CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

According to Monks, J. & Schmidt, R. (2010) on their research, The impact of class size

and number of students on outcomes in higher Education, Numerous studies have investigated

the influence of class size on student attitudes, behaviors, and outcomes. The overwhelming

majority of these studies have focused on elementary school and even pre-school effects of class

size on student achievement. The conventional wisdom among parents, teachers, school

administrators, and policy makers is that smaller class sizes translate to improvements in student

learning and outcomes. This conventional wisdom, however, has not been universally supported

by empirical evidence. While a number of studies have found support for the importance of class

size on student achievement, others strongly refute this claim concluding that class size has little

to no impact on objective student outcomes. The difficulties in assessing the causal influence of

class size on student outcomes, such as achievement, are (1) class size itself is often not directly

observed but rather proxies by pupil-teacher ratios at the state, district, or school level, (2) many

data sets used to analyze this question are cross-sectional and thus do not allow one to control for

fixed student, teacher, class, or school effects, and (3) class size itself may be endogenous in a

student outcome equation. Nonetheless, the general consensus among researchers examining this

issue is that if class size matters at all its influence is most pronounced at the lowest grade levels.

However according to Jennifer Murphy (2010), on her theses, An Investigation Of The

Effects of Class Size on Student Achievement in Title I Elementary Schools: A Mixed Methods

Study, The issue of class size has been a major debate in education for many years (Biddle &

Berliner, 2002; Glass & Smith, 1979). The limits on class size are determined by local school
districts. Within a single school district there can be several different populations of students that

are serviced. There are schools that service economically advantaged student populations, as well

as schools that service at-risk student populations. One of the issues with regard to class size is

that the same number of students can be put in a classroom with a single teacher, regardless of

which type of student population is being serviced. Class size may not be viewed as an issue with

more economically advantaged student populations, as they are still able to flourish academically

(American Educational Research Association, AERA, 2003). Conversely, schools that service at-

risk students populations, such as Title I schools, view class size as being more problematic in

terms of it creating potential adverse effects on student learning.

This study would examine if class sizes have a significant effect on every students’

academic performance. Whether smaller class sizes does promote a much better welfare to every

students’ learning rather than a class with a large number of students or do class sizes have little

to no impact at All.

Statement of the Problem

This study aimed to determine the effects of class size to the academic performance of

student. Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions:

1. What are the different class sizes?

2. What is the academic performance of the students who belong in:

● Large classes?

● Small classes?

3. Is there a significant effect of class size to the academic performance of the students?

Objectives

This study generally aimed to attain the following objectives:

 1. To identify the different class sizes.

2. To discern the academic performance of every students who belong in large classes and

small classes.

3. To investigate whether a certain class size has a significant effect to the academic

performance of the students.

Hypothesis

This study claimed that there is a significant effect between the class size and a student’s

academic performance.

Significance of the Study

This study has been undertaken by the researchers to determine the effects of class size to

the academic performance of the student. Specifically, this would be useful to:

STUDENT. The students would be able to build a good relationship with their teacher.

With that being said, their performance in class would be furthermore be improved. Every

student inside a classroom has different strategies to cope up with the lessons taught but

sometimes the problem isn’t on how a student takes a lesson well enough to understand it.

sometimes the interference is within the class itself.

TEACHER. The teachers should know the weaknesses and strengths of their student.

With that, the level of attention increases and the teachers can successfully instruct the pupils.

The smaller the class size is, the better, more productive, and manageable the environment is for

the teachers. Teachers were given the space to be productive in a positive and peaceful part of

class, they are simply happier at their jobs. According to boredteachers.com, “the students the

ultimate net benefit for the field of education is when teachers are happier.” it is not hard for the

teachers to identify which or what would be the solution they need to use in order to help the
students. The result, students will have a taught relationship with their teachers and they would

know that they responsible to do their task and class participations that they are confine to further

engage with the syllabus. The small class size will attain high outcomes of learning in their

specialized subjects than the large classes.

SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS

It benefits the whole body of the school administration in such a way that the school is

first handedly being alerted at the welfare of their students.

PARENTS

The parents would benefit in this study in such a way that they’ll be much aware of their

children’s academic performance and be able to strictly monitor them. Parents are supposed to be

the first ones to know about their children’s academic status, whether they plummet drastically or

skyrockets.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The study considered the senior high school students under the HUMSS strands of Light

Of The World Christian Academy of Makati and Pasay City West High School. The study was

concerned if there is a significant effect of class sizes to students academic performance. It

focused only on getting the weighted average of every students during their midterm period or

the first quarter grades.

It did not include if there is a significant effects to the different class sizes to the

academic performance.

Definition of Terms

The following terms are defined for clarity and better understanding of the study.
 ● Class size – the number of students in a specific section or class with 40 and above

students being the large size and less than 40 students being on the small size.

● Academic performance – refers to the weighted average of the student obtained during

the midterm period.

● HUMSS – Humanities and Social Science. One of the academic tracks under the K-12

curriculum.

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter presents a synthesis of research that supports the evaluation of the present

study about the effect of class size to the academic performance of the students. It also includes

an overview of the importance of class size and previous studies related to the study conducted.

According to David Zyngier (2016), “Class size research has a protracted and

controversial history, especially in the USA, England, and Australia. Is there evidence that pupils
taught in smaller classes do better in academic and other non-cognitive outcomes than pupils in

larger classes? Many policymakers and political commentators world-wide suggest that funding

isn’t the problem in education. They claim that much of the increased expenditure on education

in the last 20 to 30 years has been ‘wasted’ on efforts to reduce class sizes, arguing that this extra

funding does not lead to better academic results.

Most of this policy advice and commentary relies heavily on misquoting from Visible

Learning by Prof John Hattie and work by selected education econometricians who suggest that

the majority of studies around the world have shown that class size reductions do not

significantly improve student outcomes. Commentators and politicians alike point to high

performing systems such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore, where

large class sizes are the norm, as evidence that reducing class sizes is a futile exercise. But

research indicates that students from Confucian heritage cultures are socialized in ways that

make them amenable to work in large classes, so that management problems are minimal and

teachers can focus on meaningful learning using whole-class methods. An educational system

forms a working whole, each component interacting with all other components. Isolating any one

component (such as class size) and transplanting it into a different system shows a deep

misunderstanding of how educational systems work.

Reducing class size to increase student achievement is an approach that has been tried,

debated, and analyzed for many decades. The premise seems logical: with fewer students to

teach, teachers should achieve better academic outcomes for all students. For those who choose

private education for their children, it is often cited as a major consideration. However, for

policymakers there are three major questions to answer with the adoption of any change or new

program: how effective will the change be; how much will it cost; and what are the problems of
implementation, including the support or opposition of the stakeholders – in this case principals,

teachers and parents – and those who implement it

Policy makers, politicians and media too often discuss data about class sizes and their

impact on student learning without an evidence base, relying largely on second-hand research or

anecdotes. Too frequently, advocates for particular positions select their evidence, conveniently

ignoring research that raises questions about their favored position. Many esteemed education

researchers have refuted the work of Hanushek and Hoxby. They point out that Hanushek do not

examine class size directly, but rather through a proxy measure intended to represent it (student-

teacher ratio ). While teacher quality (and the quality of teacher preparation) is at the heart of the

effectiveness of almost any reform, conflating STR with class size reduction fails to focus on the

mechanisms thought to be at work in smaller classes.

Hanushek has not responded well to such criticisms; rather, he has found reasons to

quarrel with their details and to continue publishing reviews, based on methods that others find

questionable, claiming that the level of school funding and the things those funds can buy, such

as smaller classes, have few discernible effects. Political conservatives have extolled his

conclusions, complimented his efforts, and asked him to testify in various forums where class-

size issues are debated. And in return, Hanushek has embedded his conclusion about the lack of

class-size effects in a broader endorsement of a conservative educational agenda.

