Effects Of Small Classes Research Articles

Three years in a small class

A sample of 1755 pupils in 232 elementary-school classes in the State of Tennessee participated in a 3 year longitudinal study of the effects of reduced class size on reading and mathematics performance. Pupils and teachers were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions within each participating school: a small class with a median enrollment of 15 students, a regular class with a median enrollment of 22 students, or a regular class with a full-time teacher aide. While no significant effect was found for teacher-aide classes, the small-class setting increased performance significantly in both mathematics and reading. The small-class advantage occurred originally in kindergarten, and was maintained without increasing or decreasing significantly over the following two years. The impact of reduced class size was especially strong in the inner-city schools, with high minority enrollments and performance that was otherwise below that of schools in other locations. These results warrant further study to understand the effects of small classes on teachers' morale, on student-teacher interaction, and on the extent and ways in which students participate in learning activities.

Carry‐over effects of small classes

Abstract A two‐part follow‐up study was conducted of students in grade 4 who had participated in the reduced class size experiment during the preceding years. Outcome measures included a range of norm referenced and criterion referenced achievement tests and teachers’ ratings of the youngsters’ effort, initiative taking, and disruptive behavior in the fourth grade classroom. Statistically significant carry‐over effects of small classes were found on every achievement measure. Significant differences were also found in participation levels between students who had attended small classes and those in regular classes, but these were not as consistent as the impact on cognitive performance. The confirmed consequences of placing youngsters in classes with 12 to 17 pupils need to be supplemented by research on other outcomes in order to compare the complete range of benefits with the relatively large monetary costs that could be incurred.

Class Size and Student Achievement: Small Effects of Small Classes

Based on reviews by Glass, Cahen, Smith, and Filby (1982) and the Educational Research Service (1978), Cooper (this issue) concludes that substantial reductions in class size can have important effects on low-achieving students in the early grades. This article critiques these reviews and summarizes the findings of experimental studies that compared the achievement levels of elementary school students in larger classes to classes with no more than 20 students. Even in studies that made such substantial reductions, achievement differences were slight, averaging only 13% of a standard deviation. Not until class size approaches one is there evidence of meaningful effects. Based on this and other evidence, it is suggested that Chapter 1 programs provide one-to-one tutoring in reading rather than providing small-group pullouts or reducing overall class size.

Effects of Teacher-Led, Curriculum-Integrated Sensitivity Training in a Large High School 1

AbstractIn an attempt to develop a widely applicable, practical means of reducing students' alienation from school, family and community by increasing self-ideal congruence, encounter groups were offered as elective courses to 10th grade students. The groups were led by teachers and professional trainers in the first year and by teachers alone in the second. Small and standard size classes comprised the control groups. Personal adjustment and social attitudes were measured by the California Test of Personality, self-ideal congruence by Miskimins Self-Goal-Other Test. Ratings of change were also obtained from parents. Results suggest limited positive effects of the encounter groups and some negative effects of small classes. Many positive changes noted in the school, possibly related indirectly to the experimental intervention, indicate a greater impact on other parts of the school environment than on the immediate consumers of