Research on class size effects: a critique of methods and a way forward

Research findings on class size differences need to be examined carefully because of their far reaching pedagogical and resource implications. An examination of research on the possible causal effect of class size differences on pupil progress, and on possible mediating factors, also raises important issues for educational research in general. In this chapter critically different approaches to research on class size effects are reviewed and an approach used in current research at the Institute of Education, that seems most likely to inform this controversial topic is described. Researchers need to pay more attention to providing a more reliable and valid measure of class size itself. In keeping with the bulk of research in this area the emphasis is on quantitative approaches, although possible limitations and alternative research approaches are considered. Limitations of earlier cross sectional research are examined, and the well-known STAR research is used to highlight some limitations of experimental designs. Finally, the advantages of longitudinal research, using multi-level modelling techniques, are examined.     

The predictive validity of kindergarten readiness judgments: Lessons from one state

Recent federal investments in early childhood assessment systems are the result of a national need for developmentally appropriate, psychometrically sound instruments to monitor young children and evaluate the effectiveness of their learning programs. In this paper, we examined the association between teachers’ perceptions of their students at the start of kindergarten and academic achievement in Grade 3 with hierarchical linear modeling using state-level data from nearly 30,000 students. The analyses showed that such an association exists even after accounting for student-level and school-level demographic variables and is moderated by the percentage of free-lunch-eligible students in a given school. Implications of these findings related screening and assessment at kindergarten entry are discussed.     

A critique of “unequal educational opportunity" 1

Using the 159 counties of Georgia as statistical units Osborne has presented data indicating (a) a positive relationship between percentage of non‐Whites and per pupil expenditures; (b) a negative relationship between per pupil expenditures and mean achievement and intelligence scores; and (c) a negative relationship between percentage of non‐Whites and mean intelligence and achievement scores. Osborne has interpreted these findings as indicating that the attempt to raise the achievement levels of previously deprived groups has been a failure, and has used this interpretation as a basis for a more general negative conclusion concerning the effectiveness of compensatory efforts. The present analysis indicates, however, that neither of these conclusions follows from his data. The evidence suggests rather that Osborne's negative correlations reflect in large measure long‐range effects of earlier conditions.     

MEDLINE and PsycLIT on CD-ROM: a survey of users in an academic medical library

A survey of users of PsycLIT and MEDLINE on CD-ROM was performed at an academic medical library. The questionnaire was designed to gather information about the user population, satisfaction of the users, the assistance needed to use the systems, and the type of searches being performed. The majority of users were graduate students in the schools of medicine, nursing, and pharmacy. In general, users were satisfied with the performance of the systems. Assistance from a librarian, printed documentation, or another patron was required by 85% of users, and they were generally satisfied with this assistance. Most searches were performed to obtain information on a subject. The results were remarkably similar for both databases.     

Utilising creative methodologies to elicit the views of young learners with additional needs in literacy

The research described in this article aimed to explore and examine the dominant ‘assessment’ and ‘participation’ stories of upper‐primary pupils with long‐standing and marked literacy learning needs, their views on how their level of participation in the assessment and remediation of their additional needs might be increased and also how they perceive themselves as literacy learners. This qualitative small‐scale study adopted a case study approach and utilised creative methodologies in the context of focus groups to investigate sensitively the views and experiences of Key Stage 2 pupils with additional needs in literacy. The findings discussed here are based on the outcomes from the four Northern Irish schools that participated in the original cross‐border (Northern Ireland/Republic of Ireland) study. Findings are discussed in the context of strategies for promoting holistic and empowering pathways for learners with additional needs in literacy.     

The Shaping of the Curriculum

Abstract

Curriculum design might appear to be a project for a pure educational theory. An example of such a theory is Paul Hirst's deduction of distinct forms of knowledge’ upon which rests his advocacy of the liberal curriculum’. Hirst's theory, though immune to many of the attacks that have been directed at it, fails to consider how (if at all) the structure of knowledge maps on to the structure of our mental (learning) faculties. The partitioning of the manifold of knowledge may correspond not at all to the optimum curricular partitioning of the teaching manifold. Further, as a curriculum proposal, Hirst's account needs to be underwritten by an account of the purpose of education. Accounts of the latter sort normally invoke considerations of a political nature. Such considerations, together with the influence of other forces, tend to pull curricula in directions which many educationalists regard as undesirable. Can pure educational theory reassert itself as the controlling force behind curriculum planning? I argue that there is little prospect of its so doing.