Lecture: Size Really Matters

By: Stewart Hall

The effect of class size on level of achievement has been widely debated. In his article, John Follman states that “despite a long history of generally consistent research results that class size has little if any demonstrated influence on college students' achievement, educators nonetheless continue to express concern about the effects of large class size on student performance.” He then goes to say that research has shown that reducing class size will have very little effect on achievement unless the class sizes are reduced to less than 15-20 students. However, Follman's research only focuses on the effect of the lecture size on the students ability to learn. In a study conducted by (Lee, 2008), it was found that aside from the effects on students, lecture size effects how professors teach a class, which could have an effect on the achievement of students. He says “...size matters. The size of the class appears to influence and constrain the rhetorical and lexico-grammatical choices that lecturers make” (Lee, 2008).

The size of the lecture definitely has an impact on how effective the teaching is. With smaller lectures, the professor can get to know all of the students better, making it easier for the students to get help and feedback on their work. In a smaller lecture there is an opportunity for more interaction between the professor and the students, allowing for students to ask questions and gain a better understanding of what is being taught. With larger lectures, there is little opportunity for students to ask questions and interact with the professor. Instead, these large lectures are almost equivalent to watching a movie or a powerpoint presentation on your own because the professor may not know what needs to be clarified for the particular students in the lecture. The desire for smaller classes is recognized by universities who provide statistics to prospective students on the average size of their lectures and the student to faculty ratio. In the coming years, universities will try to decrease their class sizes to attract new students, hopefully increasing the achievement of current students.

Sources

Follman, John. (1994) "The Conundrum of Class Size at the College Level". College Quarterly. Vol. 2 Num. 1

Lee, Joseph J. (2008) “Size matters: an exploratory comparison of small- and large-class university lecture introductions “. Elsevier Ltd.