Class size

A large class at the University of Ottawa.
A small class at Shimer College.

Class size refers to the number of students in a class, or the average number of students per class in an institution. Class size is sometimes approximated by other metrics such as student-teacher ratio, although various factors can lead to classes being very large even at an institution with a low student-teacher ratio.[1]

Smaller classes are widely believed to benefit all pupils because of individual attention from teachers, and low-attaining pupils are seen to benefit more at the secondary school level, where the content level is more challenging. Pupils in large classes drift off task because of too much instruction from the teacher to the whole class instead of individual attention, and low-attaining students are most affected.[2] Students benefit in later grades from being in small classes during early grades. Longer periods in small classes resulted in more increases in achievement in later grades for all students. In reading and science, low achievers benefit more from being in small classes. The benefits of small class sizes reduce the student achievement gap in reading and science in later grades.[3]

In some East Asian countries such as Japan, larger preschool class sizes are valued for the opportunities they give children to rub shoulders and socialize in the group.[4] However, one-on-one tutoring and cram schools with low student-teacher ratios are highly prized the world over for those who can afford them.

Arguments

Correlation between class size and reading performance from the results of the U.S. National Assessment of Educational Progress reading tests given in 2005 to 4th and 8th graders

Among the more popular studies on class size effects were those done in connection with Tennessee's Project Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR)[5] and Wisconsin's Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) Program.[6] The researchers associated with both of these programs found significant cumulative benefits associated with smaller class size, with benefits being more impressive for African American students. However, others dispute these findings, most notably the Heritage Foundation.[7] The broader research literature also raises questions about the generalizability of these studies.[8] This conflicting research has led to a number of attempts to assess and reconcile the existing evidence.[9]

Subsequent research reviews have found that smaller classes benefit all pupils because of individual attention from teachers, but low-attaining pupils benefit more at the secondary school level.[2] Pupils in large classes drift off task because of too much instruction from the teacher to the whole class instead of individual attention, and low-attaining students are most affected.[2] Students benefit in later grades from being in small classes during early grades. Longer periods in small classes resulted in more increases in achievement in later grades for all students. In reading and science, low achievers benefit more from being in small classes. The benefits of small class sizes reduce the student achievement gap in reading and science in later grades.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Bracey, Gerald W. (2000). Bail Me Out!: Handling Difficult Data and Tough Questions About Public Schools. p. 53. ISBN 9780761976035.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Blatchford, Peter; Bassett, Paul; Brown, Penelope (2011). "Examining the effect of class size on classroom engagement and teacher—pupil interaction: Differences in relation to pupil prior attainment and primary vs. secondary schools". Learning and Instruction 21: 715–30. doi:10.1016/j.learninstruc.2011.04.001.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Konstantopoulos, Spyros; Chung, Vicki (2009). "What Are the Long-Term Effects of Small Classes on the Achievement Gap? Evidence from the Lasting Benefits Study". American Journal of Education 116 (1): 125–54. doi:10.1086/605103.
  4. ↑ Tobin, Joseph J., Yeh Hsueh, Mayumi Karasawa (2009). Preschool in three cultures revisited: China, Japan, and the United States, pp. 95-156. Chicago: University of Chicago Press
  5. ↑ Finn, J.D., & Achilles, C.M. (1990). Answers and questions about class size: a statewide experiment. American Educational Research Journal, 27(3),557-577.
  6. ↑ Molnar, A., Smith, P., Zahorik, J., Palmer, A., Halbach, A., & Ehrle, K. (1999). Evaluating the SAGE Program: a pilot program in targeted pupil-teacher reduction in Wisconsin. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 21, 165-177.
  7. ↑ Rees, N. S., & Johnson, K. (2000, May 30). A lesson in smaller class sizes. Heritage Views 2000 [Online]. Available: http://heritage.org/Research/Commentary/2000/05/A-Lesson-in-Smaller-Class-Sizes
  8. ↑ Hanushek, Eric A. 1999. "Some findings from an independent investigation of the Tennessee STAR experiment and from other investigations of class size effects." Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 21, no. 2 (Summer): 143-163; Hanushek, Eric A. 1999. "The evidence on class size." In Earning and learning: How schools matter, edited by Susan E. Mayer and Paul E. Peterson. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution: 131-168.
  9. ↑ Ehrenberg, Ronald G., Dominic J. Brewer, Adam Gamoran, and J. Douglas Willms. 2001. "Class size and student achievement." Psychological Science in the Public Interest 2, no. 1 (May): 1-30; Mishel, Lawrence, and Richard Rothstein, eds. 2002. The class size debate. Washington, DC: Economic Policy Institute.

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