philosophy of education cannot be established from the current analysis. It is likely
that there are complex interactions between the two.
There were also differences in the extent to which different subjects were perceived as
appropriate for mixed ability teaching. Mathematics and modern foreign languages
were perceived as requiring grouping based on attainment. English and humanities
were perceived as appropriate for mixed ability teaching. The reasons for these
differences are likely to be related to the extent to which learning in these subjects is
perceived as linear and building directly on prior knowledge and the extent to which
differentiation can occur through learning outcomes rather than the setting of
differentiated tasks. This is clearly an issue which requires further exploration.
When the analysis predicting attitudes towards ability grouping was undertaken
separately for school type, individual schools emerged as influential in determining
the attitudes of their staff. School ethos seemed to be an important force in
determining teachers’ beliefs. This was further reinforced by the finding that teachers
who had been teaching in mixed ability schools for relatively short periods of time
held more positive attitudes towards ability grouping than longer established teachers.
However, schools were not the only influence on teachers’ beliefs. Those with a
higher degree (Masters/PhD) in education, expressed more negative attitudes towards
ability grouping than those with lower level qualifications. Possibly greater
knowledge of the research literature played a part in shaping their views. In addition,
the variables considered in the analysis accounted for a relatively small proportion of
the variation between teachers’ beliefs regarding ability grouping. This suggests that
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