Classroom Management and the Conditions for Teaching and Learning in Rural Nepal: A Study of Secondary Schools in Achham District

Abstract

Classroom management is often thought of as a set of teacher skills, but it is also influenced by the infrastructure, poverty at home, school governance, monitoring, and teacher-student and teacher-family relations in rural, resource-poor schools. This study focused on the situation of classroom management and its implications for teaching and learning in four secondary schools of Dipayal Rural Municipality, Achham district, in Nepal. A descriptive mixed-methods case-study design was used. The purposive sample consisted of 36 stakeholders: four head teachers, eight teachers, 12 students, eight parents, and four chairpersons of the School Management Committees. Data from the questionnaire, classroom observation, interviews, focus group discussion and document review were collected and analysed in 2076 BS using descriptive counts and thematic synthesis. Classroom conditions varied between the schools. Lower grades tended to be less crowded, while Grades 6-10 were often very crowded; furniture was not always adequate or appropriate; sanitation and material organization were inconsistent; and annual or monthly teaching plans were not always followed in class. Stakeholders noted that there were interrelated barriers such as student indiscipline, lack of infrastructure, economic hardship in the home, political interference, irregular monitoring, unclear recognition/sanction procedures, and limited parent-teacher coordination. These factors decreased instructional time, diminished communication, limited active pedagogy, and hindered learning continuity. The findings suggest an ecological perspective on classroom management that stipulates that teacher practice continues to matter but it is not independent from the material, relational, and governance conditions. The study suggests a phased approach to improvement, including minimum classroom standards, supportive discipline, student attendance, school-based instructional oversight, improved family-school communication, clear leadership, and targeted funding from the local government. Due to the small size, purpose, and cross-sectional design of the study, its contribution is analytical, not statistically generalizable.