Ability grouping in the secondary school: attitudes of teachers of
practically based subjects
Summary
This research aimed to explore the attitudes of teachers of practically based subjects
(arts and sports) towards ability grouping. Teachers from 45 secondary schools
adopting different levels of ability grouping completed a questionnaire which elicited
their responses to statements of beliefs about ability grouping and its effects. Overall,
the physical education teachers exhibited the most positive attitudes towards ability
grouping, drama teachers the least, with the music and art teachers in between. The
best predictor of teachers’ attitudes was the subject that they taught. These findings
support the notion that, overall, teachers of practical subjects have positive attitudes
towards mixed ability teaching.