Small is Beautiful: Some Effects of School Size on the Behaviour of Pupils

Is the issue worth investigating? After all, numerous studies have shown that the home environment is a major influence on behaviour, and, within the school, more promising variables for study are teacher-pupil relationships, the curriculum, and specific teaching strategies. I concede at the outset that the size of a school which a child attends is unlikely to be a major influence on his behaviour, but it could be a very pervasive one- millions of children in Australia and New Zealand attend schools, and even a minor influence would, in total, be very substantial. Moreover, however minor its effects might be, school size, unlike certain aspects of home background, for example, could be controlled if need be.