Da. Mason et Rb. Burns, SIMPLY NO WORSE AND SIMPLY NO BETTER MAY SIMPLY BE WRONG - A CRITIQUEOF VEENMANS CONCLUSION ABOUT MULTIGRADE CLASSES, Review of educational research, 66(3), 1996, pp. 307-322
Although Simon Veenman's (1995) synthesis of research on multigrade an
d multi-age classes contributes important definitions and findings to
the literature, his assessment of the effects of multigrade classes-th
e more common of these classroom structures-ignores two key factors: (
a) selection bias and (b) lower-quality instruction. The omission of t
hese two key factors and Veenman's implicit advocacy of multi-age clas
ses and cross-grade grouping render his no-difference conclusion probl
ematic. In this article, we critique Veenman's conclusion and explanat
ions, and argue that selection bias and lower-quality instruction shou
ld be included as part of the explanation for his no-difference findin
g. We conclude that multigrade classes have at least a small negative
effect on achievement as well as as potentially negative effects on te
acher motivation. We suggest that researchers examine more carefully t
he conditions under which student achievement and affect may be foster
ed in this classroom structure.