The research design for this study was largely quasi-mixed methods as it focused on survey and phenomenology. The major reason for this study was to explore whether the number of students in any given class has any bearing on their performance and resultant achievement in the mediation of Applied Communicative Skills lectures. The research was largely qualitative, with only the section on student questionnaires being quantitative. The use of research-based practices was also explored. The descriptive findings which are a triangulation of the data gathered from the various instruments of data collection used in the current study pointed towards a conclusion that class size and school factors such as teacher effectiveness can influence student achievement. The present study reflects the need to consider professional development in the area of research-based instructional practices. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Didactics)

The research design for this study was largely quasi-mixed methods as it focused on survey and phenomenology. The major reason for this study was to explore whether the number of students in any given class has any bearing on their performance and resultant achievement in the mediation of Applied Communicative Skills lectures. The research was largely qualitative, with only the section on student questionnaires being quantitative. The use of research-based practices was also explored. The descriptive findings which are a triangulation of the data gathered from the various instruments of data collection used in the current study pointed towards a conclusion that class size and school factors such as teacher effectiveness can influence student achievement. The present study reflects the need to consider professional development in the area of research-based instructional practices. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Didactics)

The purpose of this qualitative study was to analyze the perception of elementary teachers and their practices when transitioning from small classes of 20 to larger classes of 28 or more students. The respondents were asked questions about how they have adjusted to the instruction of the curriculum, classroom management, monitoring of student achievement, and the level of support received from administration as a result of increased class sizes due to the elimination of California's Class Size Reduction program. The respondents were asked to compare what they did with a class size averaging 20 to their current class size which averaged 28.6 students. The results of the interviews varied, but overall, the teacher's workload, quality of instructional programs, student behavior, and the personal connection between the student and teacher seem to be the areas most affected by larger class sizes. An underlying issue consistently surfaced throughout the interviews. The demands set forth by the district and state, such as pacing and rigorous curricular programs, was an area of concern for the participants in this study. This study identified areas where teachers feel they need more support and training and where change is needed.

Em decorrência da inversão da pirâmide demográfica e a consequente queda das matrículas do ensino básico no Brasil, uma potencial medida de política pública é limitar o número de alunos por sala de aula. Nesse contexto, o objetivo principal deste estudo é avaliar o impacto de políticas que estipulem um número máximo de alunos por turma nas notas em Matemática e Português da Prova Brasil de alunos do 5º ano municipal da cidade de São Paulo e 9º estadual de todo o estado São Paulo. Para isso, empregou-se a metodologia de regressão descontínua fuzzy, utilizando o tamanho da sala predito pela função de Maimonides (Angrist e Lavy, 1999) como instrumento para o tamanho da sala observado. Os resultados mostram que não existam evidências estatisticamente significantes de que o tamanho da sala tenha impacto nas notas dos alunos. Visando trazer maior validade externa, o efeito de interesse foi estimado para o 5º e 9º ano estadual de Minas Gerais e Santa Catarina, e 5º ano estadual de São Paulo, obtendo-se a mesma conclusão. As análises de robustez performadas também concluem não haver efeito / As a result of the inversion of the demographic pyramid and the consequent drop in enrollments in basic education in Brazil, a possible public policy is to limit the number of students per classroom. In this context, the main objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of policies that stipulate a maximum number of students per class on students scores in Mathematics and Portuguese of Prova Brasil, using a sample of 5th and 9th grade students from the municipal and state school chains of São Paulo. Fuzzy regression discontinuity design was used to estimate these impacts, using predicted class size by the Maimonides rule (Angrist and Lavy, 1999) as an instrument for the actual class size. Results show that there is no statistically significant evidence that class size has an impact on student grades. Aiming to bring greater external validity, the effect of interest was estimated for the 5th and 9th grade of Minas Gerais and Santa Catarina, and 5th grade São Paulo, obtaining the same conclusion. The robustness analyzes performed also conclude that there is no effect.

