Perceived effects of different grouping systems on able children
In the questionnaires teachers were asked to indicate the extent to which they agreed
with a number of statements about the effects of ability grouping on more able pupils.
Table 1 provides details of the statements in the questionnaire and gives the overall
frequency counts for all of the teachers in response to these statements. It also
provides a breakdown by type of school. The responses showed that there was overall
agreement that setting ensures that brighter children make maximum progress and to a
lesser extent that setting prevents brighter children being inhibited by negative peer
pressure. There was much less agreement that bright children are held back in mixed
ability classes. There were significant differences in the responses to these questions
from teachers in each type of school. Those in the set and partially set schools gave
responses which demonstrated more positive attitudes towards ability grouping than
those in schools where there was a greater proportion of mixed ability teaching.
Table 1 about here
In response to the open questions, teachers volunteered their own views about the
effects of different types of ability grouping on able children. Some illustrative
examples are given below which are closely related to the first and third statements in
Table 1.
I have a few reservations about mixed ability teaching because the higher
ability pupils are not stretched to their full potential. However we do very