Working with Large Class Size: Dispositions of Early Childhood Teachers in India

Abstract

Using sociocultural-historical constructivism, and post-colonial theory, the author conducted a study to examine, through the perceptions of teachers, school principals, and teacher educators, the relationship between the preparation and practice of early childhood teachers in private schools in New Delhi, India. The research questions collectively focused upon the aims of education that were prioritized by the educators, the philosophical and theoretical sources these educational aims drew upon, and the teachers' perceptions of their classroom practice, of the effectiveness of teacher education programs, and of the strongest influences on their teaching practice. One emergent finding of the study illustrated how early childhood teachers worked in classes that averaged 43 children. This article describes the aims of education that were prioritized by the early childhood teachers, and how they implemented these aims in their large classes. The author provides examples of teaching strategies and teacher dispositions through her own observations and through the teachers' articulation of their practice. The author also presents the teachers' perceptions of successful teaching and how they evaluated themselves as being successful, or not, at the end of a school year. The article concludes with an analysis that contextualizes large class size in Indian schools and a discussion on the relationship between small class size, Western developmental discourse, and issues of privilege and power.