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The Effect of Class Size Reduction on Foreign Language Learning: A Case Study 1
Author(s) -
Yi Heejong
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
language and linguistics compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.619
H-Index - 44
ISSN - 1749-818X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-818x.2008.00090.x
Subject(s) - pronunciation , active listening , class (philosophy) , class size , foreign language , mathematics education , psychology , reading (process) , institution , ap french language , pedagogy , linguistics , computer science , sociology , communication , artificial intelligence , philosophy , social science
The effect of class size reduction (CSR) has been a frequent topic in educational policy over the past decades. Although previous studies yield inconclusive results, the expectation has been that implementing CSR would improve students’ academic achievement. This article studies the effects of CSR in adult foreign language classrooms at a single institution. Language proficiency data from students learning Modern Standard Arabic, Chinese, or Korean in a class of reduced size (5–6 students per classroom) are compared to those in the standard size classroom for this institution (9–10 students per classroom). At the midpoint in the course, the effects of CSR are evident in the areas of pronunciation and communicative skills. At the end of the course, the students in a CSR classroom reach higher proficiency in reading, listening, and speaking.