Interdiscip J Virtual Learn Med Sci. 2016 June; 7(2):e12161. doi: 10.5812/ijvlms.12161.

Published online 2016 June 30. Research Article

Classroom Management Strategies of Multigrade Schools with

Emphasis on the Role of Technology
Taraneh Enayati,1 Farshideh Zameni,1,* and Mousa Movahedian2
1
Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Management, Sari Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sari, IR Iran
2
Department of Educational Technology, Sari Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sari, IR Iran
*
Corresponding author: Farshideh Zameni, Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Management, Sari Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sari, IR Iran, E-mail:
f_zameni@yahoo.com

Received 2016 January 05; Revised 2016 June 14; Accepted 2016 June 29.

Abstract

Introduction: It appears that the effectiveness of a multigrade school class is dependent on the type of class management. There-
fore this study aims to determine the classroom management strategies in multigrade schools with emphasis on the role of tech-
nology in Mazandaran province of Iran.
Methods: The research was a descriptive survey. The statistical population consisted of multigrade school teachers in the eastern
part of Mazandaran province, including 129 people of whom 97 were chosen as the subjects of the study based on Krejcie and Mor-
gan’s table. A questionnaire with the reliability of 0.90 was used for data collection. Factor analysis was used to analyze the data via
SPSS 22.
Results: The results revealed that KMO measure of sampling adequacy was 0.711 (sig = 0.000). Also, results revealed that ten strate-
gies can be employed to explain total Variance of managing multigrade classes: Using classroom spaces (9.884), flexibility (8.283),
application of software and hardware technologies (7.551), organizing learning environment (7.497), evaluation (7.103), appropriate
teaching methods (7.034), educational tools (6.144), delegation of authority (5.970), teachers’ professional experiences (4.851), and
enlivening the learning environment (4.562).
Conclusions: In order to implement the policy of education for all, multigrade schools should be considered as an opportunity.
Therefore applying educational technology is one of the effective ways to manage these kinds of classrooms so as to facilitate learn-
ing and improve performance in the classrooms of multigrade schools.

Keywords: Schools, Primary Schools, Multigrade Schools, Classroom Management, Strategy, Educational Technology

1. Introduction It is referred to variously as ‘multilevel’, ‘multiple class’,

‘composite class’, ‘vertical group’, ‘family classes’, and, in
At a point, multigrade teaching is an important and the case of one-teacher schools, ‘unitary schools’ in the lit-
appropriate means of helping nations in attaining their erature. It is to be distinguished from mono-grade teach-
internationally-mandated Education for All targets and na- ing in which students within the same grade are assumed
tional millennium development goals by providing good to be more similar in terms of age and ability. However,
quality education to children who are often neglected by substantial variation in ability within a grade often results
their education system since they live in small, poor, and in ‘mixed-ability’ teaching (2).
remote communities. More importantly, it is an approach
Multigrade schooling is a strategy which can be used
that can help schools in these communities and teachers
to improve the educational prospects of children in con-
in these schools serve their students better by providing
ditions where a teacher for each grade of primary school
them an education that is both of good quality and rele-
is impractical as a result of the limited size of the student
vant to the community in which they live. Many teachers
population. In a multigrade school, teachers manage two
in Asia and the Pacific need to teach students from more
or more classes simultaneously and a single teacher may
than one grade in one classroom. And many in Cambo-
be responsible for all primary grades. Multigrade school-
dia, China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and
ing is employed in isolated rural areas of both developed
elsewhere are already doing so. The approach being used
and developing countries (3).
is known as multigrade teaching-teaching classes of stu-
dents not only of different ages and abilities but also at dif- There are three important rationales behind the likely
ferent grade levels (1). occurrence of multigrade teaching in both developed and
Multigrade teaching refers to the teaching of students developing countries:
of different ages, grades and abilities in the same group. Firstly, multigrading is often associated with small

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 Enayati T et al.

