The Effect of Class Size on Students’ Responses and Teacher Feedback

Abstract

This study purports to investigate the effect of class size on pupils’ responses and teacher feedback. It examines the relationship between these variables in the context of English teaching and learning at two Algerian secondary schools, namely Mohammed Seddik Ben Yahia and Houari Boumedienne. This piece of research is based on the hypothesis that class size affects classroom interaction. The dissertation is divided into two parts, the theoretical part exposes issues about class size and interaction and the practical part includes two questionnaires and a direct observation instrument that are used in data collection. The data obtained reveal that most teachers and students, with the exception of a few, agree that small classes affect positively classroom interaction in terms of pupils’ responses and teacher feedback. The frequency of correct and complete, correct, but incomplete and incorrect responses is higher in small classes. More self-initiated, teacher-selected and classroom directed responses are identified with small classrooms. These different types of responses are also more attended to in small classes where teachers were observed to use multifarious feedback strategies for almost every type of the aforementioned responses such as praise, asking pupils to self-correct or asking peers to correct or complete the answers. Though teachers attempt to follow up pupils’ responses in large classes, which are rather messy, choral and involving comments, the teacher resorts to interrupt students more. On the basis of these, some recommendations have been proposed to help students overcome their difficulties in order to improve their interaction, and others to help teachers in their way of teaching.