MULTIGRADE TEACHING PRACTICES IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS:CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN RESOURCE-CONSTRAINEDEDUCATIONAL CONTEXTS

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore the phenomenon of multigrade schooling in relation to the context of rural
primary schools in Union Council (UC) Chotyarioon, District Sanghar in terms of educational practices of single
teachers tasked to teach multiple grades of students from nurseries to Grade 5 in the same classroom. This
research examines the pedagogy, management, and emotional demands of instructors in resource poor
environments, as well as the new opportunities for peer learning and inter-grade collaboration. A mixed methods
design was used in which an online structured questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, and classroom
observations were used. The data were gathered from 40 teachers from 30 government primary schools. Results
of the quantitative analysis showed that the percentages of teachers who do not have specific training in
multigrade teaching were 78%. Teachers reported that they spend an average of 25-30 school days per year on
government responsibilities that are not academic in nature. Qualitative evidence also points to structural issues,
such as workload stress and a mismatch between policies, like SELECT time table, and situation in class.
Notwithstanding these difficulties and obstacles, the study demonstrates informal, but systematic, peer learning
strategies that are facilitated in multigrade classrooms, and indicates that there is much to be explored
pedagogically. The results reveal the need of targeted teachers training, workload rationalization, and making
policy changes according to context in multigrade education system in rural areas of Sindh to enhance the quality
of instruction in these areas.