Class size and learner outcomes in South African schools

The role of school socioeconomic status

Bibliographic Data

ID21540928
AuthorsTimothy Köhler (0000-0003-4511-1305, University of Cape Town, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume39
Issue2
Pages126-150
Publication date2022-03-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueDevelopment Southern Africa (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0376-835X • E-ISSN: 1470-3637
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/0376835x.2020.1845614
OpenAlexW3107376611
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited17

Class size reduction is frequently argued to be a cost-effective way to improve learner outcomes. In the South African context, most studies conclude that greater class sizes are associated with poorer educational outcomes on average. However, given the country’s bimodal education system, it is plausible to believe that such a relationship may depend on where learners find themselves in the system. This paper merges newly available data from the 2017/18 School Monitoring Survey with external administrative data to investigate whether the relationship between class size and learner outcomes varies by school socioeconomic status. Although extreme class sizes are concentrated in poorer schools, class size is only negatively associated with learner outcomes in wealthier schools. This finding is robust to several robustness tests. This does not imply that class size does not matter. Rather, reductions may only be effective in the South African context once other school quality-related factors are addressed

Class size · Geography · Mathematics education · Political science · Population · Social class · Socioeconomic status · Sociology · Computer Science · Demography · Parental Involvement in Education · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare · Psychology · School Choice and Performance

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