THE IMPLICATIONS OF REFRESHER COURSES ON CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AMONGST SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN EGOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

This study investigated the implications of refresher courses on classroom management practices among secondary school teachers in Egor Local Government Area, Edo State. The study was guided by five research questions. It adopted a descriptive research design. The population of the study comprised all secondary schools in Egor Local Government Area. A structured questionnaire titled Implications of Refresher Courses on Classroom Management Practices Questionnaire (IRCMPQ) was used for data collection. The instrument was validated by experts in educational management and measurement and evaluation, while reliability was established using Cronbach Alpha statistics. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions. The findings revealed that refresher courses improve teachers’ classroom management skills to a moderate extent by enhancing classroom organization, behaviour management, enforcement of classroom rules, and the creation of conducive learning environments. The study further revealed that refresher courses positively influence teachers’ confidence, adaptability, and effectiveness in handling diverse classroom challenges. Findings also showed that refresher courses expose teachers to learner-centred instructional strategies which improve learner engagement and classroom participation. However, inadequate follow-up and mentoring, insufficient resources, poor accessibility, and irregular training programmes were identified as major challenges affecting the effectiveness of refresher courses. The study equally found that refresher courses have broad positive implications for improving teaching quality, students’ learning outcomes, and overall educational development. The study concluded that refresher courses are essential for strengthening teachers’ professional competence and improving classroom management practices in secondary schools. It was therefore recommended among others that government and educational stakeholders should organize regular, practical, and well-funded refresher training programmes for teachers, while ensuring adequate follow-up support and accessibility for all teachers.