schools in remote and sparsely populated areas. In such reasons including low teacher supply, teachers who are
schools, there may be only one, two or three teachers, how- posted to a school but do not report for duty, or teach-
ever they offer a complete cycle of primary education, as ers on medical or casual leave; (vii) Schools in which the
a result, each of these teachers must deal with multigrade number of students admitted to a class include more than
classes. These ‘small’ schools are also sometimes referred one class group, necessitating a combination of some of
to as multigrade schools. Multigrade schools have gained the students with those in a class group of different grade;
attention in the developing country context due to their (viii) Schools in which teacher absenteeism is high and the
ability of increasing primary school participation rates. organizations of supplementary teacher are ineffectual or
More children, particularly females are being encouraged non-existent; (ix) Schools in which teachers for pedagogic
into school by bringing the school closer to the commu- reasons have decided to organise students in multigrade
nity. rather than monograde groups, often as part of a more
Secondly, multigrade teaching is also common in general reform of the education system (5).
larger urban and suburban schools. In some countries, it The positive impact of multigrade teaching: Associ-
is a response to uneven student enrollment. For instance, ated benefits of multigrade teaching are impact on or-
a school with a two and a half grade entry may have to com- phans; reduced gender disparity; overall improvement in
bine two grade levels to make up class sizes. Also, in coun- educational experience; and social gains (6). Also, little
tries where teachers absenteeism is high, and there is no positive impacts of multigrade teaching are listed below:
cover, grades may be combined to avoid having a class with - Expansion of Access: For millions of children globally,
no teacher present in it. A single teacher then has to handle the only type of school to which they will gain access, if at
two grade level groups together. all they wil gain access will be multigraded. Economically
Thirdly, multigrade teaching may be a deliberate re- and socially disadvantaged areas include disproportionate
sponse to educational problems. In developed countries, numbers of multigraded schools. In many disadvantaged
this is associated to the multiage perspective. Proponents and marginalised contexts the fundamental educational
of mixed age grouping claim that there are sound peda- issue is not if a school is multigraded or monograded but
gogical reasons for placing students of different ages to- if there is presence of a school. Cognitive achievement
gether in the same classroom. It is claimed that mixed age effects on learners: Veenman’s in 1995 review of studies
classes stimulate children’s social development and en- mainly from OECD countries distinguished achievement
courage greater classroom cooperation. These arguments results in different types of mono and multigrade class (i)
are seldomly mentioned in the literature of developing multigrade, formed out of necessity, from imbalanced or
country, although several commentators are of the view inadequate enrolments; (ii) single-grade and (iii) multi-
that multigrade organized classes are potentially a cost ef- age, non graded, formed for pedagogical or philosophical
fective means of providing quality education which is dif- reasons. He found no fact to suggest that learning in multi-
ficult to get to these areas (4). grade or multi-age classes was inferior to that in mono-
Several conditions which brought about multigrade grade classes.
teaching in schools: (i) Schools in areas of low population - Social and personal learning effects on learners: Many
density where schools are widely scattered and inacces- studies that variously addressed children’s friendships,
sible and enrolment is low; (ii) Schools that consist of a self concepts, altruism and attitude to school. Gener-
cluster of classrooms in different locations, in which some ally, the socio-emotional development of learners in multi-
classes are multigrade for the same reasons as (i), and some grade groups is either accelerated or showed no differ-
are monograde; (iii) Schools in areas of population de- ence, when compared with learners in monograde groups.
cline, where there was formerly monograde teaching, and And reports revealed positive and negative findings on
now, only a small number of teachers are employed in the the reduction of anxiety levels, the maturity of friendship
schools, necessitating multigrade teaching; (iv) Schools in patterns and personal and social adjustment and posi-
areas of population growth and school expansion, where tive findings on self concept, self esteem, and attitudes to
enrolments in the expanding upper grades continue to be school (7).
small; (v) Schools in areas where parents send their chil- International recognition of the benefits of multi-
dren to more popular schools within reasonable travel dis- grade teaching: The centre for multigrade education
tance, resulting in a decline in the number of students and (CMGE) was established in 2009 through a grant from the
teachers in the less popular school; (vi) Schools in which Dutch Government to improve the development of multi-
the official number of teachers deployed justifies mono- grade education solutions. The CMGE was approved as
grade teaching but where the actual number deployed is a self-governing and funded entity of South Africa’s Cape
less. The inadequate deployment arises for a number of Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). An interna-

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 Enayati T et al.

