Secondary school teachers’ attitudes towards and beliefs about ability grouping



the degree the less likely the teacher was to favour setting. No significant differences
were found in relation to gender or age.

Discussion

Overall, the teachers’ beliefs reflected previous research findings relating to the actual
effects of ability grouping. They believed that ability grouping enabled the more able
pupils to maximise their attainment and insulated them from negative peer pressure.
Those of lower attainment were perceived as more likely to develop low self-esteem,
become alienated and as result exhibit more difficult behaviour when they were
placed in structured ability groups. Mixed ability teaching was seen to benefit not
only the social adjustment of the less able but of all children. Despite this, there was
little overall agreement between teachers of the relative equity of the different systems
of grouping. With regard to their own practice, teaching and classroom management
were perceived to be easier with structured ability groupings as was meeting the
curriculum needs of all pupils. For teachers, there were considerable personal benefits
to be derived from the adoption of structured grouping procedures.

These shared beliefs were overlaid by differences relating to school type. Teachers
employed in schools which adopted high or moderate levels of setting expressed
beliefs which were more positive toward structured ability grouping than teachers in
schools where a greater proportion of mixed ability teaching was undertaken. These
differences were highly significant in relation to almost all the statements made.
Whether this indicates that teachers’ views are influenced by their current working
environment or whether they search out an environment which is conducive to their

17



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