Effects of Class Size upon the Learning of a Motor Skill

Abstract

This study inquires into the effects of class sizes of approximately 15, 37, and 60 students on the learning of a motor task (as measured by the Dyer Backboard Tennis Test) by college students during a nine-week period meeting twice a week. The primary independent variable was the size of the classes. The results show that: (a) students in a small-sized group performed significantly higher (P < .05) than subjects in the larger-sized group; (b) pupils in the small-sized group did not produce a significant difference (P > .05) when compared with individuals in the middle-sized group; and (c) students in the medium-sized group scored higher, but not significantly so (P > .05), than subjects in the large-sized group.