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Chapter 5 Analyses and Results of Interview Data

The results from English teacher, homeroom teacher, administrator, student and parent interviews are analyzed and presented in this chapter.

Results from English Teacher Interviews

Among the 4 English teachers involved in ability-grouped English teaching, Teachers 1 and 2, who were homeroom teachers at the same time, were responsible for 1 class of Group A and 2 classes of Group B respectively. Teacher 3 was responsible for a class of Group A and a class of Group B. Teacher 4 was responsible for a class of Group B only. The years of their teaching experience were 8 (Teacher 1), 7 (Teacher 2), 10 (Teacher 3), and 29 (Teacher 4) years, respectively. Their responses to the interview questions are summarized below.

Students’ In-class Performance in Group A

All of the teachers reported that students of Group A generally performed well in class. But there were still small discrepancies of students’ English proficiency in Group A.

Group A students were active in learning and reacted fast to teachers’ instruction.

They performed better in speaking than students of Group B. They generally learned fast and showed a great interest in learning supplementary materials. However, it was pointed out by the teachers that the instruction or supplementary materials were still too easy for several top students in Group A, whose motivation was hardly raised in class. On the other hand, the supplementary materials were a little hard for the students who were in the low standing in Group A.

Students’ In-class Performance in Group B

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Two of the four teachers interviewed held a negative view about Group B students’ performance in class. The other two teachers, on the contrary, described that most students in Group B could keep up with the teachers’ instruction well.

Teacher 2 reported that students of Group B were more passive than those of Group A. Many of them were shy and timid, and rarely volunteered to speak or answer the teacher’s questions. Some of them concentrated in class but still could not follow the instruction. They showed high degree of anxiety when they were asked to perform or speak in front of the class. Teacher 1 also reflected that Group B did not respond to her instruction as well as Group A did. Teaching Group B was like teaching a mixed-ability class. Students’ English abilities in Group B distributed in a normal curve. She particularly mentioned that several students showed attitudes of boredom towards her instruction. They felt bored that the same content or what they already knew was repeated all the time.

Teachers 3 and 4, however, reported that the in-class performance of Group B was not bad. They responded well when the teachers were doing drills or pattern practices. They also raised their hands when the teachers needed volunteers.

It was mentioned by all the teachers that there were 3 or 4 students in each Group B class who fell behind and showed no interest in English learning. They usually did not pay attention in class and refused to join learning activities when the teachers asked them to. They sometimes even slept or exhibited mischievous behavior in class, such as talking to neighbors, playing with an object, or walking around in the

classroom. The teachers said that their instruction was sometimes interrupted because

they had to stop the disorder these students caused, which rarely happened in Group

A.

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Teaching Strategies Used in Group A and Group B

Three of the teachers involved in teaching Group A and Group B reported that they used different teaching strategies or techniques when they dealt with different groups, such as different teaching rates, activities, types of questions, or standards of performance. Teacher 4 could not compare her teaching in the two kinds of classes because she was responsible for one class of Group B only.

Teachers 1, 2, and 3 basically followed the content of the textbooks in both groups. In Group A, they went through the textbooks very quickly because of students’ fast learning rate. In Group B, they went through the content step by step and spent more time doing basic pattern practices and drills. To fill in the rest of the class hours in Group A, the three teachers used different strategies. Teacher 1 let students conduct outside readings themselves. She divided students into 6 groups, and each group was responsible for teaching an article to the whole class. Each group member was responsible for a task of teaching, such as looking up vocabulary, taking notes, preparing handouts, or oral presentation. After their performance, there was a paper-and-pencil test conducted by the teacher for the whole class. Much like Teacher 1, Teacher 3 let students read graded readers. The teacher led the reading process, including vocabulary learning, reading comprehension, and discussion. The

assessment included worksheet, classroom performance, tape-recording of stories, and an intra-class contest of answering questions based on the stories they had read.

Teacher 2, however, let students of Group A watch films to fill in the rest of the class hours.

The teachers’ instructional approaches also varied according to students’ groups

(see Appendix I for sample lesson plans). The teachers dominated more in Group B

than in Group A. They used more lectures and mechanical drills in Group B while

they usually induced what Group A already knew and gave them communicative tasks

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and opportunities to present. Mechanical drills were rarely used in Group A. For example, students of Group A were allowed to adapt the dialogues in the textbooks and then acted out in class. However, students of Group B were only asked to memorize the dialogues or read them out loud. Surprisingly, the teachers were not satisfied with what Group A performed in class. Many of them liked to put elements of violence and dirty things in their adaptations by using fragments or isolated words instead of sentences with correct forms. Though students achieved the goal of

communication, the teachers did not feel teaching goals fulfilled because the content and the language forms students created were not what the teachers wanted them to learn.

