THE EFFECTS OF CLASS SIZE ON STUDENT ACADEMIC …

1 THE EFFECTS OF CLASS SIZE ON STUDENT ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN A PRINCIPLES. OF MICROECONOMICS COURSE. Pascal Ngoboka, University of Wisconsin-River Falls - River Falls, Brian Schultz, University of Wisconsin-River Falls - River Falls, ABSTRACT certain courses and reduce the number of preparations for faculty members. This is also necessary to enable This study investigates the possible EFFECTS of CLASS size faculty members in CBE to increase their research and on STUDENT ACADEMIC performance in a Principles of scholarly activity output, a requirement for the AACSB. Microeconomics course taught at UW-River Falls during accreditation of the Business Administration Program at Spring Semester 2001. The study was motivated by the UWRF. The alternative, a one-course release to each recent need to increase the section size (from about 50 faculty member, would require additional resources to to almost 100 students ) for introductory economics hire part-time (adjunct) instructors.

2 This is not courses in the College of Business and Economics. considered feasible given current resource constraints. However, some faculty members have expressed However, some faculty members have concern that large CLASS sizes will have a negative effect expressed concern that combining the normal ( small'). on students ' learning. Previous studies on the EFFECTS of sections into larger sections may have significant CLASS size on STUDENT achievement show mixed EFFECTS on negative EFFECTS on STUDENT learning or performance. The STUDENT learning. purpose of this study, therefore, is to further investigate This study utilizes data from a STUDENT survey the EFFECTS of CLASS size on STUDENT ACADEMIC conducted at the beginning of the semester, along with performance in the Principles of Microeconomics University records, instructors' grades, and attendance courses taught in Spring 2001 at UWRF.

3 Records to estimate a multiple regression model. The estimated model includes a measure of STUDENT ACADEMIC OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY. performance (total exam points) as the dependent variable, with selected independent variables that are The objective of this study is to further investigate the important predictors of STUDENT learning, plus a measure possible EFFECTS of CLASS size on students ' ACADEMIC of CLASS size. Statistical analyses were carried out to test performance in a Principles of Microeconomics course the hypothesis that STUDENT ACADEMIC performance is at UW-River Falls. Several previous higher in the normal ( small') CLASS size, controlling for studies showed mixed EFFECTS of CLASS size on STUDENT the other predictors of STUDENT learning. This allowed us learning. The issue has thus remained unresolved, to determine whether or not large CLASS sizes have a implying that more research is needed.

4 Optimal CLASS negative effect on our students ' learning. size, given institutional budgetary constraints, has The results of this study will be used to make remained a problem that requires further research. future policy decisions with regard to offering larger Some researchers have used data from large-size sections of introductory economics courses. Further institutions where some of the courses are taught by investigations will be conducted for other introductory graduate assistants, while others have compared courses courses offered by the College of Business and taught by several instructors at different institutions. Economics. This study investigates the EFFECTS of CLASS size on STUDENT ACADEMIC performance in a Principles of Microeconomics course offered during Spring Semester INTRODUCTION 2001 at UW-River Falls, a medium-size state university.

5 The data covers two sections of the course; a normal'. The Faculty Development Committee of the College of size section (about 50 students ) and a large' section (a Business and Economics (CBE) at the University of combination of two normal size' sections) taught by the Wisconsin-River Falls (UWRF) has proposed combining same instructor. the normal' sections of various introductory courses The study estimates a regression model with a into larger sections to both reduce the backlog in measure of STUDENT ACADEMIC performance as the 2002 Proceedings of the Midwest Business Economics Association 198. dependent variable. Independent variables include evidence that teaching strategies employed by selected factors that affect STUDENT learning and a introductory economics instructors depended on CLASS measure of CLASS size.

6 Statistical analyses were carried size. students ' responses to a survey also suggest that out to test the hypothesis that STUDENT ACADEMIC the effectiveness of various pedagogies may not differ performance is higher in the normal-size' (smaller) CLASS . much between large and small classes. This will enable us to determine whether a larger CLASS Several other related studies have tended to put size has a negative effect on STUDENT learning at UW- more emphasis on the various predictors of STUDENT River Falls. learning or achievement. Siegfried and Walstad (1990). found that study effort, age of a STUDENT , and a good Implications of the Study match between STUDENT 's learning style and instructor's Many studies on the EFFECTS of CLASS size on STUDENT teaching style have positive influences on STUDENT 's learning have been in response to budgetary pressures performance.

7 That led to increases in CLASS size at many institutions and Hancock (1996) in a study involving nine subsequent concern about possible negative EFFECTS on sections of a college statistics course (6 'normal' sections STUDENT learning. The results of this study will be made and 3 'mega sections' averaging 118 students ) found no available to the Dean and Curriculum Committee in the evidence that grade distribution was affected by CLASS College of Business and Economics. These results will size, supporting the hypothesis that achievement was be used to make decisions regarding the current practice independent of CLASS size. of combining sections of introductory courses and to Hill (1998) investigated the effect of large search for alternative resources to provide faculty with sections (120 students ) on STUDENT performance in an the needed reassigned time for research.

8 The authors Accounting course and found that the size of the CLASS also plan to conduct studies in other introductory did not have a significant effect on STUDENT performance. courses to provide further evidence on this issue. Contrary to expectations, the large CLASS outperformed the small classes when controlling for attendance and university GPA. Hill concluded that large CLASS size may LITERATURE REVIEW be more of an expectations issue rather than a performance issue, since students reported that they felt The EFFECTS of CLASS size on students ' performance has the CLASS size was too large. been researched in various fields and the results of this Papo (1999) found that the size of the CLASS research show mixed EFFECTS of CLASS size on students ' taught does not have an impact on teaching effectiveness performance.

9 McKeachie (1990) has summarized the and the selection of teaching strategies by instructors. theory of the EFFECTS of CLASS size on learning, focusing He concluded that teaching in large classes is not seen or on how instructors and students behave differently in perceived as a problem by students since the teaching large and small classes. It is noted that discussion time and learning success may depend, in part, on what is becomes fragmented among students in large classes and taught. What the optimal size of CLASS is for a particular instructors may rely on passive lecturing, assign less course and teaching task remains a problem for written homework or fewer problem sets, and may not continued research. require written papers. In addition, instructors may find Okpala, et al. (2000) used the concept of the it difficult to know each STUDENT personally and tailor 'education production function' to analyze the EFFECTS of pedagogy to individual STUDENT needs in a large CLASS .

10 students ' study habits and ACADEMIC effort on students '. McKeachie's (1990) survey of the education performance in a Principles of Macroeconomics course. literature, however, suggests that learning is not affected It was found that ACADEMIC effort and study habits were much by CLASS size largely because instructors do not significant in explaining ACADEMIC achievement in four adjust their teaching methods to CLASS size. different sections of the course taught by the same However, Hancock (1996) has indicated that instructor. while strong conventional wisdom indicates that CLASS Skoro and Payne (1993) investigated whether size affects students ' learning, most of the earlier studies assigning problem sets in economic principles courses were not conducted in higher education and report little increased learning and found no evidence that numerous more that surveyed impressions, thus offering little short problem-set assignments had a direct effect on empirical evidence.