Shovee Joyce Cermino BEED - 2

Reflection # 20: Big class and small class in science teaching

In many countries around the world, there has been a hotly contested and widely
reported debate over the educational consequences of class size differences. Opinions vary from
those academics and policymakers who argue that class size reduction is not cost-effective to
those who argue that it should be a cornerstone of educational policy. Despite the debate, there is
general agreement, from both experimental and naturalistic studies, that smaller classes have
positive effects on pupil academic performance if introduced immediately after school entry, that
is, with the youngest children in school.

Advocates of smaller classes cite a host of benefits, among these benefits, are increased
student achievement, fewer discipline referrals, more personalized attention to students, higher
teacher morale, and more time for teachers to focus on instruction rather than on classroom
management”. Yet skeptics are concerned that reducing class size will increase costs which it
almost certainly will without substantially increasing teacher effectiveness or that other, less
expensive approaches might achieve the same educational goals without costing as much as
limiting class size.

However, it is now widely appreciated that attention needs to move from studies of the
effects on academic outcomes to a better understanding of the classroom processes that might be
involved. We concentrate on connections between class size and these classroom processes such
as teacher and pupil behavior and relationships, relationships between pupils, pupil engagement,
and involvement. Rather than a detailed review of research evidence, we are more
concerned with the educational implications of class size differences, with a particular emphasis
on maximizing the benefits of small classes for pupil learning.