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An Examination of Class Size Reduction on Teaching and Learning Processes: A Theoretical Perspective
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Harfitt, Gary James; Tsui, Amy B. M. – British Educational Research Journal, 2015
The question of how class size impacts on student learning has been debated for some time, not least because it has substantial financial implications for educational policy. The strength of this debate notwithstanding, results from numerous international studies have been inconclusive. The study from which this paper stems sought to conceptualise…
Descriptors: Class Size, Teaching Methods, Learning Processes, Interviews
How Class Size Reduction Mediates Secondary Students' Learning: Hearing the Pupil Voice
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Harfitt, Gary James – Asia Pacific Education Review, 2012
This paper discusses the question of why and how class size can make a difference to teaching and learning from the students' perspective. Secondary school contexts and, in particular, the students' own voice on the issue of class size represent an under-researched area for class size studies. This paper draws on data from three case studies that…
Descriptors: Class Size, Secondary School Students, Second Language Learning, English (Second Language)
An Examination of Teachers' Perceptions and Practice when Teaching Large and Reduced-Size Classes: Do Teachers Really Teach Them in the Same Way?
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Harfitt, Gary James – Teaching and Teacher Education: An International Journal of Research and Studies, 2012
Class size research suggests that teachers do not vary their teaching strategies when moving from large to smaller classes. This study draws on interviews and classroom observations of three experienced English language teachers working with large and reduced-size classes in Hong Kong secondary schools. Findings from the study point to subtle…
Descriptors: Class Size, Foreign Countries, Teaching Methods, Teacher Attitudes
Brokering Dialogue between Secondary Students and Teachers to Co-Construct Appropriate Pedagogy in Reduced-Size Classes
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Harfitt, Gary James – Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 2014
This study focuses on how two teachers working in reduced-size secondary classes of the same grade adapted their pedagogy as a result of a brokered dialogue between myself as researcher and 43 grade 10 students from the teachers' classes. Research was carried out over the course of one academic year. First, students' perspectives on studying in a…
Descriptors: Secondary School Students, Secondary School Teachers, Foreign Countries, Class Size
Why "Small" Can Be Better: An Exploration of the Relationships between Class Size and Pedagogical Practices
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Harfitt, Gary James – Research Papers in Education, 2013
A central issue in the class size debate is that while cutting class size might lead to improved teaching and learning, it is also possible that it may not if teachers do not seek to exploit the advantages of a smaller class size through an alternative pedagogy. Research suggests that teachers do not change their pedagogy when moving from large…
Descriptors: Correlation, Class Size, Teaching Methods, Secondary School Teachers
Class Size and Language Learning in Hong Kong: The Students' Perspective
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Harfitt, Gary James – Educational Research, 2012
Background: There is currently ongoing debate in Hong Kong between the teachers' union and the Government on the reduction of large class size (typically more than 40 students) in secondary schools and whether smaller class sizes might facilitate improvements in teaching and learning. In fact, many Hong Kong secondary schools have already started…
Descriptors: Secondary Schools, Class Size, Measures (Individuals), Foreign Countries