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Abstract
Michael Klonsky, College of Education, University of Illinois at Chicago once said, “A compelling body of research shows that when students are part of smaller and more intimate learning communities, they are more successful.” (Starr, 1999) Our study attempted to verify the authenticity of the above statement. We did this by surveying teachers from four urban elementary schools, in Omaha and Bellevue Nebraska. The surveys consisted of questions related to student participation and teacher morale. Introduction Studies on class size have been going on for decades. Dated as far back as the 1920’s, small experimental studies were done on the effects of class size (Biddle 2002). Researchers are trying to discover the best possible learning environment for students. There are some that say small classes are the way to go, and yet there are those that say classroom size does not matter, but it is the attitude of the students and teachers that make a successful learning environment. Data shows that students in smaller classes “obtain higher test scores; participate more in school; demonstrate improved behavior; and retain many benefits of early class size reductions in their later years of schooling” (Hopkins 1998). Another positive aspect of small class size is teachers are able to have more one-on-one time with their students (Vladero 2001). Those in favor of class size reduction say that the benefits are life-long; that the benefits enable a child to succeed throughout his/her schooling and even into their career of choice (Finn 2002). Purpose The purpose of this study was to conclude if students in a small class setting, who receive adequate one-on-one attention from the teacher, are engaged in appropriate learning activities. Hypothesis From the many studies that have been conducted on classroom size, researchers have found that the academic achievement levels of students in smaller classes is higher than those in larger classrooms. We believe that students in a small class, compared to those in a large class, who receive an adequate amount of one-on-one time from the teacher, will be more engaged in activities based on his/her learning ability. Assumptions When conducting this study, it was assumed that all teachers would participate in completing the surveys. It was also assumed that teachers would be honest and answer the questions to the best of his/her abilities. Operational Definitions Prior to conducting this research, there were four terms that needed to be defined. The first is primary. Primary is in reference to the primary grades in elementary schools. The grades that are included are Kindergarten through third grade. The second term is Title I. Title I is a federal based program that offers supplementary resources to support instruction in reading and mathematics. The program offers extra help to the students who need it most. When discussing classroom size there were two terms that needed to be discussed. Small class size is determined by twenty or less students, and large class size is twenty-one students or more. Review of Literature In all of the studies that supported smaller classroom sizes, research shows that: 1. Students’ engagement in academic activities increased (Finn 2002); 2. Students pay better attention and ask more questions (Hopkins 1998); and 3. Teachers in smaller classes are also able to spend more time on teaching, provide students with more individual attention, and they know more about the needs and interests of their students than teachers in larger classes (Vladero 2001). Teachers are able to encourage individual students to verbalize their understandings and display their skills. The teacher is able to provide the student with feedback, explanations, and resources and able to assign appropriate tasks (Zahorik 2003). When students have these things they become more involved in the educational process and students begin to take responsibility for their own education (Boss 2000) instead of solely relying on the teacher(s). “Students [in smaller schools] take more of the responsibility for their own learning; their learning activities are more often individualized, experiential, and relevant to the world outside of school…” (Boss 2000). Effects of Small Class Size In a smaller class size it is much easier for a student to not “slip through the cracks”. In smaller classes it is easier for students to be in the spotlight. “In a smaller class, a teacher can spend more time teaching basic skills. Teachers can cover more ground in each lesson and provide daily feedback to students…it’s easier for teachers to pinpoint students who require remedial help. Teachers also have more time to adapt teaching strategies to their individual students, and to provide needed help before it’s too late!” (Hopkins 1998) Tennessee’s Project Star One of the most important studies done on the issue of class size and how it affects academic achievement is Tennessee’s Project STAR (Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio) which began in 1985 under Governor Lamar Alexander (Finn 2002). In this study they wanted to prove the following conclusion: reduced class size (below 20 students) can be expected to produce a modest increase in academic achievement (Finn 2002). The results of Tennessee’s project were as follows: Kindergarten students who attended small classes were about one-half month ahead of students who attended larger classes in reading, and 1.6 months ahead in mathematics. In grade 1, the small-class advantage was 1.3 months in reading and 2.8 months in mathematics. By spring of grade 3, the advantage in reading was 4.5 months (or about half a school year) (Finn 2002). The magnitude of effects was greater for students who started early and spent more years in small classes (Finn 2002). In Tennessee’s STAR program, it was very evident that students who attended small classes at a young age had many benefits as they progressed through their schooling, and their performance gains were maintained at least through the seventh grade (Picus 2000). Until the initial testing group reached 12th grade, each year they took the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills and received scores in reading, mathematics, science, and social science (Biddle, 2002). “The results showed that average students who attended small classes were months ahead of those from standard classes for each topic assessed at each grade level” (Biddle 2002). They also earned better grades on average, and fewer dropped out of school or had to repeat a year (Biddle 2002). In a small class where students are excited and participating about learning it excites the teacher. Then he/she is able to discover new ways of teaching their students so that they receive the best education possible.
