University class size is a frequently debated topic among stakeholders given its relation to student achievement, teaching and learning, program evaluation, and education economics. However, the extant literature in both K–12 and higher education contexts regarding class size is equivocal, with some citing evidence of an adverse effect on student achievement for larger class sizes and others suggesting minimal effect. This study aims to explore the relationship between class size and student achievement, as measured by course grades, in the core undergraduate program at Temple University, a large, state-related university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A cross-classified multilevel model was employed consisting of 14 variables—6 student level and 8 class-level—and drawing from a robust sample size of 172,516 grades awarded to 32,766 students in 8,049 classes offered across 14 terms. Results suggest that, after controlling for instructor experience, the effect of class size is not uniform and is, in fact, quite variable when accounting for student race, gender, and academic discipline within the same model. We discuss the possible reasons for these variable results with implications for program policy and classroom practice. Finally, we discuss the limitations of the present study and how future research might resolve those limitations.

中文翻译：

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班级人数在大学环境中重要吗？

考虑到大学班级规模与学生成绩、教学和学习、项目评估和教育经济学的关系，大学班级规模是利益相关者之间经常争论的话题。然而，K-12 和高等教育环境中关于班级规模的现有文献是模棱两可的，一些证据表明较大班级对学生成绩有不利影响，而另一些则表明影响很小。本研究旨在探索班级规模与学生成绩之间的关系，以课程成绩衡量，天普大学是宾夕法尼亚州费城的一所大型州立大学的核心本科课程。采用由 14 个变量（6 个学生级别和 8 个班级级别）组成的交叉分类多级模型，并从授予 8 个学生的 32,766 名学生的 172,516 个等级的稳健样本中抽取，14 个学期提供 049 门课程。结果表明，在控制教师经验后，班级规模的影响并不统一，事实上，在同一模型中考虑到学生种族、性别和学科时，班级规模的影响很大。我们讨论了这些可变结果的可能原因，以及对项目政策和课堂实践的影响。最后，我们讨论了本研究的局限性以及未来的研究如何解决这些局限性。我们讨论了这些可变结果的可能原因，以及对项目政策和课堂实践的影响。最后，我们讨论了本研究的局限性以及未来的研究如何解决这些局限性。我们讨论了这些可变结果的可能原因，以及对项目政策和课堂实践的影响。最后，我们讨论了本研究的局限性以及未来的研究如何解决这些局限性。