Class size and student attainments: Research and strategic implementation

However, despite this clear statement, when considering the implementation of smaller classes, not all research studies carry the same weight. Many of the ambiguous and contradictory findings in this area are due to a large number of poorly designed and inadequate studies. A useful distinction is made by Goldstein and Blatchford (1998) between those studies which seek to answer descriptive questions (Does class size make a difference?) and those which seek answers to predictive questions (What would be the result if we reduced class sizes by X number of students?). Policy makers and administrators are interested in the latter, given some positive answers to the former. To provide valid and reliable answers to the predictive questions, which involve issues such as where the extra resources should best be applied, requires a solid body of knowledge as to how the reduced number in a class works to improve measurable attainments, and whether all students are equally benefited. The research in this latter area is much less secure (though this is changing quite rapidly) than in the descriptive designs, to which Molnar’s quote really applies.