Budgetary constraints are creating a current climate of cost containment, within which increasing class size may be seen as a quick and convenient cost-cutting strategy. Empirical evidence suggests that there are eight deleterious outcomes associated with increasingly larger class size. This article synthesizes research relating to these eight…

"Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators" is the authoritative source for accurate and relevant information on the state of education around the world. It provides data on the structure, finances, and performance of education systems in more than 40 countries, including OECD members and G20 partners. Featuring more than 100 charts, 200…

Due to the growing focus on learner independence, peer assessment has received a lion's share of attention in recent years. Nevertheless, this idea is novel to most English language teachers and students in Taiwan where traditional assessment is still dominant. This study investigated college students' attitudes towards and possible language…

This paper investigates the effects of California's billion-dollar class-size-reduction program on student achievement. It uses year-to-year differences in class size generated by variation in enrollment and the state's class-size-reduction program to identify both the direct effects of smaller classes and related changes in teacher quality.…

As English progressively becomes the global language, many native English speakers move to foreign countries to work as English teachers. However a review of the literature reveals that there is little research on their actual performance compared to the non-native local English teachers. This comparative case study examines pedagogic practices of…

A continuing need for comprehensive and timely information about the public school teachers of the United States led the National Education Association (NEA) Research Division in 1956 to develop the first of a series of surveys and subsequent reports covering various aspects of teachers' professional, family, and civic lives. The NEA has conducted…

This article identifies classroom management problems, their causes, and possible ways to reduce these problems in primary schools located in Delta State, Nigeria. A total of 600 teachers selected from twelve local government areas participated in this study. Data were collected in a checklist containing 27 items and a two section questionnaire…

This paper describes how Turkish teachers of English in state primary education approach the implementation of a Communicative-Oriented Curriculum innovation and factors that impact on teachers' classroom practices. Using multidimensional research procedures, including a questionnaire, observations and teacher interviews, a picture has been…

Research and common sense suggest that smaller classes offer teachers the chance to devote more time to each student, thus improving student learning. To explore the efficacy of improved teacher-student ratios, an overview of research on class sizes is offered in this report. An analysis of findings from initiatives in various states provides…

Student retention has been a divisive educational question since the turn of the century. And although early educators found that retention was not particularly effective, they continued using it because their options were limited. Today, educators have many options to retention. Using the database from Project STAR, a study explored the common…

Examines the effects of class size, physical space, and activity centers on a variety of child and teacher behaviors in preschool classrooms. (RB)

An exploratory analysis of four large educational data sets found evidence of schools and districts that consistently produced outstanding students, even after socioeconomic factors were controlled for. Outstanding Michigan schools had smaller classes, better-paid teachers, and more teachers with greater than five years experience. (Author)

Recognizing the contradictory or inconclusive findings on class size in English, this booklet provides a summary and analysis of existing class size research and describes the kinds of research that would shed new light on the question of class size and secondary English. The first section contains the report of the Task Force on Class Size and…

In the past, educators reduced class size to obtain significant increases in academic achievement. However, research comparing small and large classes found very little or no significant difference in students' academic achievement. Presently, the National Center for Education projects an increase in teaching jobs and a slight improvement in the…

This investigation of class size and student evaluations of faculty is based on data for over 4,000 college and university classes on 16 campuses across the country. The data reveal a surprising but definite curvilinear relationship between class size and teacher ratings. (Editor)