In 2015 the U.S. continues to struggle with academic achievement in public schools. Average test scores from 15 year olds taking the Program for International Student Assessment placed the U.S. as 38th out of 71 countries (Drew Devlin, 2017). It is common to discuss elimination of the achievement gap as the single most effective way to improve the U.S.'s mediocre standing among the highest scoring countries in the world in primary and secondary student test scores (McGhee,2004; Flemming 2012). In the broadest sense of the term the "achievement gap" refers to the difference in academic success between different groups of students. It is often used to describe the lower performance of underprivileged student populations (National Education Association, 2004). Attempts to understand why this GAP exists and how educators may narrow such GAPs, researchers have identified both large class size and lack of personalized instruction as two conditions that commonly accompany lower academic achieving student populations (Lee and Buxton, 2008). Although there is a wealth of literature attempting to assess the effect of class size, few studies have defined small and large class sizes. In her research, Sarah Leahy (2006) defines a small class as one containing between 13 and 17 students and a regular class as one containing between 22 and 25. For the purposes of this research, a large classroom is defined as one with over 25 students. In theory, computer-based instruction (CBI) offers great potential to expand on the concept of personalized instruction. However, there is very little research available that describes how this tool can be used to effectively enhance the classroom learning process. This study examines the impact of providing computer-based instruction (CBI) or teacher-led instruction on students of various achievement levels enrolled in a traditional, high school biology classroom. The high school in which this research as conducted is a Title One (low income) identified school. 111 from four sections of freshman high school biology, were randomly divided into two learning groups per section. Both groups in each section were taught one 50-minute lesson on cellular biology. One group received the lesson from CBI while the other group from teacher-led instruction. The impact on learning was measured by the change in pre- and post-test scores. All students in each section received the same lesson content which was provided in the same classroom concurrently. Data from 82 students that returned signed parental consent forms and took the pre-test on day one, the lesson on day two, and the post-test on day three, were analyzed in this study. Results: The twenty students ranked as high academic achievers scored the highest correct answers on pre- and post-tests (mean 7.1 and 9.4 respectively). Improvement in test scores, measured as mean number of additional correct answers on the post-test, for the high achievers was equal whether they received CBI or teacher-led instruction (+1.72 and +1.75 respectively). Twenty-seven middle ranked academic achieving students also showed a statistically equal degree of improvement from each instructional platform. However, middle students that scored the highest pre-test scores also produced the highest improvement from CBI. The thirty-five low academic achieving students produced the highest improvement in test scores overall from teacher-led instruction and produced a mean negative change in post-test scores from CBI (mean +2.13 and -.68 respectively). Findings from this study suggest that in a classroom setting, higher academic achieving students will learn equally well from CBI or from a teacher while lower achievers benefit more from small group, teacher-led instruction.

Em decorrência da inversão da pirâmide demográfica e a consequente queda das matrículas do ensino básico no Brasil, uma potencial medida de política pública é limitar o número de alunos por sala de aula. Nesse contexto, o objetivo principal deste estudo é avaliar o impacto de políticas que estipulem um número máximo de alunos por turma nas notas em Matemática e Português da Prova Brasil de alunos do 5º ano municipal da cidade de São Paulo e 9º estadual de todo o estado São Paulo. Para isso, empregou-se a metodologia de regressão descontínua fuzzy, utilizando o tamanho da sala predito pela função de Maimonides (Angrist e Lavy, 1999) como instrumento para o tamanho da sala observado. Os resultados mostram que não existam evidências estatisticamente significantes de que o tamanho da sala tenha impacto nas notas dos alunos. Visando trazer maior validade externa, o efeito de interesse foi estimado para o 5º e 9º ano estadual de Minas Gerais e Santa Catarina, e 5º ano estadual de São Paulo, obtendo-se a mesma conclusão. As análises de robustez performadas também concluem não haver efeito / As a result of the inversion of the demographic pyramid and the consequent drop in enrollments in basic education in Brazil, a possible public policy is to limit the number of students per classroom. In this context, the main objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of policies that stipulate a maximum number of students per class on students scores in Mathematics and Portuguese of Prova Brasil, using a sample of 5th and 9th grade students from the municipal and state school chains of São Paulo. Fuzzy regression discontinuity design was used to estimate these impacts, using predicted class size by the Maimonides rule (Angrist and Lavy, 1999) as an instrument for the actual class size. Results show that there is no statistically significant evidence that class size has an impact on student grades. Aiming to bring greater external validity, the effect of interest was estimated for the 5th and 9th grade of Minas Gerais and Santa Catarina, and 5th grade São Paulo, obtaining the same conclusion. The robustness analyzes performed also conclude that there is no effect.

M.Cur. (Professional Nursing Science: Nursing Education) / One of the strategic priorities for the National Health System 2004-2009 is to have a 15-20% increase in the number of nursing students to address both equity requirements and changing human resources, and to meet the health needs of the nation (National Plan of Higher Education, 2001:2). At the nursing college under study, this increase in nursing student numbers has led to a number of teaching and learning problems, as reported in the college study (Waterson, Harms, Qupe, Maritz, Manning, Makobe & Chabeli, 2006 b:70). Nurse educators encourage students to arrange individual consultations to attend to their learning problems. The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the perceptions of nursing students and nurse educators on factors they perceive to be contributing to ineffective teaching and learning in large groups, and to describe strategies to improve this situation at a nursing college in Johannesburg. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, and contextual research design was employed to obtain a deeper understanding of nursing students’ and nurse educators’ perceptions that contribute to ineffective teaching and learning in large classes. A purposive sampling method was used for the first-year nursing students in a Johannesburg nursing college. Focus group interviews with nursing students and nurse educators were conducted by the expert interviewer. Open coding qualitative data analysis methods were used in accordance with Tech’s qualitative method (Creswell, 2012:186). Credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability were used to ensure trustworthiness in accordance with Lincoln and Guba’s model (1985:290-326). The study followed the ethical standards set by the South African Nursing Council (SANC, 1992:2). The results were conceptualised within the relevant literature, and strategies to facilitate effective teaching and learning in large classes at a Johannesburg nursing college was be formulated (Burns & Grove, 2001: 55). A purposive sampling method was used for the R425 first-year nursing students and educators at a Johannesburg nursing college. Participation in the study was on a voluntary basis. During the study the researcher used focus groups as a method to collect data. An expert interviewer was used to encourage participants to interact with each another freely regarding the topic.