In terms of types of questions, more personal questions were asked in Group A, where students could do more experience sharing. But more questions with fixed answers based on the content of the textbooks were asked in Group B, where students were allowed to answer in Chinese. Besides, the teachers lowered the standards of performance for Group B students and focused on their learning attitudes more.

However, they gave lower grades to students of Group A with arrogant or

unconcerned attitudes even though they had better English abilities than Group B.

The main reason of using different strategies or techniques reported by the teachers was students’ abilities. Group A had more background knowledge in English and better speaking abilities, which Group B lacked. Therefore, the teachers tried to give Group A more opportunities to perform or present, but provided more basic exercises in Group B.

Teaching Strategies Used in Grouped and Ungrouped Classrooms

All of the four teachers reported that there were a few differences in instructional

focus, types of activities and test questions, and grammatical instruction, when they

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taught grouped and ungrouped classes.

Considering many of the students in ungrouped class were in Group B before, the teachers basically adopted teaching strategies more like they used in Group B, with a focus on doing mechanical drills and mastering basics in the textbooks. More creative activities that the teachers used to do in Group A, such as acting out

adaptations of dialogues in the textbooks, outside readings, and oral presentations, were called off when they taught ungrouped classes. One reason of doing this was the limitation of most students’ abilities in ungrouped class. Another reason was the limitation of class hours. The teaching schedule in ungrouped class did not go as fast as it did in Group A; therefore, it was hard for the teachers to give students extra learning activities during class hours.

In order to take care of top students in ungrouped class, the teachers divided grammar instruction into two levels - basic and advanced. They would teach both parts to the whole class but tell students which part the whole class should master and which part was for top students to learn. Besides, Teacher 1 had a special arrangement for her top students in ungrouped class. She gave them extra assignments - written English book reports, as required by their parents. However, the performances of these top students varied. Some really did a great job, while many of them did not take it seriously and did it without care.

In terms of test questions, the teachers gave Group B many easy fill-in-blanks questions, which were assumed to be able to arouse students’ learning motivation. In ungrouped class, however, more challenging Chinese-English translations were included in tests for more able students.

Goals Set for Group A and Group B Students

All the teachers interviewed reported that they set higher goals for Group A and

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lower goals for Group B in terms of academic performance. They set different goals for different groups according to students’ learning background and abilities.

In Group A, students were expected to achieve 90 points at least or above on exams, and they were required to speak fluently, recite or dictate paragraphs, and express their ideas in English. The standards, however, were loose for Group B. For example, it was fine for Group B to get 70 or 60 points, or even 50 points on exams.

They were not required to recite or dictate; instead, they just needed to read out paragraphs, memorize key words, and copy basic sentence patterns.

Goals Set for Grouped and Ungrouped Classes

As mentioned in previous section, the teachers set different goals for Group A and Group B in grouped classes. The teachers also set different goals for students of different abilities in mixed-ability classes, instead of a single fixed goal for the whole class.

The teachers reported that their previous experiences of ability grouping affected their judgment on every student when they taught ungrouped class. They used

different criteria to demand students in mixed-ability class. For example, those who were in Group A before were still required by higher standards, while those who were in Group B before were required by loose standards. The teachers still respected students’ individual differences when dealing with ungrouped classes. They usually allowed students to set a level they hoped to achieve on tests.

Difficulties and Coping Strategies in Group A

The difficulties reported by the teachers included heavy preparation work, as well as superiority and disdain attitudes of top students in Group A towards school English learning.

Teachers 1 and 3 prepared supplementary materials for Group A, which

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increased their workload. They spent extra time and energy on the preparation work but presented these materials only once for Group A. Though they felt the preparation work was time-consuming, they still accomplished it on their own, instead of working as a team and sharing their lesson plans or teaching resources.

Another problem reported by the teachers was that some students, especially those top students in Group A, showed arrogant attitudes or behaviors, which annoyed the teachers. Being in Group A strengthened these students’ superiority. For example, they were impatient with the teacher’s lectures or instruction, and even showed boredom or disdain attitudes towards the content of the textbooks. They made comments such as “I’m Group A student, why do I have to learn such easy things? I already learned these long ago.” Only when they had opportunities to present, play games, or read supplementary materials, they became spirited. The teachers tried to go through the textbooks so quickly as to spare time for extra activities and outside readings.

