Abstract:
This paper reports the results of an analysis of the effect of secondary school enrolment size on the allocation of teacher time. Two aspects of teacher time usage are examined: the allocation of teacher time to classroom teaching and to other designated duties; and the extent to which teachers specialise in their classroom teaching. There are at least three reasons for the study of teacher time use in schools. First, expenditure on teachers' salaries constitutes the largest proportion of education budgets. Second, there is a growing body of evidence on the importance of the quantity and quality of teacher time for student learning (see, for example, Fisher & Berliner, 1985). Finally, the organisation of schooling gives school administrators and teachers considerable discretion over how their time is allocated amongst different tasks. No matter how centralised a particular school system may be, the technology of schooling allows considerable scope for school-level administrators and teachers to shape the flow of resources to and within classrooms (Levin, 1980). The paper has five major sections. In the first the theoretical linkages between school enrolment size and teacher time use are discussed. The second section describes the data base and methodology used in the study. The results of the analyses are presented in the next two sections. Respectively, these are concerned with the relationship between school size and the allocation of teacher time between broad functions, and the extent to which teachers specialise in their class teaching. The paper concludes with a discussion of the results and their implications for further research.