Small-Group Instruction to Improve Early-Grade Mathematics Performance: Results From a Randomized Field Experiment

• In Event: Division C Section 1C: Topics in Early Childhood Mathematics

Abstract

How teachers can improve student performance is a key question in education, with recent research arguing that schools should implement tutoring in small groups to increase achievements. We conduct a large-scale, pre-registered, randomized field experiment to examine the effectiveness of small group instructions in mathematics for students in early grades. We find that students in treatment schools increased their performance by .06 standard deviations on average after one or two years of small group instruction. Our treatment effects are smaller than those in the high-dosage literature but much larger than those found in previous low-dosage experiments. In contrast to the existing literature, we find no evidence that treatment effects are larger for low-performing students.

Authors

• Hans Bonesrønning, Norwegian University of Sceince and Technology

• Henning Finseraas, Norwegian University of Sceince and Technology

• Inés Hardoy

• Jon Marius Vaag Iversen, Norwegian University of Sceince and Technology

• Ole Henning Nyhus, NTNU Social Research

• Vibeke Opheim, NIFU

• Kari Vea Salvanes, NIFU

• Astrid Marie Jorde Sandsør, University of Oslo

• Pål Schøne, Institute for Social Research