The Effect of Class Size on Student Performance
The Pillar (Thomas M. Cooley Law School), September 16, 1994
Posted: 21 Dec 2010
Last revised: 16 Dec 2012
Western Michigan University Cooley Law School
Abstract
Does a correlation exist between class size and student performance at the law school level? If so, is it a positive or negative one? The author compared class size with grades received in two first-year courses and one third-year course over a five-year period (a total of 24 classes). The results support the conclusion that a correlation does exist, and that student grades decline as class size increases. Particularly in first-year courses, larger classes seem to adversely affect overall class performance and contribute to a higher rate of student failure.
Keywords: law school, teaching, class size
Suggested Citation:
Suggested Citation
Stockmeyer, Norman Otto, The Effect of Class Size on Student Performance. The Pillar (Thomas M. Cooley Law School), September 16, 1994. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1728933
