Within‐class Ability Grouping: Placement of pupils in groups and self‐concept

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Abstract
With the introduction of the literacy and numeracy hours, children are being grouped by ability within the primary classroom. Within‐class ability grouping is seen as a means of raising attainment that avoids the social and emotional disadvantages of streaming. This research examined within‐class grouping for mathematics in six classes in one primary school. The aim of the research was to examine whether pupils' placement in ability groups was consistent with their ability, as indicated by a standardised test, and to explore the relationships between pupils' self‐concepts, their mathematical ability and their placement in groups. The sample consisted of 145 children in years 3 to 5. Standardised mathematics test scores and a measure of self‐concept were collected for each child. Teachers provided information about the ability groups in their classes. Seven children were selected for interview on the basis of their mathematics self‐concept scores. The analysis revealed considerable overlap between the standardised test scores of children in the high‐, middle‐ and low‐ability groups. There was a significant but weak correlation between mathematics ability and mathematics self‐concept. The interviews revealed that children whose self‐concept scores were consonant with their ability group thought they had been correctly placed, but those with discrepant scores were less happy. The implications of the findings are discussed in relation the salience of ability grouping within the classroom.