Class Size Effects on Fourth-Grade Mathematics Achievement: Evidence From TIMSS 2011

Background/Context The effects of class size on student achievement have gained considerable attention in education research and policy, especially over the last 30 years. Perhaps the best evidence about the effects of class size thus far has been produced from analyses of Project STAR data, a large-scale experiment where students and teachers were randomly assigned to smaller or larger classes within schools. Researchers have also analyzed observational data to examine the effects of class size, but the results have been mixed. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study It is generally difficult to draw causal inferences about class size effects with observational data because of the omitted variables problem. This shortcoming can be overcome with instrumental variables (IV) methods that are designed to facilitate causal inferences. The present study uses IV methods to examine the effects of class size on reading achievement using data from the 2001 fourth-grade sample of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) in Greece. We took advantage of Greece's nationwide rule about maximum class size in elementary schools to construct IV estimates of class size. Population PIRLS was designed to monitor children's achievement levels in fourth grade worldwide. We used reading achievement data from 2001 in Greece. The sample was a national probability sample of fourth graders. The use of appropriate weights helped us make projections to the fourth-grade student population in Greece in 2001. Research Design The research design was secondary analysis. We examined whether class size predicts reading achievement for fourth graders in Greece net of student, teacher/classroom, and school characteristics. We used multilevel models to capture the dependency in the data (i.e., students nested within schools). We also used instrumental variables methods to facilitate causal inferences about class size effects. Conclusions We investigated the effects of class size on reading achievement for fourth graders in Greece in 2001 using rich data from PIRLS. The results produced from the multilevel and the IV analyses were overall similar. Generally, the results indicated a positive association between class size and achievement. However, the association was typically statistically insignificant, especially when teacher/classroom and school variables were taken into account.

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Class size effects in higher education: Differences across STEM and non-STEM fields

Economics of Education Review ◽

10.1016/j.econedurev.2021.102104 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 82 ◽

pp. 102104

Author(s):

Elif Kara ◽

Mirco Tonin ◽

Michael Vlassopoulos

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Size Effects ◽

Class Size ◽

Stem Fields

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An Experimental Study of the Effects of Class Size

American Educational Research Journal ◽

10.3102/00028312017002141 ◽

1980 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 141-152 ◽

Cited By ~ 70

Author(s):

Stan M. Shapson ◽

Edgar N. Wright ◽

Gary Eason ◽

John Fitzgerald

Keyword(s):

School Districts ◽

Size Effects ◽

Class Size ◽

Process Variables ◽

Mathematics Problem Solving ◽

Reading Vocabulary ◽

Teachers And Students ◽

Students Attitudes ◽

Method Of Instruction ◽

Mathematics Problem

The study investigated the effects of four class sizes (16, 23, 30, and 37) on teachers’ expectations; the attitudes and opinions of participants (students and teachers); student achievement in reading, mathematics, composition, and art; student self-concept; and a variety of classroom process variables (e.g., teacher-pupil interaction, pupil participation, method of instruction). Teachers and students were randomly assigned to a class size in Grades 4 and 5. A total of 62 classes in three school districts in Metropolitan Toronto participated in the two-year study. Findings indicated that teachers had definite expectations of class size effects that subsequently were reported to be confirmed by their experience in the study. However, most other results failed to support teachers’ opinions. Few of the observed classroom process variables were affected by class size. Although students’ mathematics-concept scores were higher in size 16 than 30 or 37, there were no class size effects for the other achievement measures (reading, vocabulary, mathematics-problem solving, art, and composition) or for students’ attitudes and self-concepts.

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