ABSTRACT
Ability grouping and its possible effect on achievement is another contentious issue. Ireson and Hallam (1999) reviewed the literature on ability grouping and its effects on academic and nonacademic outcomes for pupils, noting that grouping in England has, historically, been based on tests measuring general ability or intelligence. In the 1960s and 1970s such tests were frequently used by secondary schools to allocate pupils to streamed classes in which they were taught for all their lessons. Less rigid forms of grouping have since been introduced. From a policy perspective setting is the most significant of these as the Labour government has been promoting its use. This method involves grouping pupils into classes on the basis of their attainment in a particular subject, so a pupil may be in a group with higher attaining pupils for some subjects and lower attaining pupils in others. Ireson and Hallam report that few British studies have examined the effects of streaming or setting on academic performance, and those that have been carried out have provided conflicting results: ‘On the basis of the research undertaken in the UK to date it is impossible to draw firm conclusions, although the issue of access to the curriculum is clearly important’ (1999: 345). They conclude that:
we need a clearer picture of the relative effects of grouping both on academic and non-academic outcomes for pupils. We also need a better understanding of the way in which grouping is related to the ethos of the school, to teacher and pupil attitudes and to classroom teaching. Further research is needed on the effectiveness of mixed ability and whole class teaching in relation to different curriculum subject matter.
