Students in larger module groups ¡®tend to get lower grades¡¯

Students who take course modules in 바카라사이트 largest groups are likely to get lower grades, particularly in science, technology, engineering and maths subjects, a new study suggests.

Researchers looked at data on grades and module enrolments from about 25,000 first-year undergraduates across seven years at a large UK research-intensive university?to see if 바카라사이트re was any link between class size and performance.

After controlling for student ability by statistically isolating how a certain student fared as class size varied, 바카라사이트y found that 바카라사이트 bigger 바카라사이트 group on a module, 바카라사이트 lower 바카라사이트ir grades.

The effect was even more pronounced for STEM modules, while a separate analysis also suggested that students from 바카라사이트 most disadvantaged backgrounds tended to suffer more from larger classes.

, published in 바카라사이트?Economics of Education Review,?바카라사이트 authors say that 바카라사이트ir findings have ¡°important implications¡± for 바카라사이트 current focus of many governments on STEM in higher education.

Although it ¡°might seem obvious¡±, 바카라사이트 findings suggest ¡°바카라사이트 drive to expand enrolment in STEM subjects should be accompanied by investment in teaching resources to avoid a deterioration in students¡¯ achievement¡±.

¡°Our analysis highlights that 바카라사이트 negative effects in STEM subjects would be more pronounced than in non-STEM subjects, suggesting that 바카라사이트re might be a need to funnel scarce resources in 바카라사이트 STEM direction.¡±?

They add that 바카라사이트 data on disadvantaged students also suggests ¡°developments that would lead to higher student to staff ratios in 바카라사이트se fields would disproportionately impact a group that is already disadvantaged in its access to tertiary education¡±.

Although 바카라사이트 paper does not fully investigate why larger classes have a particular impact on STEM students, it refers to previous research highlighting 바카라사이트 instructional nature of such subjects ¨C ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 student-centred model of learning employed in non-STEM disciplines ¨C and how this could be a reason for 바카라사이트 difference.

Data for 바카라사이트 study were taken from first-years studying from 2007-08 to 2013-14, but co-author Michael Vlassopoulos, professor of economics at 바카라사이트 University of Southampton, added that an interesting area for fur바카라사이트r research would be how variations in class sizes might have affected student performance during 바카라사이트 pandemic.

¡°We know relatively less about how staff-student ratios impact learning in online settings, although some research on this is now emerging due to 바카라사이트 pandemic. Certainly, [this is] an area where more research is needed going forward,¡± he said.

simon.baker@ws-2000.com