Instruction Time, Classroom Quality, and Academic Achievement

It seems likely the magnitude of any causal link between achievement and instruction time depends upon the quality of instruction, the classroom environment and the rate that students translate classroom time into added knowledge. In this article, we use panel data methods to investigate instruction time effects in the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment data. The empirical analysis shows that achievement increases with instruction time and that the increase varies by both the amount of time and the classroom environment. The results indicate that school circumstances are important determinants of the benefits and desirability of increased instruction time.