tional conference of 110 delegates from senior education sand of the 7,544 rural primary schools in Guatemala are
and civic society organisations from Botswana, Namibia, classified as ‘unitary’ (3). In Peru there are approximately
Nigeria, South Africa (seven of the nine provinces), Tan- 21,500 primary multigrade schools, 95% of which are lo-
zania, Uganda, Zambia, Colombia, Iran, India, Sri Lanka, cated in rural areas. Eighty nine percent (89%) of the ru-
Greece and Australia met in Paarl, South Africa, to analyze ral schools are multigrade schools, and 41,000 are teach-
international best practice in multi-grade education as a vi- ers, or 69% of the total rural teaching force teach in rural
able alternative to address millennium development goal primary schools with multigrade classrooms. In Sri Lanka
2, in which by 2015, all children will have access to UPE. about 1250 schools out of the 10,120 schools in the coun-
The delegates were addressed on the outcomes of success- try have less than three teachers. Vietnam has 2,162 multi-
ful multi-grade education interventions that have trans- grade schools that merge 2, 3, 4, or 5 different levels in
formed the lives of millions of children in thousands of a single classroom. The unfortunate reality is that these
schools in Australia, Colombia, Greece, India, Sri Lanka, schools form the most neglected part of the education sys-
the Netherlands and the United Kingdom by world experts tem. For most part, they are located in isolated, low-income
from these countries. The first world declaration to dis- rural areas, and generally have untrained teachers. The few
course on the subject of multi-grade education as a rem- trained teachers usually understand and use only ‘mono-
edy to alleviating the marginalisation of rural communi- grade’ pedagogy. National curriculum contents, teaching
ties through education was the Wellington declaration on and learning materials and activities taught at schools are
multi-grade education. It was unanimously adopted by the frequently designed for monograde classes. The result of
delegates of the Southern African Multi-grade education untrained and inappropriately trained teachers, as well
conference on 24 March 2010. The world is finally becom- as lack of appropriate teaching learning materials, is that
ing aware of the fact that multigrade teaching can make a children in multigrade classrooms spend much of their
significant difference in improving the chances of success time relearning material they already know or sit idle and
for rural primary school children. It must be the way for- boxed. While the world is becoming increasingly urban-
ward (8). ized, multigrade schools will continue to be a reality for
The present status of multigrade schools in the world: several years to come. Adequately meeting the require-
The invisibility of multigrade teaching in many countries ments of children in multigrade classrooms will be essen-
is strengthened by the absence of educational statistics col- tial for the achievement of quality education for all (10).
lected by national and international authorities. Neither Multigrade teaching in Iran: Multigrade classrooms
UNESCO nor Commonwealth agencies and many Com- have been in Iranian education system since a long time
monwealth countries, routinely collect information on the ago. According to Iranian EFA national act, in 2004 - 2005
schools and classes in which multigraded teaching and academic years, there are 47 thousand multigrade class-
learning is taking place (9). The concept of a multigraded rooms in which 1 million students are going for study (11).
or nongraded school is not new. There is a long history of Considering the climatic conditions and widespread
both developing and developed countries attempting to economic situation in remote rural areas, we cannot ne-
meet the educational requirement of sparsely populated glect the establishment of multigrade classes in primary
rural areas by grouping students of various ages, grades, schools which do not benefit from the proper educational
and experience in a single classroom. In Finland, for in- facilities. The population decline in rural areas due to mi-
stance, 70 percent of all primary pupils are enrolled in gration of villagers to the cities, population growth decline
schools with less than three teachers. Iceland has an aver- and rising age of marriage reduced the students’ popula-
age enrollment of 50 students for all rural primary schools tion in schools of rural areas and as a result increased the
and one-fourth of the schools in countries such as Spain number of multigrade classes. And only the elementary
and Scotland have less than 50 students. The ‘one-room- schools in populated villages and towns have had single-
school house’ is still an important aspect of primary edu- level classes. Based on the statistics of 2007 - 2008 aca-
cation in rural parts of the United States and Canada, and demic years, there were approximately 63 thousand ele-
France has over 11,000 one-teacher schools. Multigrade mentary schools in Iran of which more than 28 thousand
and single teacher schools are even more common in many are multigrade. In some instances, it can be seen that a
developing countries. China has approximately 420,000 class of 5 student with 5 different grades are coeducational,
multigrade schools, while Indonesia and Malaysia have while in some other schools this number increases to 30
20,000 and 1,540 respectively. In Latin America, 22 per- with 2 or 3 different grades and one person performs the
cent of Mexican primary schools are ‘unitary’, and multi- task of both managing the school and also teaching one or
grade classrooms consist of 50% of the schools in Belize two levels (12).
and 88 percent of the schools in Honduras. Five thou- The use of information and communication technolo-

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 Enayati T et al.

