Some Observations on the Effects of Class Size Upon Pupil Achievement in Geometrical Drawing

Abstract

PROPOSALS FOR the reduction of class size I have been put forward since 1928. Almost all the studies reported in this field have been carried out in the United States. No agreement on the optimum teacher load for class subjects has been reached. The mass of reported investigations have been characterized in one way or another by poor experimental design, sampling and ob server errors and the use of non-objective criteria in evaluating changes in status. The present study was an attempt to determine experimen tally the relationship between the number of pupils handled per teacher and the achievement scores of pupils in geometrical drawing. Some efforts were directed towards reducing experi mental errors that had bedevilled earlier inves tigations. The experiment was carried out on 103 First Form pupils of a Secondary School. All the pupils were assigned at random to two 'large' and two 'small' classes. A 'large' and a 'small' class were socially organized according to the pupils' own choices. They were matched for I.Q. and age. Attainment and attitude tests were devised and administered to all four groups at the end of each of the first three terms. The teacher (the au- ] thor), classroom, syllabus and period of instruc- ! tion remained the same for all groups. A pilot ! study preceded the experiment proper.