EFFECT OF CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ON STUDENTS' ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS IN NORTHERN SINDH, PAKISTAN

Abstract

The management of the classroom is one of the most significant predictors of teaching and learning success, as well as academic performance of students, and its empirical research in the underprivileged government schools of Northern Sindh, Pakistan, is significantly underinvestigated. It was a quantitative, descriptive-correlational study that considered the influence of classroom management strategies rules and procedures, teacher-student relationships, instructional management, behaviour management, physical environment, student engagement, and assessment and feedback, on the academic achievement of students in the secondary level. A purposely chosen sample of 320 teachers who were working in government schools in six districts; Sukkur, Khairpur, Ghotki, Larkana, Jacobabad and other areas of the locality were given a structured, validated questionnaire. Pearson correlation, multiple regression, Cronbachs alpha reliability analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. The findings showed that 71.4% of individual questionnaire items (35 of 49) were statistically significant and found to have positive correlations with academic achievement (p < .05) and that the total Classroom Management Score (CMS) was significantly correlated with academic achievement (r = .684, p <.001). The multiple regression showed that dimension of CMS together described 47.9% of the variance in academic achievement (  =.479; F(8, 311) =35.723, p <.001). The strongest significant predictors were rules and procedures (β = .340, p =.001), instructional management (β =. 247, p =. 029), and student engagement (β=.233, p=. 039). The results highlight the urgent necessity of the systematic professional development of the classroom management area among Northern Sindh teachers. It has implications on educational policy, teacher training institutions and school administrators.