Research On Small-class Teaching In US.

Since the 16th century, the conception of education has always been with traditional class instruction The enlargement of class size was developed to assure the publicity of education in accordance with industrialization. However, big class instruction can hardly fulfil high-quality teaching in term of contemporary education, nor help to the development of creative individuals. As the rapid change of modern society and the rise of education democratization, equality, individuation, people require more and more on the quality of education, while the negative effects of the enlargement of class size become increasingly explicit. People focus on the improvement of education quality, instead of the enlargement of education quantity. Therefore, as a major factor in improving education quality, the small-class teaching became a focus all over the world.Research on class-size reduction began at the early of the 20th century in America. Wide responses were inspired by a series of research on class size by Class& Smith in 1978. Research on class-size reduction developed rapidly in the past twenty years. The class-size reduction program became one of the mayor subject invested by the federal government. American public also show intensive attention and supports. Small-class teaching is one of major achievements of educational reform in America. Exploration and experiments of small-class teaching in America has no doubt much value for the elementary education reform in our country.The whole thesis divides into five parts: the thesis firstly makes a clarification and define on the conception "small-class teaching", introduces the researching situation of this issue in homeland and overseas. The second part expounds the development of small-class teaching in US., while analyzing the social, educational, cultural reasons to it. The third part analyzes the educational effects of small class teaching. It includes the students' cognitive characteristics and affective characteristics, teachers' instructions, curriculum settings. The fourth part explains the "cost-effectiveness" issue of the small-class teaching form the economic view. On the ground of the above parts and the elementary education reform in our country, the fifth part put forward a number of suggestions on improve and develop the small-class teaching about elementary and high schools in future.