THE NANOTECHNOLOGY OF CLASSROOM DYNAMICS: UTILIZING HIGH SURFACE-AREA-TO-VOLUME MICRO GROUPINGS TO OPTIMIZE STUDENTS ENGAGEMENT AND BEHAVIOURAL REACTIVITY IN NIGERIAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

• AKATA Charles Ekpung

  Department of Educational Management & Business Studies, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State

This study examined the nanotechnology of classroom dynamics through high surface-area-to-volume micro-groupings for optimising students’ engagement and behavioural reactivity in public secondary schools in Cross River State, Nigeria. The study was anchored on Social Interdependence Theory and adopted a correlational research design. The population comprised 5,208 teachers, from which a sample of 372 teachers was selected using Yamane’s formula and a multistage sampling procedure. Data were collected using a researcher-developed Nanotechnology of Classroom Dynamics and Students’ Engagement and Behavioural Reactivity Questionnaire (NCD-SEBRQ). The instrument was validated by experts and demonstrated acceptable internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.80. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions one and two, multiple regression analysis was used to answer research question three, while simple and multiple regression analyses were employed to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 significance level. Findings revealed that micro-group interaction density significantly and positively influenced students’ engagement, explaining 42.0% of its variance. Peer-to-peer interaction and collaborative micro-grouping also significantly influenced students’ behavioural reactivity, accounting for 38.6% of its variance. Furthermore, micro-group interaction density, peer interaction and teacher accessibility jointly produced a significant influence on students’ engagement and behavioural reactivity, explaining 51.6% of the variance. The study concluded that purposeful micro-grouping can increase the effective interactional surface area of classrooms, strengthen student engagement and promote positive behavioural responses. It recommended structured micro-grouping, strengthened peer collaboration and professional development for teachers in micro-group classroom management.

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