Class Size Effects on Fourth-Grade Mathematics Achievement: Evidence From TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) 2011

• In Event: 75.061 - Roundtable Session 34
  In Roundtable Session: 75.061-10 - Comparative Perspectives: Learning From Large International Data Sets

Abstract

Class size reduction policies have been widely implemented around the world in the past decades. However, findings about the effects of class size on student achievement have been mixed. In this study, we employed instrumental variables methods to examine the causal effects of class size on fourth grade mathematics achievement using data from 14 European countries from TIMSS 2011. While we found some evidence of class size effects in Romania and the Slovak Republic, overall there were no systematic patterns of class size effects. The results indicate that in most European countries class size reduction may not improve mathematics achievement in fourth grade.

Authors

• Wei Li, University of Alabama

• Spyros Konstantopoulos, Michigan State University