Teacher Practical Guidance:

Reducing Class Size

Category: External

Rank Order

79

Effect Size

0.14

Achievement Gain %

5

How-To Strategies

How-To Resources

Link – BOOK (Blatchford & Russell) Rethinking class size

 

Link – ARTICLE (AERJ) Meta-analysis of research on class size

References

Blatchford, P., & Russell, A. (2020). Rethinking class size: The complex story of impact on teaching and learning. Univ. of Chicago Press. https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/R/bo87618767.html

 

Bowne, Magnuson, Schindler, Duncan, & Yoshikawa. (2017). A Meta-Analysis of Class Sizes and Ratios in Early Childhood Education Programs: Are Thresholds of Quality Associated With Greater Impacts on Cognitive, Achievement, and Socioemotional Outcomes? Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis.

 

Filges, Sonne-Schmidt, & Nielsen. (2018). Small Class Sizes for Improving Student Achievement in Primary and Secondary Schools: A Systematic Review. Campbell Collaboration.

 

Goldstein, Yang, Omar, Turner, & Thompson. (2000). Meta-analysis using multilevel models with an application to the study of class size effects. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Series C: Applied Statistics.

 

McGiverin, Gilman, & Tillitski. (1989). A meta-analysis of the relation between class size and achievement. Elementary School Journal.

 

Opatrny, Havranek Irsova, & Scasny. (2023). Class Size and Student Achievement: A Modern Meta-Analysis. MetaArXiv Preprints.

 

Shin & Chung (2009). Class Size and Student Achievement in the United States: A Meta-Analysis. KEDI Journal of Educational Policy.

 

Smith, M., Glass, G. (1980). Meta-analysis of research on class size and its relationship to attitudes and instruction. American Education Research Journal, 17(4). Link

Reducing Class Size

DEFINITIONS

Reduces the number of students in the class often with the aim of increasing the number of individualized student-teacher interactions to improve student learning.

DATA

  • 10 meta-analysis reviews

  • 243 research studies

  • 562,000 students in research

  • 4 Confidence level. Hattie (2023) p. 183

 

QUOTES

 

“Ten meta-analysis studies have been conducted on the impact of class size. It is clear that there is “minimal impact on achievement” (effect-size 0.15, potential achievement gain 5%). Hattie (2023)

 

 “Class size and child-teacher ratio may both need to be very small to facilitate higher quality interactions at the level necessary to yield modest increases in child cognitive and achievement outcomes.” Blatchford & Russell (2020) p. 422

“Teachers do not necessarily change the way they teach when faced with smaller classes, even though they may feel they change…changing the number of pupils in a class may not be enough for teachers to change the curriculum and style of teaching very much.” Blatchford & Russell (2020) p. 298

“It appears that the effects of reducing class size may be higher on teacher conditions including workload, morale, and attitude toward students than a direct impact on student achievement.” Smith & Glass (1980)