gies (ICT) in the multigrade classes: ICT is the educational quired to implement it (15).
tool of the 21st century. Increasingly, it is embedded seam- Miller has identified six instructional dimensions af-
lessly in all social and technical development processes, fecting successful multi-grade teaching. They are, class-
e.g., e-commerce, e-agriculture, e-health and other e-based room organization, classroom management and disci-
business transactions. Also, it is essential for e-education pline, instructional organization and curriculum, instruc-
or ICT-enabled education systems in order to develop and tional delivery and grouping, self-directed learning and
prepare ICT-enabled workers to function professionally in peer tutoring. In the context of Nepal, the government has
ICT-enabled work places in our knowledge-driven society. neither developed any basic requirements regarding the
Evidently, integrating ICT into the school systems is critical aforementioned dimensions, nor are they well addressed
to prepare students for 21st century learning and working in multi-grade teacher training practices. In multi-grade
environments (1). ICT can be a powerful tool for both stu- or multi-class settings of instructional organization, teach-
dents attending multi-grade schools and educators teach- ers should spend more time on organizing and planning
ing in such schools. It can be used to provide training of instruction in order to maintain the continuity of stu-
to teachers in multi-grade methodologies and allow stu- dents’ learning, utilization of available resources in the
dents to engage in innovative, participatory multi-grade classroom and promoting interactive, participatory and
learning activities (13). ICT-based educational resources in child centered learning in the classroom (16).
multigrade schools should aid students to work with other In a study on multi-grade teaching in Research cen-
students with different ability levels, and learn from older tre for educational innovation and development of Tribhu-
students. The development of resources and the organiza- van University in Nepal, instructional environment of the
tion of learning activities involving ICT, follow this general classroom was considered as cleanness, adequacy of light
aim. In the learning processes, ICT resources are of key im- and ventilation, and furniture (adequacy and appropriate
portance in the progression of pedagogic renewal attained size of desks and benches) in the classroom (17). Giannakos
by the school system and by the multigrade schools in cur- and Vlamos studied primary schools’ educational system
rent years. ICT resources permit the multigrade teacher to in small and isolated islands of Greece. The research was
heighten respect for diversity, which is so important in the conducted in six small and isolated schools in Greece. The
multigrade classroom. Furthermore, the ICT resources per- study field compared mulitigrade traditional teaching to
mit for breaking the barriers and the endemic isolation of webcast enhanced multigrade teaching. The educational
the multigrade school while they contribute to strength- webcast was deployed to 22 primary school students. The
ening local traditions and specificities; that is to say, ICTs results of the study revealed that educational webcasts can
enable rural students to access the globalized world with- have a useful contribution to multigrade primary schools
out losing their roots (14). students (18).
The research literature and background: research stud- Accordingly, that little research has been done focus-
ies focusing on multigrade instruction, particularly in ru- ing on managing multigrade classes with emphasis on the
ral setting, are quite rare. In Asia and the pacific pro- role of technology; it is evident that survey in this field
gramme of educational innovation for development, it is is one of the research needs. So this research was orga-
mentioned that teachers working in multigrade schools nized to examine the classroom management strategies of
have to organize their work in a way that the learners of multigrade schools in the east of Mazandaran province. In
different grades are purposefully engaged in their stud- order to investigate the aim of research, the main question
ies and activities. Limitations such as inadequate seating is:
space or even blackboards however compound their en- What are the classroom management strategies of
gagement in teaching pursuits. The curriculum load is so multigrade schools?
heavy that teachers continue to be indecisive about what
to teach and how to teach it. Their training is often in- 2. Methods
adequate. Arranging teaching-practice in one teacher one
class teaching conditions is difficult and so the problems This study was a descriptive survey. In this study, the
linger. Teachers need to know how to make wise use of effective classroom management strategies of multigrade
the curriculum in order to cope with their multiple roles. classes from the perspective of school administrators and
They require appropriate teaching methodologies and ad- teachers in the eastern part of Mazandaran province were
vice on using the available time, space, material resources, evaluated by conducting a questionnaire. The statistical
talent, and local community. An important pre-requisite is population was 129 managers and teachers of whom 97
that the teacher should have a good working experience of were selected as the subjects of the study by simple ran-
the primary school curriculum and the methodologies re- dom sampling method based on Krejcie and Morgan’s ta-

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 Enayati T et al.