The class size debate should be more about weighing up the cost-benefit of class size

reductions (CSR), and how best to achieve the desired outcomes of improved academic

achievement for all children, regardless of their background.

According to David Zyngier on his article entitled “Importance of Class Size” Many

creditable and peer reviewed research projects have concluded that extra gains associated with
long-term attendance in small classes (in the early grades) appeared not only for tests of

measured achievement, but also for other measures of success in education and that these gains

continued to appear when students – including students that are traditionally disadvantaged in

education - were returned to standard classes in the upper grades. These research works also

revealed that extra gains from small classes in the early grades are larger when class size is

reduced to fewer than 20 students. In other words, when planned thoughtfully and funded

adequately, long-term exposure to small classes in the early grades generates substantial

advantages for students.”

A study was conducted by Christopher Uhrain (2016) entitled “Effect of Class Size on

Student Achievement in Secondary School”, to find out if there is a significant effect on the

student’s academic performance on the number of students inside a classroom. As per the result,

it stated that class sizes had a significant effect on the academic performance of the students. But,

upon this research, it was seen that the dependent variable which was the class size was

manipulated. It underwent through a series of class reductions according to the grade level of

students inside a class. So far, it still elicited the same conclusion as assumed from the start.

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH

In this chapter, the research methodology was discussed thoroughly. It includes the study’s

research design, population, sample and sampling procedure, source of data and the statistical

treatment of data.

Research Design

This study made use of a descriptive-comparative design. Descriptive in such a way that

one variable is qualitative and doesn’t require any numerical analysis. Further, this study
described the academic performance of the students who belonged in two different class sizes.

This study also used comparative because in this study the researcher compared both small and

large class to identify if the class size would affect the academic performance of a student.

Population, Sample and Sampling procedure

The target population for this research defined to include a specific class of 11 th grade

students of Light of the World Christian Academy of Makati and Pasay City West High School.

Since these are the students within the researcher’s reach. The samples of the population of this

study stood at an estimation of at least 100 students.

A stratified random sampling procedure was used for selecting the participants in this

study. This technique was employed to ensure a fairly equal representation of the variables for

the study. The researchers divided the desired number of samples into two mainly getting the

first half of the samples from LOTW-CAM and the other half from PCWHS.

Sources of data

The researchers sought permission through a letter of approval from the Department

Head of the Senior High Department of two schools (Light of the World Christian Academy of

Makati and Pasay City West High School) to gather data from their list of grades for the

midterms of the 1st semester, S.Y 2018-2019.

The LOTW-CAM was the chosen school to represent the small-class size while PCWSH

for large-class size. The instrument needed for the data gathering was the list of midterm grades

of the 1st quarter that was obtained from both schools.

Statistical treatment of data

 Frequencies and percentages were used to describe the academic performance of the

students with the following interval ranges and this corresponding descriptive interpretation.

To put the data gathered into analysis, the researchers used the t-test for independent

samples to find if there is a growing significance whether class sizes affects a student’s academic

performance. Significant difference would mean significant effect.

The formula is:

x́ 1− x́ 2
t=

√
2 2
S1 s2
+
n1 n2

CHAPTER IV

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This chapter describes the analysis of data followed by a discussion of the research

findings. The findings relate to the research questions that guided the study. Data were analyzed

to identify, describe and explore the effect of class size to academic performance in this setting.

Data were obtained from the administration office of both schools aforementioned. The findings

were presented through tables.

