Class size has long been recognized as a factor affecting achievement in face-to-face contexts. However, few studies have examined the effects of class size in online courses, or the effects of dividing an online class into smaller discussion groups. The current study examined the relationship between class size and the use of grouping strategies on note reading, note writing, and collaborative discussions in online graduate-level courses. This mixed-methods study analyzed tracking logs from 25 graduate-level online courses using Web Knowledge Forum (25 instructors and 341 students) and interviews from 10 instructors and 12 graduate students with diverse backgrounds. The quantitative and qualitative data analyses were designed to complement each other. Findings suggested 13 to 15 as an optimal class size and four to five as an ideal subgroup size. Not surprisingly, the results revealed that, as class size increased, the total notes that participants read increased significantly. However, as class size increased, the percentage of course notes that students read decreased significantly (i.e., students were reading a smaller proportion of the course notes). In larger classes, participants were more likely to experience information overload and students were more selective in the notes that they read. A significant positive correlation was found between class size and total notes written. Students’ note size and grade-level score were negatively correlated with class size. The data also suggest that the overload effects of large classes can be minimized by dividing students into small groups for discussion purposes. Interviewees felt that the use of small groups in large classes benefited their collaborative discussions. The preceding results underscore the importance of using small discussion groups when class sizes are large. The research concludes with a list of pedagogical recommendations and suggests new software features that may help enhance learning in online courses.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Auburn University. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 93-102).

A compreensão dos aspectos determinantes da qualidade educacional é uma tarefa difícil. Existe grande controvérsia na literatura acerca de quais variáveis de fato impactam na qualidade do ensino, principalmente no que se refere aos insumos escolares. O tamanho da turma tem estado no centro do debate, pois normalmente é considerado uma variável mais fácil de manipular. Porém, existe grande dificuldade em se mensurar o efeito do número de alunos por classe na proficiência dos mesmos. O objetivo deste estudo é investigar o impacto do tamanho da classe no desempenho dos alunos de escolas públicas estaduais no estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Para tanto, utiliza-se os métodos de Variáveis Instrumentais e Regressão com Descontinuidade para explorar uma variação exógena na regra de organização das turmas no ano de 2007. Os resultados obtidos mostram que não há evidência de impacto estatisticamente significante da política de “enturmação” na proficiência dos alunos. / Understanding the key determinants of educational quality is a difficult task. There is no consensus in the literature about which variables actually impact the quality of education, especially when the investigation involves school inputs. The class size has been the key variable in the debate, because it is usually considered easier to manipulate. However, there is great difficulty in measuring the effect of the number of students in a class on their achievement. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of class size on students’ performance in public schools in the state of Rio Grande do Su. Therefore, it was used the Instrumental Variables and Regression Discontinuity Design methods to explore an exogenous variation in the rule of organization of classes in the year of 2007. The results show that there is no evidence of statistically significant impact of the policy called "enturmação" on students’ achievement.

A compreensão dos aspectos determinantes da qualidade educacional é uma tarefa difícil. Existe grande controvérsia na literatura acerca de quais variáveis de fato impactam na qualidade do ensino, principalmente no que se refere aos insumos escolares. O tamanho da turma tem estado no centro do debate, pois normalmente é considerado uma variável mais fácil de manipular. Porém, existe grande dificuldade em se mensurar o efeito do número de alunos por classe na proficiência dos mesmos. O objetivo deste estudo é investigar o impacto do tamanho da classe no desempenho dos alunos de escolas públicas estaduais no estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Para tanto, utiliza-se os métodos de Variáveis Instrumentais e Regressão com Descontinuidade para explorar uma variação exógena na regra de organização das turmas no ano de 2007. Os resultados obtidos mostram que não há evidência de impacto estatisticamente significante da política de “enturmação” na proficiência dos alunos. / Understanding the key determinants of educational quality is a difficult task. There is no consensus in the literature about which variables actually impact the quality of education, especially when the investigation involves school inputs. The class size has been the key variable in the debate, because it is usually considered easier to manipulate. However, there is great difficulty in measuring the effect of the number of students in a class on their achievement. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of class size on students’ performance in public schools in the state of Rio Grande do Su. Therefore, it was used the Instrumental Variables and Regression Discontinuity Design methods to explore an exogenous variation in the rule of organization of classes in the year of 2007. The results show that there is no evidence of statistically significant impact of the policy called "enturmação" on students’ achievement.

