Why Does Classroom Size Matter

Improved Essays
Classroom Size Matters

The most essential thing to possess in life is an education. Almost everything can be stripped away but knowledge will last for an eternity. Unfortunately, there have been a plethora of factors that have been preventing students from receiving the best schooling possible. Although there are numerous situations that contribute to the problems of today’s education, classroom sizes have the greatest impact. In order for individuals to obtain the finest education possible, the amount of students in every classroom must be reduced.

A considerable cause of oversized classrooms is due to the unreasonable number of students per teacher. “Most schools, districts, and states count all “instructional staff” as teachers when calculating
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In a study done to observe the relationship between the two, the size of a classroom was reduced from twenty-two to fifteen students. “[The] large reduction in class size (7 students, or 32 percent) was found to increase student achievement” (Chingos). There are an abundance of reasons as to why these findings make perfect sense. The more students a classroom contains, the more noisy and disruptive the environment becomes. This in turn affects the instructor’s time by causing them to focus on individual students rather than the class as a whole. Having smaller classrooms allows students to receive the opportunity for individual communication with their teachers. It is highly essential for a student to acquire strong connections with their instructors because it will not only influence the way they perform but also motivate them to persevere. “For high school students, positive teacher-student relationships can reduce rates of dropping out by nearly half, help explore options for college, and provide support for further academic or vocational aspirations” (Gallagher). Having positive bonds between a scholar and their instructor will create a welcoming environment where students are comfortable and can engage in academically. These relationships will substantially influence their outlook on education because students will realize they are not alone. Another effect of overcrowded classrooms is how students will socially interact with each other. In a study on social behavior, “small schools [had] lower incidences of negative behavior, however measured, than [did] large schools” (Cotton 6). A reasonable explanation for these outcomes is the fact that the more a classroom is occupied, the less control and aware the instructor will be. It is considerably difficult to contain a class of thirty as opposed to a class of only fifteen to twenty students.

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