Three more examples of Group A’s attitude problems were reported by the teachers. Teacher 1 said that some students of Group A showed unwillingness to do extra work, such as designing posters for school festivals or decorating the language classroom. Teacher 2 described that some students of Group A liked to deviate

in-class topic or consult the teacher about their homework in cram school during class hours, which often caused chaos in class. The teachers scolded students when such incidents happened in class. Furthermore, some top students did not care about their performance on assignments. About one-fourth students in Group A class, as reported by Teacher 2, cared about paper-and-pencil tests only but did not turn in homework she assigned.

Difficulties and Coping Strategies in Group B

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The teachers reported that students in the lowest standing in Group B class caused them difficulties in teaching. Giving remedial instruction was the common way to help these students. For some who lacked interest in English and interrupted others’ learning, the teachers only corrected their mischievous behavior in class.

The teachers reported that the slow learners usually had difficulties in

pronunciation, speaking, or even alphabet handwriting. Some of them who were still willing to learn were picked out and given remedial instruction, but some just gave up learning. They slept, played with an object or neighbors, or talked in class. The teachers still encouraged them to join class activities, such as answering questions in Chinese, or role-playing without speaking English. They had fun joining these

activities, but they soon started mischievous behavior whenever the teacher was giving lectures or instruction. For these students, the teachers had no ideas how to help them.

Difficulties and Coping Strategies in Ungrouped Class

All the teachers reported that there were more students who gave up English learning in ungrouped class because they could not keep up with the teachers’

instruction and fell behind in class.

Those slow learners who could learn at a slow learning rate in Group B could not

catch up with the other peers in ungrouped class and gave up quickly. In Group B, the

teachers focused on basics only, so these learners attained fulfillment more easily. In

ungrouped class, the teachers would add difficult grammatical elements that increased

slow learners’ frustration. Thus, those who were willing to try in Group B gave up

themselves instead when they were in ungrouped class. Several students who still

showed their willingness to try in ungrouped class were picked out to receive

remedial instruction two hours a week. However, the teachers felt that the effects of

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remedial instruction were very limited due to the insufficient time and the large number of students in need of remedial instruction.

Learning Effects of Ability Grouping versus Ungrouping

All the teachers basically agreed that ability grouping benefited both Group A and Group B in English learning. Teacher 1, however, reported a case of negative effect in Group B.

In Group A, students had a keener competition with the peers. They did more challenging work, which aroused their motivation to compete with one another. In Group B, students in the high and middle standing were more willing to express themselves because they were able to perform better than the others in Group B, which gave them satisfaction and confidence. Otherwise, they would probably become quiet or hide themselves when they learned with more able peers in an ungrouped class. As Teacher 4 said, “Some kids would rather be a leader in a

low-level group rather than a follower in a high-level group.” Those who were in the high and middle standing of Group B gained more encouragement and fulfillment from practicing the basics in Group B classes, instead of feeling that they fell behind because they could not compete with more able students in ungrouped classes.

However, Teacher 1 reported that one student in Group B questioned her

teaching. The student felt the contents were too easy, and she even asked the teacher

to use the same ways as the teacher taught Group A to teach them. The student told

the teacher what she learned in cram school was much more difficult. The teacher

sensed that the student was worried that she missed a lot of important English

knowledge in Group B. The student also did not want to be treated differently from

those in Group A. Teacher 1 agreed that ability grouping might benefit English

learning but believed that it caused psychological problems on some individuals.

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Teachers’ Preferences for Ability-grouping

One of the four teachers preferred teaching ability-grouped class; two teachers preferred teaching ungrouped class; the other one pointed out that either way had its own advantages and disadvantages.

Teacher 2 preferred teaching ability-grouped class because she felt that the class atmosphere of grouped class became better. In grouped class, students got involved in classroom activities more actively due to their similar abilities. Besides, students could share their work by posting them on the bulletin board of the classroom, which created a better English learning environment.

Teacher 1 and Teacher 3 preferred teaching ungrouped class. Teacher 1 felt that class atmosphere became better when students learned with homeroom peers because they were familiar with one another. It was also convenient for her to control students’

learning conditions in ungrouped class, such as collecting homework, keeping track of students out of class, or communicating with homeroom teachers about students’

mischievous behaviors or problems. In addition, she felt that it was easier to keep order in ungrouped class because students had stronger sense of shame when they were scolded by the teacher.

