This lecture focuses on the effects of class size on eighth grade students' cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes in four European countries (Hungary, Lithuania, Romania and Slovenia). Instrumental variable estimates indicated that in Romania in 2003 smaller classes had significant and positive effects on academic scores in mathematics, physics, chemistry and earth science and in 2007 on enjoying learning mathematics. In Lithuania in 2011 smaller classes had significant and positive effects on enjoying learning biology and chemistry and learning chemistry well. Overall, class size effects were not systematic across years, countries, and outcomes. The effects that were statistically significant however, were also substantial in magnitude and typically much larger than the effects reported from Project STAR. 

This lecture is part of the Interdisciplinary Training Seminar in Education Sciences.