ble. So the attendant should be one of the teachers or man- to the subject of relationship is justified. Also, the result of
agers of multigrade schools of Neka, Behshahr or Galoogah principal component analysis is illustrated in Table 3.
city in Mazandaran province. The Varimax rotation was used to ascertain the number
Initially, multiple schools were established. Then, after of dimensions. To do this, the 34 components were catego-
the explanation of the aim and importance of the study rized into ten factors as effective strategic factors in class-
to administrators and teachers who was partipant in the room management of a class. Five components (including:
study, they were asked to complete questionnaires. providing an interactive learning environment, providing
Statistical population and sample, based on city of a multi-purpose class at the school, teaching the learning
study are presented in Table 1. The participants were 20 fe- and teaching strategies and students’ sitting in traditional
male and 74 male. Also based on teaching experience 52 classrooms), were excluded from the analysis due to the
persons were below 5 years, 32 were between 5 and 10 and fact that their factor loading were less than 0.5. The results
13 were 10 and above. for the other components are illustrated in Table 4. Figure
The data gathering tool: multigrade class manage- 1 showed the Scree Plot.
ment components were identified based on the theoretical
studies and surveys. Based on extracted components from 3.1. Classroom Management Strategies Derived from Varimax
literature, researchers made a questionnaire. The ques- Rotation
tionnaire comprised questions related to demographic in-
The four components of the first factor have the high-
formation and questions concerning the multigrade class-
est relation to the locations and spaces in the classroom.
room management strategies with 34 close-ended ques-
Therefore, this factor was named as using classroom spaces
tions on a Likert five point format which have the reliabil-
and the strategies derived from the Varimax rotation for
ity of 0.90. The face and content validity of questionnaire
this factor include:
was verified by experts. The collected data were analyzed
- Assigning a place for restoring and archiving the
through Exploratory Factor analysis with Varimax rotation
hand-made tools
by using SPSS 22 in the acceptable significant level of P <
- Providing a place for science or nature site
0.001.
- Assigning a place as the discovery table
It should be mentioned that it was explained to par-
- Providing a place for displaying the educational tools
ticipants that the confidentiality of information supplied
and aiding tools
by research subjects and the anonymity of respondents
Four components including the second factor are
will be respected and information will only be used by re-
more concentrated on the environment and content
searchers for the purposes of the research. So the research
changes. Therefore, this factor is named as flexibility, and
participants were guaranteed on protection of their pri-
strategies resulting from the Varimax rotation include:
vacy. It is necessary to mention that voluntary participa-
tion of respondents was considered by researchers in the - Students’ grouping
study. - Variable arrangement of tables and benches
- Book content change with climatic conditions
- Providing a serene environment away from the inter-
3. Results nal and external noise
The two constituents of the third factor are related to
The results from the survey of 97 school administra- the software and hardware technology which is named
tors and teachers who partook in this study are revealed in as application of software and hardware technologies and
this section of the study. Factor analysis was used to eval- the strategies obtain from the Varimax rotation include:
uate the classroom management strategies in multigrade - Using new technologies such as computers,
schools. To conduct the factor analysis, two sets of test in- - Using instructional design such as lesson plans
cluding the Kaiser-Meyer and Olkin (KMO) and Bartlett’s The four components including the fourth factor is the
test were used to ensure adequate sampling and establish organization of the learning environment by the teacher.
the fact that the matrix correlation is not zero in the popu- As a result, this factor is named as the organizing learning
lation. environment and the strategies taken from the Varimax ro-
Table 2 illustrates that the range of KMO is equal to 0.711 tation for this factor include:
indicating adequate sampling and by considering the sig- - Using all the walls of the classroom
nificance level of < 0.001, the Bartlett test revealed that the - Combining the adjacent levels and grades in one class
relationships found is assigned to the unrelated variables - Providing a place for displaying the educational aid
and therefore conducting the factor analysis with regard tools

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 Enayati T et al.

Table 1. Statistical Population and Sample, Based on City of Study

Province City Statistical Population Sample Percent

Neka 79 59 60.82

Behshahr 42 32 32.98
Mazandaran
Galoogah 8 6 6.18

Total 129 97 100

Scree Plot
10

6
Eigenvalue

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

Component Number

Figure 1. Scree Plot

Table 2. KMO and Bartlett’s Test The components comprising the sixth factor include
three components which are related to the appropriate
Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy 0.711 teaching methods for multigrade classes and are therefore
named as appropriate teaching methods and the strate-
Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity Approx. Chi-Square 1342.244
gies derived from the Varimax rotation include:
df 561
- Using the synthetic techniques
Sig. 0.000
- Using pivotal techniques
- Using active teaching techniques
Concerning the three components of the seventh fac-
- Assigning a space for the laboratory tor on the educational tools and aiding tools used by the
The fifth factor is comprised three components for the teacher, this factor is named as educational tools, and the
evaluation. Therefore, this factor is named as evaluation strategies developed from the Varimax rotation include:
and the strategies derived from the Varimax rotation in- - Using multiple blackboards
clude: - Using the educational tools and aiding tools
- Using a qualitative approach to evaluation - Using the electronic folders
- Using the team evaluation The two components of the eighth factor are related to
- Establishing a quantitative assessment approach the division of tasks and the delegating of authority, there-