Table 1: Frequency Distribution Table of Academic Performance of Students in Large-size

Class

Range of Academic Frequency %

Performance
Below 70 4 4.08
71-75 9 9.18
 76-80 13 13.27
81-85 13 13.27
86-90 39 39.80
91-95 20 20.40
Above 96 0 0
n= 98 100.00

x́ = 86.497

Table 1 showed the frequency distribution of the academic performance of the sample

population from a large class. 4.08% of the population which equates to 4 samples has their

academic ranges below 70%. 9.18% corresponds to 71-75%. 13.27% of the sample has their

general weighted average ranging from 76-80% and 81-85%. Majority of the sample population

has their grades from 86-90%. 20.40% which corresponds from 20 of the sample has their grades

in between 91-95%. The average academic performance was computed to be 100 which means

students in large size-class performed

Table 2: Frequency Distribution Table of Academic Performance of students in Small-size

Class

Range of Academic Frequency %

Performance
Below 70 1 2.17
71-75 1 2.17
76-80 4 8.69
81-85 11 23.91
86-90 19 41.30
91-95 9 19.56
Above 96 1 2.17
n = 46

x́=84.819
 Table 2 showed the frequency distribution of the academic performance of the sample

population from a small class. 2.17% of the samples has their general weighted average ranging

from below 70%, 71-75% and above 96%. There were 8.49% from the samples that corresponds

to 8.69 % between 76-80%. 23.91% has their grades within 81-85%. Meanwhile, majority of the

sample population has their scores in between 86-90%. Lastly, 19.56% has their grades in

between 91-95%.

Table III : Test Statistic And Result

Test Statistic Decision

Test Score t = 0.214 Fail to Reject Ho

Table 3 since the null hypothesis was not rejected, then there is no

significant evidence to support the claim that true is a significant difference of the academic

performance of the students between large-size class and small-size class. This implies that class-

size does not have any effect to the academic performance of the students. See appendix C for

hypothesis testing.
 CHAPTER V

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATION

This chapter presents the summary of research work undertaken findings, the conclusion

and the recommendation of the study. This study was taken with the general objective of

determining the Effects of Class Size to the Academic Performance of Student. The research

design used in this study is descriptive-comparative because the researcher compared both small

and large class to identify if the class size would affect the academic performance of a student. .

The population and samples that the researchers used included 11 th grade students of Light of the

World Christian Academy of Makati and Pasay City West High School since these are the

students within the researcher’s reach. The samples of the population of this study stood at an

estimation of at least 140 students.

A stratified random sampling procedure was used for selecting the participants in this

study. The statistical test used in the study is t-test for independent samples.

Summary of Findings

The salient findings of the study are as follows:

1. More than half of the percentile of samples coming from the large class had their general

weighted average marking from 81-95%

2. Also, more than half of the population coming from a small class had their general

weighted average in between 81-95%

3. Using the t-test for independent samples, the computed value to determine the difference

of the variables’ Academic Performance of Small Class and Large Class was 0.214.

Conclusion
 1. Findings showed class sizes do not matter when it comes to student’s academic

performance.
2. Based from the findings, class sizes doesn’t have an effect on the academic performance

of student’s since it showed that there is no significance to each other.

Recommendation

To help the students in terms of their academic performance, the following

recommendations are proposed:

To address the problem of having a comparison towards small and large class in terms of

academic performance, the DepEd should encourage two different schools to provide effective

learning to students. In line with this, because of the limited scope of this study the researchers

would recommend future similar studies that will be conducted, to see if an extraneous variable

like student’s study habits would affect their academic performance prior to their class size.

To further improve this study, the following recommendations were made:

1. A large population should be considered for both public and private schools.

2. Consider to locale of the study to have a easy access of gathering data.

Appendix A

RAW DATA
 Small Class Size

This table showed the raw data that was used to determine if there is a significant

effect of class size to the academic performance. This data represents all the academic

performance of 11- Haggai and Hosea during the first semester.

87.8
87.7
86.8
87.9
87.1
87
91.5
86.2
87.9
86.8
77.5
89.8
94.8
87.1
90.9
81.3
90.8
80.5
86.6
89.6
82.7
85.9
78.7
85.3
90.8
92
91.3
93.6
91.2
62.3
 91
90
81.8
81
77.6
84
93.1
95
90.7
83.1
81.5
84.5
96
90
74.5
85.7

