Zachary Sanders

Leslie Drake
Research Techniques
31-3-2016
1. Ballantine, J. H., & Spade, J. Z. (2008). Schools and society: A sociological approach to
education. Los Angeles: Pine Forge Press.

The book is written over the social effects of the education system. It has several interesting
subtopics within it. However, the portion of the book I will be using is reading 7 small class size
and its effects. In addition I will use reading nine The Structure of Educational Organizations.

The authors of this seem to be very credible based on scholarly works they have done before.
The audience of this book is school administration and those who work in the education field.
Originality is hard when it comes to a subject that has been around since the creation of man.
However, I think this was a relatively new perspective. This book as a whole is not extremely
relevant, but certain portions of the book are extremely helpful.

2. Hoxby, C. B. (1998). The Effects of Class Size and Composition on Student Achievement.
National Bureau of Economic Research, 1-68. Retrieved March 31, 2016.

This Journal makes it very clear that smaller classes give students better opportunities to excel.
However, it questions weather or not the smaller class sizes actually take those opportunities and
achieve more. The study is done with elementary classes.

The research and data in this journal is backed by the Connecticut department of education. That
being said I feel as if this source is highly credible. It is intended to inform teachers and
administration about the benefits of small class sizes. This article talks about missed
opportunities within the smaller class sizes. That transitions into my field of study Business
Administration. It brings to my attention that just because the opportunity is there doesnt mean
that it is being taken.

3. Krueger, A. B., & Witmore, D. M. (2000). THE EFFECT OF ATTENDING A SMALL

CLASS IN THE EARLY GRADES ON COLLEGE-TEST TAKING AND MIDDLE SCHOOL
TEST RESULTS. National Bureau of Economic Research, 1-44. Retrieved March 31, 2016.

This article focuses on test scores and how class size affects them in early years. This was a long
term study spread out over 15 years. There were 11,600 students split up into three class
categories small, regular and regular with teachers aide.

This source seems credible, it was written by two professors from Princeton university. The
journal that published the article has published many other scholarly and credible articles. The
intended audience is parents of youth who may be contemplating their child's education. This
article while help me discuss my topic from the time students begin their education to the time
they prepare for college.

4. Krueger, A. B. (2002). Economic Considerations and Class Size. National Bureau of

Economic Research, 1-50. Retrieved March 31, 2016.

This article talks about the size of classes attended and the economic impact of that. It discusses
the impact of the education vs the cost for smaller class sizes. This article was also based off of
the Tennessee Star project.

Once again published by the National Bureau of Economic Research I find it credible. The
purpose of this article is to determine weather the cost of reducing class size is off set in the
future by better educating students. The relevance of this article is evidence of financial benefits
or failures due to class size. This is important in my area of study because it is dealing with
opportunity cost.

5. Kutcher, P. F. (1969). The Relationship Between Class Size and Student Achievement. 1-120.
Retrieved March 29, 2016.

This source discusses the effects of class size on achievement in the classroom. However, not
only does it discuss the effects it breaks it down further into how specific subjects are affected.
This information was gathered from test ran on 6,585 students from 261 classes of 140 different
schools.

The information is old so it may be overlooked my most when looking from appropriate sources.
In my case I thought this would be an excellent source due to that fact it is older. This source will

represent schools with lack of funding and technology. It is crucial to my research that I cover all
types of classrooms. The source has been referenced by others and is written very professionally
and appears to be credible.

6. Angrist, J. D. (1997). Using Maimonides' Rule To Estimate The Effects of Class Size on
Scholastic achievement. National Bureau of Economic Research, 1-47. Retrieved March 31,
2016.

The Maimonides developed a system to decided the appropriate class size using the enrollment
of the school. Throughout the years as the pattern of class size has change the test scores tend to
match. The article discusses other factors that contribute to the advantages of a smaller class.

This source is credible just as all the other sources published by the National Bureau of
Economic Research have been. The purpose of this article is to dig deeper into the effects of
class size effects. The audience is those who may be so focused on class size they oversee other
stimulants. This is relates to my field of study by demonstrating that sometimes the problem goes
deeper than the surface.

7. Jenkins, J. (n.d.). Class size: How does it affect learning? Retrieved March 29, 2016, from
http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/class-size-how-does-it-affect-learning

This source is first hand information from a teacher in Salt Lake City, Utah. The source attacks
this issue from a nontraditional standpoint. It address the issues of class size and its effects, but

not on the students. Most studies focus on the effects of learning on students. However, this
source focuses on the effects of the declining ability of teaching as classes get larger.

The source is credible because it is a first hand experience. This article is intended to all those
who look at the issue from a single perspective . This seems to be a very original source I have
found no others with this perspective. This is applicable in my field of study, it demonstrates that
problems happen on both ends of the spectrum.

8. Rios, R. J. (1998). Class Size: Does it really matter? Johns Hopkins School of Education.
Retrieved March 31, 2016.

This article discusses how large classes destroy the educational advances we are making. That
not only do large classes effect academic achievement, but also have a social impact. Mentioning
that is we advance in technology funding continues to degrees increasing class size. The
technology slightly offsets the effects, but not enough to make a serious difference.

The John Hopkins School of Education is a prestigious and respected institution giving this
source credibility. The article is for those who may think that class size is irrelevant due to new
technologies. This article covers an area of the topic that no other source has making it relevant.
This correlates with my field of study showing that if you dont use the technology as it is
intended it will not perform to its potential.

9. Mishel, L. R., Rothstein, R., Krueger, A. B., Hanushek, E. A., & Rice, J. K. (2002). The class
size debate. Washington, D.C.: Economic Policy Institute.

This book shows an argument for both sides of the debate, class size has and effect vs no effect.
It discuses why and why not the size of a class would play a role in education. They also bring in
a third party view that considers policy and class literature to be a factor.

This source has experts on both side of the argument. This source is important because it displays
different perspectives and alleged biases. The book is intended to anyone that is interested in
both sides of the argument. It demonstrates that one most have an open mind when addressing a
problem, because there will always be different opinions.

10. Bandiera, O., Larcinese, V., & Rasul, I. (2010). Heterogeneous Class Size Effects: New
Evidence from a Panel of University Students*. The Economic Journal, 120(549), 1365-1398.
Retrieved March 31, 2016.

This article discusses how students of different ability are effected by the class size. It
demonstrates that not all students are effected equally. It mentions that prior class size plays a
roll as well. If a student has been in larger classes consistently though out their educational
journey it will not effects them as it will a student who is use to a smaller class size.

The article references sources that I have used previously. Based on where the information is
coming from I believe this source to be credible. The audience is the general population, more so

those deciding on a college to go to. It is relevant to my topic because it discusses why class size
effects students from a new angle