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 Enayati T et al.

Table 3. Total Variance Explaineda

Component Initial Eigenvalues Extraction Sums of Squared Loadings Rotation Sums of Squared Loadings

Total % of Variance Cumulative % Total % of Variance Cumulative % Total % of Variance Cumulative %

1 8.509 25.028 25.028 8.509 25.028 25.028 3.361 9.884 9.884

2 2.692 7.918 32.946 2.692 7.918 32.946 2.816 8.283 18.167

3 2.366 6.958 39.904 2.366 6.958 39.904 2.567 7.551 25.718

4 1.849 5.438 45.343 1.849 5.438 45.343 2.549 7.497 33.215

5 1.605 4.720 50.063 1.605 4.720 50.063 2.415 7.103 40.318

6 1.499 4.409 54.471 1.499 4.409 54.471 2.392 7.034 47.352

7 1.367 4.019 58.491 1.367 4.019 58.491 2.089 6.144 53.496

8 1.325 3.898 62.389 1.325 3.898 62.389 2.030 5.970 59.465

9 1.116 3.282 65.671 1.116 3.282 65.671 1.649 4.851 64.316

10 1.090 3.207 68.878 1.090 3.207 68.878 1.551 4.562 68.878

a Extraction method: principal component analysis.

Table 4. Rotated Component Matrix

Components Factors

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Assigning a place for restoring and archiving the hand-made tools 0.820

Providing a place for science or nature site 0.785

Assigning a place as the discovery table 0.709

Providing a place for showing the educational tools and aiding tools 0.622

Students’ grouping 0.825

Variable arrangement of tables and benches 0.761

Book content change with climatic conditions 0.596

Providing a quiet environment away from the internal and external noise 0.550

Using new technologies such as computers 0.865

Using instructional design such as lesson plans 0.672

Using all the walls of the classroom 0.762

Mixing the adjacent levels and grades in one class 0.744

Providing a place for showing the educational aid tools 0.602

Assigning a space for the laboratory 0.561

Using a qualitative approach to evaluation 0.751

Using the team evaluation 0.644

Establishing a quantitative assessment approach 0.503

Using the synthetic techniques 0.713

Using pivotal techniques 0.626

Using active teaching techniques 0.543

Using multiple blackboards 0.772

Using the electronic folders 0.611

Using the educational tools and aiding tools 0.555

Peers’ education and training 0.822

Using assistant teachers 0.796

Having experience and work records of teaching multigrade classes 0.690

Ability in establishing verbal and nonverbal communication. 0.607

Painting the walls with relaxing colors 0.799

Using other spaces than the classrooms 0.631

fore, it is named as delegation of authority and the strate- - Using assistant teachers
gies achieved from the Varimax rotation include:
Factor nine includes two components associated with
- Peers’ education and training professional experience of teachers and are assigned as

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 Enayati T et al.

