Small-group instruction to improve student performance in mathematics in early grades: Results from a randomized field experiment
Journal of Public Economics · 2022 · Hans Bonesrønning、Henning Finseraas、Inés Hardoy、Jon Marius Vaag Iversen、Ole Henning Nyhus、Vibeke Opheim
中文摘要
我们利用一项覆盖挪威159所学校、历时四年的大规模随机对照试验（RCT），考察小组教学是否能提高低年级学生的数学成绩。学生年龄为7—9岁，在每学年的两个教学时段内，每周从常规数学课堂中抽出3—4小时，以4—6人的同质小组形式接受数学教学，每个时段持续4—6周。与近期许多其他辅导实验不同，所有学生都参与这种抽离课堂的小组教学，而不仅限于学习困难的学生。在意向处理（ITT）分析中，我们发现，处理组学校学生的全国测试成绩提高了0.06个标准差，且该效应不因基线测试成绩水平、父母教育程度或性别而有所不同。对于寻求利用额外教学资源高效服务具有异质性的学生群体的政策制定者而言，我们的研究尤其具有参考意义。
Abstract
We investigate whether small-group instruction improves student performance in mathematics in the early grades using a large-scale RCT covering 159 Norwegian schools over four years. The students − 7–9 years old - are pulled out from their regular mathematics classes into small, homogenous groups of 4–6 students for mathematics instruction for 3 to 4 h per week, for two periods of 4–6 weeks per school year. Unlike many other recent tutoring experiments, all students are pulled out, not only struggling students. In our intention-to-treat analysis, we find that students in treatment schools increased their performance by 0.06 of a standard deviation in national tests, with no differential effect by baseline test score level, parental education, or gender. Our study is particularly relevant for policy-makers seeking to use additional teaching resources to target a heterogeneous student population efficiently.