Classroom Management Strategies of Multigrade Schools with Emphasis on the Role of Technology

Abstract

Introduction : It appears that the effectiveness of a multigrade school class is dependent on the type of class management. Therefore this study aims to determine the classroom management strategies in multigrade schools with emphasis on the role of technology 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 Morgan'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 strategies 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 learning and improve performance in the classrooms of multigrade schools.