Advantages and disadvantages of small class primary school from the point of view of teachers

This thesis looks into the advantages and disadvantages of multigrade primary schools from the perspective of teachers. Its aim was to identify which aspects of the multigrade arrangement are perceived as beneficial and which as limiting, and to determine how these attitudes relate to teachers' personal experience with multigrade schooling, their current school type, and length of teaching practice. The theoretical section focuses on contemporary teaching in multigrade schools. It defines the concept of a multigrade school, describes the conditions of educational work in this setting, maps the work of lower primary teachers in class, and analyses the school's social climate and the factors that shape it. It also outlines the basic instructional forms used in lessons and synthesises general insights into the advantages and disadvantages of multigrade schools. The survey is based on a quantitative approach. The findings show that the most frequently perceived benefits include opportunities for individualised instruction, a "family-like" atmosphere, and smaller student groups, whereas disadvantages primarily involve the demands of differentiation in combined grades, material constraints, a sense of professional isolation, and the time-intensity of lesson preparation. Teachers' attitudes toward working...