92 93
RAW 93 DATA 88
91 89
Large 90 Class Size 93
90 This table 60 show
87 87
the 90 raw Data that is 87 being
91 88
used to determine if there is a
91 90
88 significant effect of 85 class
91 84.46
size to 83 the academic 83.33
87 94
performance. This data
87 90
92 94.75
89 88.14
89 89
90 89
92 87
78 92
89 90
90 91
85 89
88 92
represents all the academic performance of 11 students from South Pasay High School during the

first semester.
 91
86
86
94
92
88
90 83
85 81
86 80.47
90 85
90 82
88 76
73.64 77.78
78.85 94.6
80 83
87 83
74.38 75
80.56 74
62.3 78.9
74 79.96
61.9 89.67
83.25 68.75
76.89 89.13
74.51 74.12
84.2 85
90
74
76
77
71.90
78.86
 Appendix B

LETTER OF REQUEST

Light of the World Christian Academy of Makati

#1 Pasteur St. cor. Edison & Marconi Sts., Brgy San Isidro, Makati City
Senior High School Department

November 12, 2018

MS. HIYASMIN NADAL

School Principal

Ma’am/Sir:

Christian Greetings!

We, the students of Grade 12 Nehemiah, are currently taking Practical Research II class in your
school. One of the requirements is the Quantitative Research.

In this connection, we would like to request from your good office a copy of midterm general
weighted average in the first semester of the following sections:

11-Haggai
11-Hosea

We believe that the data will be helpful for us to execute our research entitled, “The Effect of
Class Size to the Academic Performance”.

Rest assured that the data will be kept confidential and will be used for research purposes only.
We anticipate with deep appreciation and gratitude for your favourable approval of this request.

Very Truly Yours,

(SGD.) Amaranto, Grace Anne

(SGD.) Antazo, Alexandria

(SGD.) Navarra, Azalea

(SGD.) Quiapo, Karina

(SGD.) Lauzon, John Michael Rey

Noted by: Recommended by:

Mr. Melvin Lorenzo Ms. Maria Nina Javier De Leon

Practical Research II Teacher Head, SHS Department
 Light of the World Christian Academy of Makati
#1 Pasteur St. cor. Edison & Marconi Sts., Brgy San Isidro, Makati City
Senior High School Department

November 12, 2018

MS. GRACE B. TORRES

Science Department Head
Pasay City West High School

Thru: Class Advisers/School Administrator

Ma’am/Sir:

Christian Greetings!

We, the students of Grade 12 Nehemiah from Light Of The World Christian Academy of Makati,
are currently taking Practical Research II class. One of the requirements is Quantitative Research.

In this connection, we would like to request from your good office a copy of midterm general
weighted average of the students in the first semester of the following classes:

Grade 11 HUMSS class

We believe that the data will be helpful for us to execute our research entitled, “The Effect of
Class Size to the Academic Performance”.

Rest assured that the data will be kept confidential and will be used for research purposes only.
We anticipate with deep appreciation and gratitude for your favourable approval of this request.

Very Truly Yours,

(SGD.) Amaranto, Grace Anne

(SGD.) Antazo, Alexandria

(SGD.) Navarra, Azalea

(SGD.) Quiapo, Karina

(SGD.) Lauzon, John Michael Rey

Noted by:

Mr. Melvin Lorenzo

Practical Research II Teacher
 Appendix C

HYPOTHESIS TESTING

i. State the Hypotheses

Ho : There is no significant difference between the academic performance of small and
large classes.
H1: There is a significant difference between the academic performance of small and
large classes.
ii. Level of Significance
∝=0.05
iii. Decision Rule
Reject H0 if the computed test score is ¿ - 3.353 or ¿ 3.353 with df = 142
iv. Computation:

Summary of Statistics

Large Class Small Class

x́ 84.819 86.497
s 54.439 37.845
n 98 46

x́ 1− x́ 2
t=

√ S 1 2 s 22
n1 n2
+

86.497−84.819
¿

√ (37.845)2 (54.439)2
46
+
98

1.678

√ 1432.244 2463.604
46
+
98

1.678
√ 31.135+30.240
1.678
7.834
t=0.214

v. Statistical Decision

Fail to reject H0