In-class ‘ability’-grouping, teacher judgements and children’s mathematics self-concept: evidence from primary-aged girls and boys in the UK Millennium Cohort Study

Abstract

This paper analyses English Millennium Cohort Study data (N = 4463). It examines two respective predictors of children's maths self-concept at age 11: earlier in-class maths 'ability' group and earlier teacher judgements of children's maths 'ability/attainment' (both at age seven). It also investigates differential associations by maths cognitive test score at seven (which proxies maths skill), and by gender. In the sample overall, controlling for numerous potential confounders including maths score, bottom-grouped children and children judged 'below average' are much more likely to have later negative maths self-concept. Beneath this aggregate lies variation by gender. All highest 'ability'-grouped boys have very low chances of negative self-concept, regardless of maths scorebut low-scoring girls placed in the highest group have heightened chances of thinking subsequently they are not good at maths. Additionally, the association between negative teacher judgement and negative self-concept is more pervasive for girls.

What do students think about differentiation and within-class achievement grouping?

“…Students occasionally mentioned the fact that their group was low (also: "bad") or high (also: "the best" or "smart") as a negative or positive aspect of being in that group. While such comments were relatively infrequent, they support the idea that within-class achievement groups may strengthen social comparison processes by making students more aware of whose achievement is low, average or high compared to the class average (i.e., labelling effects; Campbell, 2021). Based on students' spontaneous answers to our open-ended questions, explicit teasing or stigmatisation based on achievement group placement did not seem to play a major role in the current sample.…”

“…Qualitative case studies have indicated that, even when neutral names are used for the achievement groups, primary school students are largely aware of the hierarchical grouping structure, especially in the higher grades (Eder, 1983;Gripton, 2020;Marks, 2013;McGillicuddy & Devine, 2020). Campbell (2021) describes two possible mechanisms for effects of achievement grouping on academic self-concept: labelling effects and reference group effects. In the case of labelling effects, students would internalise the achievement label belonging to their achievement group, with positive effects on the self-concept of students placed in high achievement groups and negative effects on the self-concept of students placed in low achievement groups.…”

“…In the case of reference group effects, students would start to compare themselves to the other students placed in their achievement group rather than to the whole class, with positive effects on the self-concept of students placed in low achievement groups and negative effects on the self-concept of students placed in high achievement groups (the big-fish-little-pond effect; Marsh, 1984Marsh, , 1987. In a large-scale study about the effects of within-class grouping on students' self-concept, Campbell (2021) found more evidence for labelling effects than for reference group effects. In contrast, Jerrim (2021) found no effects of within-class achievement grouping compared to whole-class teaching on students' self-concept.…”

“…However, differentiation is a controversial topic in the literature, particularly when it is organised by grouping students of a similar achievement level. Researchers have discussed potential didactical and socioemotional advantages and disadvantages of various types of differentiation and achievement grouping (e.g., Campbell, 2021;Francis et al, 2017;Marks, 2013;McGillicuddy & Devine, 2020;Tieso, 2003;Tomlinson et al, 2003;Van Geel et al, 2018). In this debate, students' voices have not often been heard.…”

Placing context in longitudinal research

“…Taylor et al (2013) focus on differences in educational regimes across Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and English regions in the attainment of seven-year-olds. Various pieces of research have made use of data on the social composition of primary schools (Papachristou et al, 2022a), and their policies on ability grouping of pupils (Parsons and Hallam, 2014;Campbell, 2021;Papachristou et al, 2022b). Information about the secondary school context in the cohorts born in 1958, 1970 and 1990 has been used to study single-sex schooling (Sullivan et al, 2010;Anders et al, 2018); private schooling (Sullivan et al, 2014;Henderson et al, 2020) and faith schools (McKendrick and Walker, 2020).…”