Bringing together east and west approaches to the class size issue: An introduction to ‘Class Size: East and west perspectives’

It is interesting that across the many schools in the many countries of the world the classroom environment is often recognisably similar. There is usually a room dedicated to the education of a class of pupils whether, as in many primary schools, for the whole school day, or, as in the case of older pupils, a room which different classes of pupils will visit for separate lessons. There will be a given size and shape, usually rectangular, and an arrangement of tables or desks for pupils and for the teacher. In the west, particularly at primary/ elementary level, pupils tend to sit at tables in groups while in the east they tend to sit in pairs in rows. But perhaps the most basic feature of classroom environments is that it comprises a number of pupils and usually just one teacher. This basic feature of the environment within which pupils receive their formal school education is often taken for granted, but it will implicitly affect the types of interactions and relationships that develop, and the nature of learning experienced by pupils and teachers. Copyright © 2016, 2017 P. Blatchford, K.W. Chan, M. Galton, K.C. Lai, and J.C. Lee.