Lower-Division Class size at U.S. Postsecondary Institutions

The 1992—93 National Survey of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF) provides a unique opportunity to examine class size and the institutional and academic factors associated with class size differences. The institutional characteristics examined in this paper include public or private control, Carnegie classification, and institutional size. The course academic characteristics considered include academic discipline as described by Biglan (1973a), student level, and principal method of instruction. The results support the formation of comparative distributions for class size comparison and better understanding of institutional and course characteristics associated with class size differences.