Design of Study Method Two urban Title I elementary schools, one urban public elementary school, and one urban private elementary school were used for the collection of data. At all schools, surveys were distributed to all primary level teachers. In all, there were twenty-eight surveys dispersed.
Population Both male and female teachers were represented at each school, along with a variety of ethnic groups. These ethnic groups included: African American, Asian American, and European American. Although a majority of the teachers were European American.
Limitations There were a few limitations that we encountered when we conducted our research. The first and most obvious limitation was time. Time was limited because of deadlines and the busy schedules of the teachers. Teachers were only given three days to complete the surveys. Although we did not get responses from all of the teachers, this amount of time gave us enough information to complete our study. The second limitation that we encountered during while conducting was the number of teachers that were able to participate. There were originally five different schools that were going to be used. One school was eliminated because they were not able to complete the surveys, which left us with only four schools and twenty-eight participants. The last limitation we came upon while conducting our research was our own personal bias. Between practicums and student teaching, each one of us has completed numerous hours within the classroom, because of this we had to keep our own personal bias out of the way of our research. Data Collection There was only one method of data collection used in our research were surveys (a sample survey is included in Appendix 1). Surveys were distributed to primary level teachers at four different elementary schools. Teachers were given three days to complete and place them in the survey return folder. The survey was made up of eight demographic questions, eleven Likert scale items, and one open-ended statement in which teachers could respond. The survey questions were created in order to get a better understanding of how well the teachers knew their students, and help each one individually to meet the academic needs of the students. The surveys also allowed us to learn if the students were excited about learning and participated in daily learning activities. Analysis of Data As previously noted, the method of our study was done through teacher surveys. The surveys were handed out to each of the teachers at the primary level. There were a total of eight demographic questions, eleven Likert scale items, and one open-ended statement in which the teachers could respond. There were five graphs chosen to best represent our findings through the teacher surveys. The data collected through the classroom teacher survey is subjective and can be evaluated quantitatively. For ease of viewing the results, a pie chart has been generated for each of the five questions.
The first item on the survey was, “On average you are able to get enough one-on-one time.” In response to this question, only 43% of teachers from a large class agreed and 57% disagreed.
The fourth item on the survey was, “You provide students with appropriate activities according to his/her developmental level.” In response to this, 100% of teachers from a small class agreed.
The fourth item on the survey was, “You provide students with appropriate activities according to his/her developmental level.” In response to this, 100% of teachers from a large class agreed.
The sixth item on the survey was, “Students are engaged in learning activities.” In response to this, 100% of teachers from a small class agreed.
The sixth item on the survey was, “Students are engaged in learning activities.” In response to this, 100% of teachers from a large class agreed.
The seventh item on the survey was, “Students ask questions related to their learning.” In response to this, 93% of teachers from a large class agreed, and only 7% of teachers disagreed.
The eighth item on the survey was, “Your students take responsibility for their own learning.” In response to this 70% of teachers from a small class agreed, while 30% of teachers disagreed.
The eighth item on the survey was, “Your students take responsibility for their own learning.” In response to this only 43% of teachers from a large class agreed, while 57% of teachers disagreed.
