A Survey of the Challenges Faced by Social Science Teachers in Teaching at the Secondary Stage
This mixed-methods study of secondary social science teachers in coastal Odisha reveals that while moderate challenges exist across both CBSE and BSE boards, large class sizes are the most significant structural barrier to effective teaching, underscoring the urgent need for targeted, context-specific professional development and enforceable class-size norms to bridge the gap between NEP 2020's vision and classroom realities.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer
In the classrooms of secondary schools, where teenagers navigate the complex transition from childhood to adulthood, the subject of social science holds a unique promise. It is meant to be more than a collection of dates and maps; it is designed to help young people understand how their society works, how history shapes the present, and how they fit into the wider world. For learning to truly happen, however, students must be active participants, not just silent listeners. This requires teachers to manage the flow of the room, keep distractions at bay, and spark a genuine interest in the material. In many parts of India, and specifically in the state of Odisha, educators are trying to move away from old-fashioned methods of rote memorization toward a more interactive style of teaching that encourages critical thinking. Yet, the path from policy vision to the reality of a crowded classroom is often blocked by practical hurdles that can make even the most dedicated teacher feel overwhelmed.
Two researchers, Ishita Mishra and Dipanshu Sharma, set out to understand exactly what these hurdles look like from the perspective of the teachers themselves. They focused on the secondary stage, covering students in the ninth and tenth grades, across a mix of schools in four coastal districts of Odisha. Their goal was not just to count problems, but to listen to the voices of the people standing at the front of the room every day. They wanted to know if a teacher's years of experience, their university degrees, or the type of school they worked in made a difference in how difficult they found it to keep students engaged. They also investigated whether the sheer number of students in a room changed the nature of the challenge. By combining a survey of 120 teachers with in-depth conversations with ten of them, the researchers built a clear picture of the daily struggles and the few bright spots in social science education in this region.
The study began by asking teachers to rate their own experiences with a series of questions about student behavior and their ability to manage the classroom. The results painted a picture of moderate difficulty. On average, teachers felt they faced a steady stream of challenges, but the data revealed a specific, powerful factor that stood out above all others: the size of the class. Teachers who were responsible for more than 50 students in a single room reported significantly higher levels of stress and difficulty in keeping students engaged compared to those with smaller groups. The difference was clear and measurable. In contrast, the researchers found that other factors often assumed to be important did not actually change the level of challenge. A teacher's years of experience, their highest academic degree, or their participation in training workshops did not statistically reduce the difficulties they reported. Whether a teacher had been in the classroom for two years or twenty, or whether they held a master's degree or a bachelor's, the struggle to manage a large, noisy room remained largely the same.
When the researchers looked deeper into the specific nature of the problems, they found that the issues were less about students hating the subject and more about the environment making it hard to learn. The most common complaints centered on behavioral disruptions, such as talking out of turn, and a general passivity where students would listen but not participate. Teachers noted that in large groups, it became nearly impossible to give individual attention or to run interactive activities like role-playing or group discussions. The noise levels would rise, and the "back-benchers"—students sitting at the rear of the room—would often disengage completely. This structural barrier of overcrowding seemed to drown out the potential for the kind of deep, critical thinking that social science education aims to foster.
To understand the human side of these numbers, the researchers spoke with ten teachers, half from schools following the central curriculum and half from those following the state curriculum. These conversations added texture to the survey data. The teachers described a slow evolution in their methods. Many admitted that early in their careers, they relied heavily on lectures, but over time, they began to incorporate local stories, videos, and real-world examples, such as the history of local uprisings or the impact of recent cyclones, to make the lessons feel relevant. They spoke of the growing challenge of digital distractions, noting that today's students are constantly pulled away by phones and social media, a shift from the boredom of previous generations.
The interviews also highlighted a gap between what teachers know and what they feel capable of doing. Even those with advanced degrees and deep knowledge of history or geography often felt they lacked the practical skills to manage a chaotic classroom effectively. They expressed a strong desire for better training that went beyond theory, focusing instead on how to build relationships with students and handle disruptions in a crowded room. While some training programs had introduced useful ideas like mindfulness exercises or positive reinforcement, teachers felt these sessions were often too short and too disconnected from the reality of their daily lives. They noted that the type of school mattered in subtle ways; students in central-board schools often seemed more confident and willing to speak up, while those in state-board schools, particularly in rural areas, faced language barriers and fewer resources, making engagement even harder to achieve.
Ultimately, the study concludes that the biggest obstacle to effective social science teaching in these schools is not a lack of teacher knowledge or a lack of student interest, but the physical reality of the classroom itself. The sheer number of students in a room acts as a multiplier for every other problem, turning manageable behavioral issues into unmanageable chaos. The researchers suggest that to improve education, the focus must shift from simply training teachers to fixing the structural conditions they work in. Reducing class sizes, providing sustained and practical support for teachers, and adapting the curriculum to reflect local realities are seen as the most direct ways to help teachers reclaim the classroom. The work serves as a reminder that while policies can envision a bright future for education, the path to getting there must first clear the immediate, tangible barriers that stand in the way of learning every single day.
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