A compreensão dos aspectos determinantes da qualidade educacional é uma tarefa difícil. Existe grande controvérsia na literatura acerca de quais variáveis de fato impactam na qualidade do ensino, principalmente no que se refere aos insumos escolares. O tamanho da turma tem estado no centro do debate, pois normalmente é considerado uma variável mais fácil de manipular. Porém, existe grande dificuldade em se mensurar o efeito do número de alunos por classe na proficiência dos mesmos. O objetivo deste estudo é investigar o impacto do tamanho da classe no desempenho dos alunos de escolas públicas estaduais no estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Para tanto, utiliza-se os métodos de Variáveis Instrumentais e Regressão com Descontinuidade para explorar uma variação exógena na regra de organização das turmas no ano de 2007. Os resultados obtidos mostram que não há evidência de impacto estatisticamente significante da política de “enturmação” na proficiência dos alunos. / Understanding the key determinants of educational quality is a difficult task. There is no consensus in the literature about which variables actually impact the quality of education, especially when the investigation involves school inputs. The class size has been the key variable in the debate, because it is usually considered easier to manipulate. However, there is great difficulty in measuring the effect of the number of students in a class on their achievement. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of class size on students’ performance in public schools in the state of Rio Grande do Su. Therefore, it was used the Instrumental Variables and Regression Discontinuity Design methods to explore an exogenous variation in the rule of organization of classes in the year of 2007. The results show that there is no evidence of statistically significant impact of the policy called "enturmação" on students’ achievement.

No abstract available Copyright / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

Issues of the multi-faceted, complex problem of teacher attrition in the U.S. have long been studied by researchers working to stem the tide of teachers leaving the field: dimensions of class size, salaries, working conditions, and accountability measures are most often interrogated in relation to this issue. However, this study takes up the dimension of teacher learning and growth beyond the first few years of teaching as an aspect connected to teacher attrition that is undertheorized and studied. In the current climate of teacher learning, teachers are positioned in an implementation model of learning—as receivers of knowledge that they are to take up in their classrooms, which has been the way teachers have most often been positioned since the formalization of the U.S. education system.Through the intertwined theories of disability studies in education and Bakhtinian dialogism, this study troubles ableist constructions of normal that often manifest in the form of good teacher narratives, and instead centers teacher knowledge and experience to interrogate how, when and under what conditions teachers learn across the lifetime of teaching, through their own voices and stories. This study takes up a narrative inquiry approach that views experience as both phenomena and method. Through a self-storying method called the Story Box, and subsequent Collaborative Conversations with the four teacher participants in the study, we think narratively about the conditions in which learning and growth occur for them that meaningfully influences their work and views of themselves as teachers and knowers. The cogent knowledge that emerged from the teacher collaborators in this study regarding school leaders is that the work of cultivating a dynamic learning environment where teachers’ learning and growth is fostered is a significant responsibility of school leaders. The participants’ experiences also reveal the critical correlation between their ongoing learning and growth and being seen and known by their school leaders. It is not sufficient for school leaders to simply make space for learning and growth, but they must be deeply imbedded with their teachers in order for teachers to thrive over a lifetime of practice.

In the 1996–1997 school year, California instituted one of the most costly and far-reaching educational reforms in the nation, reducing class size to 20 to 1 in first grade classes. The following year the California legislature authorized the expansion of class size reduction up to four grades (Kindergarten through third grade). This study investigated teacher attitudes toward students, training, and teaching methods when working in reduced class size settings (20 to 1). The study used survey and in-depth interview data. In the 1996–1997 school year several questions on teaching in a reduced class size setting were included in a survey sent to all teachers in the Sacramento City Unified School District. In the 1997–1998 school year all teachers working in reduced class size settings were surveyed for this study. Over two hundred teachers (46.6%) returned the survey. Follow-up interviews were conducted with sixteen teachers. The survey data indicated that teachers felt that they were using individualized instruction, providing feedback, and monitoring student progress more because of smaller class size. Teachers were more willing to attend training in specific areas. Teachers also communicated higher expectations to students. Interview data strongly indicated that teachers were experiencing higher job satisfaction, and that they felt they had a higher level of effectiveness because of class size reduction. The results of this study confirmed the results of prior research that size reduction has a very positive effect on teacher attitudes.

No description available.

No description available.