Conclusions After analyzing our data and research we made several conclusions. The first conclusion that we came to is that teachers from a small class have adequate one-on-one time with their students. Our surveys showed that 56% of teachers from a small class feel that their students get adequate one-on-one time. These results are supported by many research studies. Vladero found in his 2001 study that students in smaller classes get more one-on-one time than students in a larger classroom. The second conclusion that we came to is that teachers surveyed from a large class feel that they are not able to provide adequate one-on-one time for their students. Our surveys showed that 57% of teachers from a large class feel that their students do not get adequate one-on-one time. This conclusion was not surprising to us because many of the studies we found, like Vladero, showed that most students in a smaller classroom get more one-on-one time than those in a larger classroom. The third conclusion that we came to is that all students, from small or large classes, are provided with appropriate learning activities according to his or her developmental level. All teachers surveyed from both small and large classes said that they agree that their students are provided with appropriate learning activities according to his or her developmental level. This conclusion did surprise us because it contradicts our own observations in the classrooms. The fourth conclusion we came to is that all students are engaged in learning activities. All of the teachers surveyed, from both small and large classes, feel that their students are engaged in learning activities. This conclusion also surprised us because our observations in the classrooms did not show students always engaging in learning activities. The fifth conclusion we came to is that students from both small and large classes ask questions related to his or her learning. Our surveys showed that 89% of teachers surveyed from a small class feel that their students ask questions related to their learning. Our surveys also showed that 93% of large class teachers feel that their students ask questions related to their learning. This conclusion surprised us because we have not always observed this in the classrooms. The sixth conclusion we came to is that teachers feel students from a small class do take responsibility for their own learning. Our surveys showed that 70% of teachers surveyed from a small class feel that their students do take responsibility for their own learning. These results support Hopkins 1998 study showing that students from a smaller class ask more questions related to his or her learning than students from a larger class. The last conclusion we came to is that teachers feel that students from a large class do not take responsibility for their own learning. Our surveys showed that 57% of teachers surveyed from a large class feel that their students do not take responsibility for their own learning. This conclusion did not surprise us because we feel that if students get more attention and one-on-one time, they will take more responsibility for their own learning. Our data and research partially supports our hypothesis and the research of others. Our data supports that students from a small class will have more one-on-one time with the teacher than students from a large class. Our research and data shows that teachers from a small class feel that their students get adequate one-on-one time. However, teachers surveyed from a large class feel their students do not get adequate one-on-one time. Our data does not support our hypothesis involving student engagement in learning activities. We hypothesized that students from a smaller class would be more engaged in learning activities than students from a larger class. Our data showed that all students from small and large classes are engaged in learning activities. This did not support our hypothesis because all students are engaged in learning activities regardless of their class size. It has been found from our data and research that class size does affect student learning. Our data shows that students who are in smaller classes have more one-on-one time with the teacher and take more responsibility for their own individual learning. Recommendations It is clear that more research needs to be done on the issue of class size. There are many questions surrounding the topic of class size that more research could help to answer. We recommend that a study be done on a larger and more diverse population. Other questions or factors involving class size include: (1) Is class size affected by teacher experience? (2) Does the behavior of the students in the class affect class size? (3) What are some methods that can be used to help students from larger classes get more one-on-one time? (4) What are some methods that can be used in larger classes to get students to take more responsibility for their own learning? We recommend that teachers receive various training. Teacher training is essential in making an effective classroom. Teachers should be trained on how to create and incorporate appropriate learning activities. Teachers need to be able to make activities that will get their students engaged in their learning. Teachers from both small and large classes should be able to get their students attention during learning time, and should be able to incorporate activities that interest them so they will take more responsibility for their own learning. Teachers should also be trained on how to use one-on-one time with their students most effectively. All teachers, from both small and large classes, may feel that they are not able to work with their individual students enough. Teachers should be trained on strategies to use in the classroom and with their individual students so they know they are using their one-on-one time to the best benefit of their students. Once teachers gain and use these skills in the classroom, the students will start to get more involved in their daily activities. If the students are more involved, they will begin to ask more questions related to his or her learning, and therefore will take more responsibility for their own individual learning. We recommend that schools recognize and study the issue of class size. Schools need to know that this is a major issue that affects the learning of their students. If schools do not recognize class size as an issue, the issue will never be addressed in the classrooms. We feel that schools need to deal with the issue the best they can and should work with individual teachers so they can make their classroom the most effective learning environment for all of their students.
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