Reforms and interventions in education attempt to address a wide number of educational inequities and inequalities. One method of improving educational outcomes for all students in Florida included a policy that reduced class sizes for all grade levels. Using a non-experimental approach, this dissertation studied whether class size in Florida had an effect on student achievement in grade levels 4 through 8. This study asked if there was an association between class size and student achievement by subject areas of reading and math for student subgroups as specified by gender, minority status, English language learner status, exceptional student education status, or socio-economic status. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to statistically analyze a nested data structure consisting of students within classrooms. The first research question determined whether or not an association existed between class size and student achievement by subject areas of reading and math and found that yes, an association does exist between class size and student achievement for both reading and math. The second research question determined whether or not an association existed between student achievement and class size by subject area and student subgroups and found that yes, an association exists between class size and student achievement in both reading and math for most subgroups. The primary result of this study was the statistically significant association between student achievement and class size, with all models showing positive effects (0.07 to 1.92) on student achievement as average class size increased. This was true for both reading and math subject areas, with patterns holding true for students in all subgroups except ELL. Effect sizes for class size were typically very small (0.07 to 0.25), with larger effect sizes of 1.59 to 1.92 seen only for students with disabilities in both reading and math. Recommendations for further research include analyzing class size and student achievement at more granular levels within a single school district to account for additional educational interventions and using more advanced forms of hierarchical linear modeling to examine growth in student achievement over time. A final recommendation is for policy makers to consider alternative reforms or strategies to improve student achievement that are more cost-effective or have been proven to result in larger impacts on student learning than class size reduction. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester 2019. / April 4, 2019. / Includes bibliographical references. / Carolyn Herrington, Professor Directing Dissertation; Frances Berry, University Representative; Marytza Gawlik, Committee Member; Toby Park, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_709721 |
| Contributors | Blakely, Jonathan K. (author), Herrington, Carolyn D. (Professor Directing Dissertation), Berry, Frances Stokes (University Representative), Gawlik, Marytza A. (Committee Member), Park, Toby J. (Committee Member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Education (degree granting college), Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (degree granting departmentdgg) |
| Publisher | Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text, doctoral thesis |
| Format | 1 online resource (94 pages), computer, application/pdf |
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