Transcript Teacher-Student Ratio and Academic Achievement

Teacher-Student Ratio and
Elementary Children’s
Academic Achievement
Wendy Jowers, Teri Paulk, and
Sol Summerlin
Outline
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*Purpose of the Proposal
*Research Question
*Definition of Terms
*Review of Literature
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*Directional Hypothesis
*Procedures
*Data Analysis
*Final Points
Purpose of this Proposal
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To study the effect of teacher-student ratio
on the academic achievement of elementary
students.
Research Question
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What is the effect of
teacher-student ratio
on the academic
achievement of
elementary students?
Definition of Terms
Teacher-Student Ratio
the number of students assigned to a
teacher per classroom.
Low Teacher-Student ratio
ä 18 or fewer students assigned to a teacher
per classroom.
Definition of Terms
High Teacher-Student Ratio
ä 25 or more students assigned to a teacher
per classroom.
Academic Achievement
ä the Total Reading Normal Curve
Equivalent (NCE) scores on the Iowa Test
of Basic Skills before and after reduction
of class size.
Definition of Terms
Elementary Students
students enrolled in the second grade at
Westside Elementary School and Satilla
Elementary School in Douglas, Georgia
during the 1998 school year.
Review of Literature: Class Size
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Small Classes
Majority of small class sizes range from 13-18
students.
Reduced class size is more conducive to the
learning environment than a large class (Finn &
Achilles, 1990).
Advantages of small classes:
ä teacher-students under less stress
ä more relaxed environment
ä more individualized instruction
Large Classes:
ä 19-30 students (Mueller, Chase, & Walden,
1990)
ä most classrooms are considered large classes
Disadvantages of large classes:
ä more discipline problems
ä higher retention rates
ä increased absences
ä more special education referrals
ä lower self-esteem among students (Cited
in WWW, n.d.)
Effects of Class Size on
Academic Achievement
Research has been Positive for Small Class Size
ä improved instruction
ä increased reading test scores (Mueller, Chase,
& Walden, 1988)
ä higher self-esteem
ä students in small classes outperform students
in large classes on standardized tests (Word et
al., 1990).
Directional Hypothesis
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Reduced class size will
increase reading
achievement among
elementary students.
Procedures
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About 300 second graders from Westside
or Satilla Elementary Schools.
Seven classrooms from each school.
Daily reading instruction of 120 minutes.
ITBS will be given as pre-test in the fall
and post-test in the spring of the same
school year.
Data Analysis
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Comparison of scores according to class size
(i.e., small versus large).
Independent samples t-test to determine
whether the means of these two groups are
significantly different.
Dependent samples t-tests to assess gain score
differences over the school year.
Level of statistical significance for all
comparisons will be set at .05.
Final Points
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Test scores rise when districts use money
to reduce class size (Bracey, 1995).
Is reducing class size necessary to the
improvement of education?