The purpose of this research study was to explore the impact of specific Web 2.0 tools on students' experience of teaching, social, and cognitive presence and motivation when enrolled in a very large hybrid course. With online course enrollments continuing to grow at a higher rate than traditional enrollments in higher education (Allen & Seaman, 2011) and universities increasing class sizes as a way to meet this demand with fewer fiscal resources, it is imperative to find ways to keep students engaged and motivated when enrolled in very large classes. This study used the Community of Inquiry framework (Garrison, Anderson & Archer, 2000) to examine the effect of specific Web 2.0 tools (asynchronous discussion, streaming lectures, multimedia lecture demonstrations, Twitter, and the Second Life virtual world) on teaching, social, and cognitive presence and motivation. The sample population for this study (n = 567) consisted of undergraduate students enrolled in a very large hybrid accounting course in the fall of 2010 at the University of Central Florida. The total enrollment for the course was 943 students. Students could attend face-to-face (f2f) class sessions in a large lecture room that seated 285 students or they could view a streaming video capture of the lectures online. Students were not required to attend the f2f class sessions and could complete the course entirely online. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variances (ANOVA), and results of the statistical analyses indicated that students who frequently used the Web 2.0 tools had statistically significant higher mean motivation scores than students who did not use the tools as frequently. Additionally, students who frequently attended the f2f sessions had statistically significant higher mean social presence scores compared to students who attended sometimes or not at all. Attending the f2f sessions, however, did not result in higher mean scores of teaching or cognitive presence. When examined for the impact of the specific Web 2.0 tools, analysis of the ANOVA results indicated that students who used the discussion, streaming lectures, multimedia lecture demonstrations, and Twitter all of the time had significantly higher mean scores of teaching, social, and cognitive presence compared to those students who used the tools less frequently. Further research should be conducted on large hybrid and online courses in different content areas and on those that use different types of learning approaches.

This research analyzes county-level support for the 2002 Constitutional Amendments for Voluntary Universal Prekindergarten Education (VPK) and Florida’s Amendment to Reduce Class Size (CSA). Three regression models are constructed for each dependent variable (support for VPK and support for CSA): a bivariate model with political party, a full model with all theoretically identified variables, and a best model with just the independent variables that have the most explanatory power. A variety of socioeconomic, demographic and political independent variables are tested. Four independent variables had a statistically significant positive relationship with support for both VPK and CSA: Democratic registration, Hispanic population, higher education, and population density.

Public K-12 education is a large enterprise in the United States. Through local, state and federal sources, the U.S. allocated over $610 billion to K-12 public education in 2009 (NCES). Not only is the commitment of public funds for education substantial, the provision of K-12 education is primarily administered by the government in non-market settings through local school districts. It is this institutional environment that generates the impetus for evaluating how those in education make choices in the absence of markets. Like traditional markets, non-market solutions often fail because the incentives facing individuals and agencies elicit choices which produce outcomes that are divergent from those which could be considered Pareto optimal. Examining these incentives and the resulting choices allows researchers to identify unintended consequences of policy and better inform policy design and reform. This dissertation endeavors to identify some of these incentives and to empirically examine their effects on the choices made by teachers and administrators. Chapter two recognizes that teaching effectiveness may motivate teacher choice into relatively more rigorous professional development. The empirical results suggest that teachers with a past history of relative ineffectiveness are selecting into the professional development program examined. The subsequent effectiveness of the in-service training is mixed. High stakes testing and school accountability are an increasing part of our K-12 education system. Chapter three acknowledges it is plausible that administrators may choose to place more students into class rooms of more effective teachers to maximize school performance. However, because of tenure and salary constraints they may choose to place fewer students into the class rooms of more effective teachers to reward their performance. Results overall indicate that more effective teachers have larger classes. Chapter four examines school district budget uncertainty and its relation to contingency funds. The institutional ambiguity of the definition of contingency funds allows a significant amount of choice for administrators to determine fund size and use. This chapter finds that administrators may be less sensitive to budget uncertainty and more responsive to the desire for budget fungibility. This dissertation concludes by addressing implications and future research.