teachers’ professional experiences and the derived strate- both students and their teachers in multi-grade schools
gies from the varimax rotation include: and permits students to engage in innovative, participa-
- Having experience and work records of teaching tory multi-grade learning activities. ICT-based educational
multigrade classes resources in multigrade schools should help students to
- Ability to establish verbal and nonverbal communica- work with other students with different levels of ability
tion and learn from older students (13). Giannakos and Vlamos
The two components of the tenth factor are named revealed that educational webcasts can have an important
as enlivening the learning environment because it talks contribution to multigrade primary schools students (18).
about the provision of a pleasant and lively interplay of The fourth factor was organizing learning environ-
learning environment for students which is named as ment. Sufficient time for planning must be available to
the enlivening the learning environment and its obtained meet the requirements of both teacher and learner. In-
strategies on the Varimax rotation include: sufficient planning, staff development, materials, support
- Painting the walls with relaxing colors and assessment will have an impact on the success of the
- Using other spaces than the classrooms multigrade programme (21, 22). The multigrade classroom
is a fishbowl where everything can be heard and seen.
The teacher has to be aware of this privilege and act ac-
4. Discussion and Conclusions
cordingly; the challenge is in the application of interdis-
Findings of the research revealed ten strategies for ciplinary and/or globalized methodologies that are estab-
managing multigrade classrooms. The first factor was us- lished particularly on diversity, in an open and flexible
ing classroom spaces. The efficient classroom is a center space/time. Its application is based on a contemporary
of learning activities. Furniture and materials in the class- view of pedagogy in which new strategies are employed
room should directly support the types of learning that and dialog, collaboration, and critical thought, as well as
occur in (19). The arrangement of tables and benches in proposition and solution of problems related to the sev-
the classroom and taking advantage of using all walls, ceil- eral knowledge branches are promoted (14).
ing and floor in a classroom will significantly influence the The fifth factor was evaluation. The evaluation of
teachers and students’ performance. the learning outcomes of the different students found
The second factor was flexibility. Berry mentioned in multigrade classroom is not always easy (1). Evalua-
that managing a multigrade classroom is difficult because tion is the process of reviewing progress against the back-
there is more than one grade level in the classroom. Hence, ground of stated objectives. It is very easy to loose con-
the teacher must be skilled in managing instruction to re- trol of class if student’s behavior in class is not properly
duce the amount of ‘dead time’ during which children monitored. Keeping records is very useful, and of great
are not productively engaged on task. This implies that help to the teacher and to people in need of information,
teachers must be aware of different ways of grouping chil- about the class. And finally, performing evaluation helps
dren, the importance of independent study areas where to monitor pupils’ progress. Monitoring, keeping records
students can go when they are through with their work, of pupils’progress and evaluation are very important, par-
and approaches to record keeping which are more flexi- ticularly in multi-grade teaching, because of the different
ble than those common in the monograde classroom (4). levels of work going on at the same time. They are what
The flexibility that is intrinsic in the organisation of the make the tasks manageable (23).
multigrade school is an essential aspect in the context of The sixth factor was appropriate teaching. One of the
developing countries. It helps to address wastage, e.g. most important factors which will help to provide oppor-
absenteeism, repeating and drop-out rates. In a school tunities for effective teaching is classrooms organizations.
where multiple grades are taught simultaneously in one If the classroom is not properly organized, it will be un-
class period, and/or the curriculum is delivered over multi- successful even if a sophisticated lesson plan is provided.
ple (probably two) yearly spans, the opportunities for stu- A multigrade classroom teacher is required to both orga-
dents to re-enter after a stop-out period by removing the nize the lesson course and also organize and manage the
stigma attached to working below grade level on re-entry physical space of the class. Multigrade classroom teachers
are greatly enhanced. A benefit of this flexibility is that it should be totally aware of the abilities and basic natural
helps to keep students motivated and capable of achieving curiosity of students and based on these characteristics of
results at their own pace (20). their students, they are to design suitable learning activi-
The third factor was application of software and hard- ties to offer to the students in order to meet their educa-
ware technologies. As Chouhan believed, information and tional requirements.
communication technology can be a powerful tool for The seventh factor was educational tools. While the in-

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 Enayati T et al.

