding, Mc Cardle (1966) discovered that students in an Ideal thermal environment made significantly fewer errors on tasks and required less time to complete the tasks than students in regularly controlled thermal environments. Stuart and Cartis (1964) reported greater gains in academic achievement of students in climate controlled schools as opposed to those students in non-climate controlled schools.
Green (1979) determined that proper humidification in schools helps to reduce absenteeism as well as the spread of infection from one students to another and students to teacher.
Distracting noise inside and outside the classroom clearly interferes with students learning and concentration. Noise has been proven to have detrimental effects to student’s performance. Noise may reduce teaching time, facing frequent repetition and pauses in the instructor-student interaction. Noise may also make it difficulty for students and instructors to hear one another (verltri et al., 2006).
The essential classroom conditions facilitate student’s moral and learning activities. Ginoth (1972) poignantly expressed these realities in his classic work. His experiences as an educator and his research as a psychologist informed him that the moral atmosphere of the classroom ultimately resets upon the attitudes and actions of the teacher. Hence, he championed the careful preparation of teachers declaring that they deserve essential skills and tools to effectively perform their duties. The manner in which the classroom is organized is very important. According to
Adewola .A. W (2006) he described classroom organization as the orderliness in the way and manner the items found in the classroom are arranged by the classroom teacher. He also states that classroom management implies the mobilization and organization of resources to achieve the expected objectives of the system. It involves the utilization of material resources and securing the cooperation of people for performing the function of planning, organizing directing and coordinating at classroom level by the teacher. The main issue in management is how to manage the resources in the most efficient and effective manner to achieve classroom managers. They are expected to perform their duties and also make sure that every hand is on desk in other to achieve the educational objectives in the classroom.

Statement of the problem
We have certain condition that is necessary for a meaningful learning to take place, they include: Qualified teacher, text book instructional materials, teacher effectiveness, laboratories, library e.t.c. Even when all these things are there, there is a particular thing that influences learning and that is the classroom condition. There is a link between classroom condition and meaningful learning. When classroom condition is not conducive for students, there must be some kind of difficulty for an effective learning to take place. Therefore, we are going to find out how classroom conditions influences the students performances is secondary schools in Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State.

Purpose of the study
The purpose of this study is to find out the influence of classroom conditions on students performances in some selected schools in Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Specifically the study will:
a. Find out the availability of classroom facilities and how these facilities are arranged and utilized.
b. Find out students attitude and interest towards classroom conditions.
c. How classroom conditions affects learning.
d. Ascertain the ways and means a teacher can help to improve the classroom conditions.

Significance of the study
It is hoped that this study, when successfully completed has a lot of roles to play. This work will greatly be of a good link to teachers who need to know the influence of these conditions on students learning capacity. It will be a guide on how to tackle some of these problems. This work will be beneficial to school authorities/management that should always make effort to provide quality education and will be a useful source of information to the students on what is expected to be an ideal learning environment. The government will form this study source vital information on how to solve problems facing schools on issues of classroom.

Scope of the study
The scope of this study is limited to finding out deferring classroom conditions and their influences in students learning among students in some selected secondary schools in Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State.

Research questions
To guide this project work, four research questions were formulated.
i. How does the availability of classroom facilities arrangement and utilization of these facilities influence student’s performance?
ii. How does a classroom condition influence student’s attitude and interest?
iii. How does a classroom condition affect learning?
iv. What are the ways and means a teacher can help to improve the classroom conditions?