Students Observed to Be 'On Task' Less as Class Size Grows

New York

A new British study quantifies and confirms what many teachers have long believed: Students tend to be “off task” more often when they are in larger classes.

The report , by researchers from the University of London Institute of Education, was one of several studies on the educational effects of reducing class sizes that were presented here last week on the first day of the annual meeting of the Washington-based American Educational Research Association. The March 24-28 event was expected to draw more than 15,000 education scholars from around the world.

Studies on class size have long suggested that elementary school pupils tend to learn more in classes of 20 students or fewer. The new papers, which were based on studies conducted in the United States and Hong Kong, as well as in Great Britain, extend and deepen the discussion on that topic by looking more closely at what goes on inside...