There is then confirmation across both quantitative and qualitative results that
children in large classes are likely to be more distracted from work and more often off
task. These results offer support for the view of Finn and Achilles (1999) that one of the
main effects of class size is on children’s attentiveness in class.
iii. Peer relations
We have already seen from the systematic observation results that class size differences
affect the balance between teacher-pupil and pupil-pupil interactions. Children in larger
classes spend more time with each other (see Fig 2), and further analysis of individual
child-child categories showed that this applied to interactions about work, about social
matters, and also 'mucking about'. Social relations between children as revealed in the
PBR were not strongly related to class size. There was no support for the expectation
that relations between children would be worse in large classes. Indeed, we found that
there was a slight though consistent tendency for worse peer relations, in terms of
aggression and rejection of peers, in the smallest classes. Smaller classes may be better
academically but not necessarily socially. It needs to be stressed, however, that this
finding needs further research and replication. A full account of connections between
class size and inattentiveness and peer relations can be found in Blatchford, Edmonds
and Martin (in press).
A summary model of the effect of class size differences on classroom processes and
outcomes
Our research suggests that it is not likely, or realistic, to think that one theory or
conceptual framework will account for effects. Class size effects are, in other words, not
singular but multiple. Accordingly, we will need multiple theoretical or conceptual
frameworks to account for these effects and to judge their implications, e.g., connected
to teaching, pupil attentiveness and social relations. Further, the different effects may
have conflicting outcomes, e.g., in the sense that smaller classes can lead to positive
academic outcomes but problematic social effects. Picking up on the point just made
about teachers’ compensatory efforts suggests a further complication, in that there may
be not only multiple effects but different effects can themselves affect each other, so
that, for example, teachers may make extra efforts to hear children read, e.g., during the
lunch break, because a larger class has limited the time available for this activity during
lesson time.
It would therefore be difficult to capture all the possible complexities involved, but as a
way of summarising and integrating the quantitative and qualitative data on classroom
processes, that are related to class size differences, we have prepared Figure 3.
Fig 3 about here
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