formation and communication technologies is penetrat- in the classroom (17). Mathot believed that in order to cre-
ing within the rural remote areas where most of the multi- ate a good working atmosphere, the whole environment
grade schools are located, the class management and or- must be conducive. The classroom must be well organized,
ganization strategies have to be reevaluated in order to clean and pleasant, displays pupils’ work on the walls and
take advantage of the use of software tools such as vir- make the activity centres attractive (23).
tual classrooms and communication channels like satel- Multigrade teaching is not always easy, but carrying
lite links (14). Teaching aids include a wide variety of elec- it out properly implies that you are educating children
tronic, printed, visual and audio-visual materials, as well who otherwise would be unable to go to school and there-
as computers, which can be used to present the concepts fore helping them gain the knowledge and skills they re-
graphically in order to aid the teaching/learning process quire for a more promising future (1). Working in an open,
(23). multigrade school requires serious, ongoing teacher train-
The eighth factor was delegation of authority. Parental ing and a commitment to hard work. Most teachers re-
participation has also been encouraged in a range of activ- ceive training for teaching single grade classrooms orga-
ities such as conducting learning exercises with children nized around the whole-class and/or small ability-grouped
(often with the knock-on effect of providing basic educa- instruction. When placed in an open, multigrade setting,
tion skills to parents), working as community teachers and teachers discover that the time requirements and skills
advocates (specifically in terms of health and hygiene prac- needed to be effective are simply not part of their train-
tices), providing help in the organization of classrooms ing and experience. In addition, a long tradition of graded
and schools, and helping teachers in preparing teaching schools has created powerful expectations for administra-
aids. Active community involvement in these areas can be tors, teachers and parents concerning how school should
a highly positive resource and can have significant impacts be organized (27).
on children’s learning achievements, health and welfare Classroom Management is considered to be highly sig-
(24). nificant in multigrade classroom education. It is clearly
The nineth factor was teachers’ professional experi- defined as to forecast and predict the need to create and
ences. One of the issues in multigrade classrooms has been maintain an environment in which teaching and learning
the degree of implementation of programs, particularly are integrated. The primary objective of an effective class-
those in which a change in teacher’s attitudes and prac- room management is not just reducing the mistreatment
tices is required. It has been shown that even in a program or creating an expected customary environment. Provid-
that is considered to be highly successful, there is still vari- ing exercises and activities that would make students pas-
ation in teaching methods across the classrooms (25). Effi- sive and maintain the order in the class does not indi-
cient use of class time to improve and possibly prevent aca- cate enhance learning opportunities. It’s the opposite
demic failure and diagnosing the destructive factors is im- that these conditions reduce learning opportunities which
portant to such classrooms. The multigrade classes should should be taken into account in the multigrade classes
incorporate different levels so that teachers will have suffi- since students have to go through a passive state in most of
cient time to address all individual’s courses and needs and their class time to enable the teacher teach other students
focus on individual differences at all stages of the teaching with higher or lower grades or they will be asked to read
(26). The multigrade classes and their associated problems their books or perform other in-class activities but there is
necessitate the need to use the proper time and place for no control or supervision on the classes and activities and
teachers. Since having access to better quality education students will not be monitored and managed; the class-
and equal educational opportunity is the natural rights rooms are quiet and orderly, however they do not increase
of every individual to be considered, the teachers’ role in the amount of learning which should be noted since the
making a better use of the available positions are empha- basic and primary reason for the effective classroom man-
sized. Classrooms and educational settings provide lots of agement is learning or increasing students’ learning.
opportunities for acquiring a good teaching result. Teach-
ers who are interested and aware of these situations can
help create the conditions which can be used to improve
Acknowledgments
students’ learning and recognizes the fact that his/her be-
haviors and decisions are effective.
The tenth factor was enlivening the learning environ- We would like to thank all those teachers and man-
ment. In a study on multi-grade teaching in Nepal, instruc- agers who have contributed to the research. We would also
tional environment of the classroom was considered as like to thank anonymous reviewers for critical comments
cleanness, adequacy of light and ventilation, and furniture that greatly strengthened the manuscript.

Interdiscip J Virtual Learn Med Sci. 2016; 7(2):e12161. 9

 Enayati T et al.

Footnotes 12. Soleimani N, Hadadian A, Shahrabi K. Comparative study of academic

achievement and social skills of students in multigrade and ordinary
Authors’ Contribution: All authors contributed exten- classes in primary schools. J Educ Leadersh Administ. 2011;4(4):129–44.
sively to the work presented in this paper. Farshideh Za- 13. Chouhan T. Multi-grade and multi class teaching practice in Nepal.
Blacksburg’s Virginia United state of America: The inn at Virginia
meni and Mousa Movahedian developed the concept and
teach & skeleton conference center; 2015.
designed the study. Mousa Movahedian and Taraneh Enay- 14. Tsolakidis C, Sotiriou S, Koulouris P. Lifelong e-learning for multi-
ati collected and analyzed data. Taraneh Enayati drafted grade school teachers. Proceedings of the First Workshop of the Net-
the manuscript and worked to prepare the manuscript work of Multigrade Education (NEMED). ; 2005.
15. UNESCO/APEID . Multigrade teaching in single teacher primary
with Farshideh Zameni. All authors read and approved the
schools: Asia and the Pacific Programme of Educational innovation
final manuscript. for Development. UNESCO Principal Regional Office for Asia and the
Conflict of Interest: None declared. Pacific Bangkok; 1989.
16. Miller B. Teaching and Learning in the Multigrade Classroom: Stu-
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