Representing Teaching-Learning Experiences in Overcrowded Classrooms from Teachers’ Viewpoints: A Qualitative Study

The main objective of this study was to represent teachers' experiences of the teachinglearning process in overcrowded classrooms. The study, benefitting from a grounded theory method, was an attempt to answer the following questions: What are the main causes of overcrowded classrooms? What is the central phenomenon? What are the causal processes and conditions of overcrowded classrooms? What specific issues may affect the central phenomenon? Due to the selected strategies what kind of consequences should be expected? The participants of this study were 30 elementary school teachers in Sanandaj, the Kurdistan Province, Iran who had several years of teaching experience in overcrowded classrooms. The participants were semistructurally interviewed and the obtained data was subjected to coding and analyzed by using constant comparative analysis. Based on the findings, 117 open codes, 50 axial codes, and 19 selective codes were identified. The findings also revealed how unequal educational, financial, and human resource allocation, lack of parental involvement, and improper school admission criteria had led to overcrowded classrooms. The findings further indicated that teachers in overcrowded classrooms faced such common challenges as maintaining classroom discipline, creating an active learning environment, and carrying out evaluations of students' progress in learning. Overall, overcrowded classrooms can lead to some negative consequences, including ignorance of students' individual differences, teachers' lack of self-improvement, low-quality teaching, and stadium-like classrooms. All of these can lead to marginalization of learning and difficulty in classroom management. The findings of this study provide both teachers and education system with valuable insights about teaching in overcrowded classrooms which is a school life challenge and requires teachers who are equipped with some essential skills for overcoming it.