Two experiments evaluated the effects of the simple-to-complex and simultaneous training protocols on the formation of academically relevant equivalence classes. The simple-to-complex protocol intersperses derived relations probes with training baseline relations. The simultaneous protocol conducts all training trials and test trials in separate…

Understanding the effects of class size reduction (CSR) has been an enduring issue in education. For the past 3 decades, Project STAR has stimulated research and policy discussions regarding the effects of CSR on a variety of outcomes. Schanzenbach (2007) reviewed STAR studies and concluded that small classes improved student academic outcomes.…

A major challenge in conducting classroom experiments for larger classes is the complexity of assembling responses and reporting feedback to students. The author demonstrates how mobile phone text messaging can be used to overcome the limitations of pencil-and-paper experiments without incurring the costs of full computerization. Students submit…

This study was made to see if there were descriptive statistics on (1) size of enrollment, (2) location (by population density), (3) availability of staff, (4) curriculum (transfer or terminal), and (5) cost per student that would predict rejection of experimental programs in staff use. The attitude of the chief administrator as the single most…

In recent years, propensity score matching (PSM) has gained attention as a potential method for estimating the impact of public policy programs in the absence of experimental evaluations. In this study, we evaluate the usefulness of PSM for estimating the impact of a program change in an educational context (Tennessee's Student Teacher Achievement…

This policy brief draws on research and evaluations of efforts in Tennessee, California, and Wisconsin to describe different approaches to reducing class size in kindergarten through third grade. Tennessee implemented a randomized experiment to investigate the effectiveness of smaller classes; California used a statewide approach; and Wisconsin…

IN AN ATTEMPT TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION, SEVERAL VARIETIES OF EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION HAVE BEGUN IN OKLAHOMA CITY. IN FOUR LARGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, HALF OF THE PUPILS' TIME HAS BEEN SPENT IN FAIRLY LARGE GROUPS AND THE OTHER HALF IN SMALLER, CONVENTIONAL-SIZE GROUPS. SMALL GROUPS WERE USED FOR TEACHING THE 3R'S. SCIENCE, ART, MUSIC,…

An experiment with large and small groups of students in mathematics and language arts. (Editor)

The relationship between class size and students' evaluations was examined in two experiments conducted at a public and a private university. Results indicated that the relationship between course enrollment and students' evaluations--with the exception of the quality of Group Interaction factor score--tended to be small, with both very small and…

Two hundred first grade children participated in an experimental program involving innovative curricula and instructional techniques. A pretest-posttest method of instruction, employing sequenced and structured learning activities, enabled each child to progress at an individual rate and was supplemented by a readiness program. Evaluation of the…

The paper discusses an experiment in which regression analysis was used to examine predictors of information retention following a college economics course. It was hypothesized that students taught in small classes with self-instructional materials would place a higher value on basic economic concepts and retain these concepts longer than students…

In Sofia, Bulgaria, at the Institute of Suggestology headed by Dr. Georgi Lozanov, yoga relaxation has been combined with the Mauger oral method to produce a unique system of foreign language teaching: Suggestopedia. In a pleasant classroom, 12 students sit in specail chairs in front of a teacher individually trained in the foreign language and in…