Observing overcrowded Malawian classrooms through the Teaching Through Interactions Framework (TTIF) lens

• In Event: Teacher education, pedagogy, and professional development

Proposal

In Malawi, the child population is predicted to double from 9 million to 18 million by 2030, increasing the pressure on an already stressed education system (UNICEF, 2017). Although the Ministry of Education provides government-paid teachers, insufficient teacher deployment and lack of classrooms results in very large class sizes – up to 414 – with a mean class size across the country of 120 (Ministry of Education, 2020)! These classrooms can be loud and at times not well-managed, drastically inhibiting optimal learning. The physical environment is crucial to effective and efficient learning (Naude & Meier, 2019). In large classes, primary school learners may have difficulty hearing the teacher (Adamu et al., 2022) and can experience cognitive overload, resulting in impaired cognitive processing and learning. High repetition rates and the low primary school enrollment rate at grade 8 are alarming (Ministry of Education, 2024). Malawian students’ learning results are some of the lowest in the region. The 2021 National Reading Assessment revealed that only 4% of grade 2 and 11% of grade 4 children exhibited proficient oral reading fluency in Chichewa (Abt Associates, 2021). Grade 4 children exhibited only emergent level numeracy skills in the 2016 assessment (Brombacher et al., 2015). Therefore, it is important to understand the intricacies of instruction in overcrowded classrooms—and how instruction can be improved to address individual learners’ needs.

Building on our exploratory work in large classrooms across Malawi (Barnes-Story et al., 2025), we intentionally sampled teachers in 20 overcrowded classes at schools where students outperformed their peers on the 2024 Malawi National Reading Assessment. Our analysis is situated within the lens of the Teaching Through Interactions Framework (TTIF), which stipulates that the daily teacher-child interactions are the primary mechanisms that drive student development and learning (Hamre et al., 2013). Teacher-child interactions in the classrooms are proximally linked to academic achievement and socio-emotional skills (Mashburn et al., 2008). The TTIF is organized into three broad domains central to promoting students' learning and social development: emotional support (ES), classroom organization (CO), and instructional support (IS) (Pianta et al., 2012). ES is a teacher's sensitivity to a child’s emotional needs during learning and is exhibited through a teacher's ability to support students’ social and emotional functioning in the classroom, supporting children’s cognitive and academic development (Mitchell, 2023). CO is related to the organization and management of student behavior, productive use of time, and the pursuit of academic goals. Evidence suggests that student outcomes are better when teachers use classroom practices such as effective behavior management, monitoring student engagement, routines, clear expectations, and keeping students on-task (Mitchell et al., 2020). IS consists of the teacher’s interactions to implement the curriculum effectively, feedback during instruction to support students’ cognitive skills, and communicating with the students in a manner that fosters language and academic skills development (Pianta et al., 2008).

Participants included 10 headteachers and 58 lower primary teachers. We administered institutional surveys to the head of institutions that examined information such as institutional background, textbook ratio, enrollment, staffing etc. At each school we observed and video-recorded one grade 2 and one grade four lesson in any subject being taught at the scheduled time. The classroom observation was followed by a semi-structured critical incident interview where the teachers were probed to provide additional information about the lessons, thought processes during identified events in the lesson, and personal reflections about what went well and what could be done differently. We also conducted focus group discussions with teachers to gather information on instructional practices, classroom management techniques, and challenges/successes in managing large classes. Guided by an a priori codebook based on TTIF characteristics, we utilized thematic coding to analyze the transcript data. Video recorded classroom observations were coded for pedagogical and assessment practices using Observer XT behavioral analysis software and a combination of a priori and inductive codes derived from the transcript data. We utilized SPPS to analyze how the coded behaviors were correlated to the quality and quantity of instruction and assessment time.

In this session, we will share our findings from 20 Malawian classrooms through the lens of the TTIF. In the observed overcrowded Malawian classrooms, teachers’ emotional support was exhibited through the use of students’ names, employment of movement to monitor behavior and support learning, and creation of positive relationships through greetings and inclusive practices. Seating plans promoted discipline and inclusivity, while engagement strategies like group work and songs encouraged participation. Positive narration reinforced good behavior. However, observed peer monitoring by class leaders can foster fear and harm relationships, potentially undermining the learning environment.
Components of classroom organization were demonstrated when teachers employed routines like songs for transitions, established collaborative rules with consequences (e.g., chores), used positive narration, and leveraged student names for engagement. Productivity involves daily lesson planning and varying methods, though time constraints and absenteeism pose challenges. Group and pair work promote participation but face issues like noise and resource shortages. Teachers provide instructional support by emphasizing participatory methods like games (e.g., bingo), role-play, songs, and material use (e.g., letter cards, shared readings) to engage students, particularly in Chichewa instruction. Strategies include the gradual release model, demonstrations, and “author’s chair” for small group presentations. Language barriers, especially in English, and lack of home support hinder progress. Code-switching between Chichewa and English aids comprehension, but teachers need more training for multilingual settings. Varying methods like group work and pair share enhance learning despite resource constraints.

Our presentation will highlight policy and pedagogical implications to strengthen classroom instruction in Malawi and other similar low-resource contexts.

Authors

• Adrienne Barnes-Story, Florida State University

• Brenda Aromu Wawire, Florida State University, Learning Systems Institute

• Jennie Robinette, Inspiring Teachers