Teacher 3 preferred teaching mixed-ability class since there were still discrepancies in grouped class under the grouping policy, which did not make teaching grouped class much easier than teaching ungrouped class. On the contrary, preparing different lesson plans for different groups increased her workload. In addition, ability grouping enhanced arrogant attitudes of Group A, which were not so obvious in ungrouped situation instead.

Teacher 4, who only experienced teaching Group B, stated that either way had its

own advantages and disadvantages. Slower learners would not give up so early and

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easily when they learned in Group B because the teacher would ease the content and adapt the instruction for their level, which drew students’ attention and interest more than when they learned in ungrouped class. However, the teacher felt that teaching ungrouped class gave her a great sense of fulfillment. She could teach more difficult contents, ask more difficult questions, and communicate with students in English more often when she taught ungrouped class due to the presence of higher achievers.

When teaching only Group B, she could only ask very easy questions, do basic practices, and communicate in Chinese.

Teachers’ Votes for/against Ability Grouping

Three of the four teachers voted against ability grouping after one-year practice of ability grouping in English class and only one teacher voted for the continuance of ability grouping.

Teachers 1 and 2, who voted against ability grouping, were English and homeroom teachers at the same time. The fact that they did not teach two-thirds of their homeroom students caused difficulties in their management of their respective homeroom class. They had very few chances to get along with the other two-thirds homeroom students. Thus, there was a great distance between the teachers and the other two-thirds students and they barely knew these students’ learning conditions.

They both reported that they would have voted for ability grouping if they did not have to consider their homeroom class management.

Teacher 3, who was responsible for 7

th

-grade and 8

th

-grade English class, voted against ability grouping because of the heavy workload. She had to prepare three sets of lesson plans for Group A, Group B, and 8th-grade graders, which increased her workload.

Teacher 4, who was responsible for only one Group B class, voted for ability

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grouping. She gave her vote for the continuance of the policy because she believed it was a better way for students to learn.

Results from Homeroom Teacher Interviews

Four homeroom teachers, who were in charge of their homeroom classes in the 7th-grade and 8th-grade grades, were picked out as interviewees. Their teaching experiences were as follows: Teacher 5, 6 years; Teacher 6, 22 years; Teacher 7, 18 years; Teacher 8, 9 years. Because these teachers reported that they did not receive any responses from parents regarding the practice or abolition of ability group in English class, below is a summary of their responses to questions regarding their own observations about their homeroom students’ reactions to 7

th

-grade grouped and 8

th

-grade ungrouped English classes.

Problems in Homerooms Caused by Ability Grouping

Three teachers stated that they did not find any adaptation problems from their students when they were in the 7

th

-grade grouped English class. Only Teacher 6 reported that 2 girls in her homeroom class had reflected their frustration about being assigned to Group B in their diaries. The teacher talked to the 2 girls privately and encouraged them to work harder so as to move to Group A the next semester. After that, the 2 girls were more comfortable with their group.

Students’ Reactions to Ungrouped English Class in the 8th-grade Grade

Two teachers reported that they did not find any adaptation problems among students when the 8

th

-grade ungrouped English class was implemented. However, another two teachers observed the advantages of ability grouping.

Teacher 5 reported that ability grouping seemed to benefit slower students in

terms of arousing learning motivation. She observed that several slow learners in her

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homeroom who worked hard and were willing to try in Group B totally gave up English learning in 8

th

-grade ungrouped class. No matter how hard they tried in homeroom class, they were still in the low standing in English and could not compete with the other peers, although they could get nice grades in other subjects, such as Chinese or social studies.

Teacher 8 reported that several students in her homeroom preferred the previous ability-grouped English class. High achievers sensed that the content was more enriched in Group A than in ungrouped class, and there were more game-like

activities and role-plays in Group A. Slow learners felt that the content in ungrouped class was much harder for them to learn. The homeroom teacher could only tell students to accommodate their learning habits to the school policy.

Homeroom Teachers’ Personal Preferences for Ability Grouping

The four teachers interviewed disagreed in their preferences for the grouping policy; two supported ungrouped class; one preferred ability grouping; another one had no personal opinions on the question.

Teacher 5 and Teacher 6 supported ungrouped English class for different reasons.

Teacher 5 reported that it was easier for her to manage class affairs when students

learned in homeroom altogether, such as reminding students of turning in homework,

helping them collect homework, or making grade reports of English quizzes for their

parents. Teacher 6 supported ungrouped English class because ability grouping

labeled students. She claimed that junior high education was not ability-oriented, but

equality-oriented. In addition, teenagers of 13 to 15 years old did not have a clear

sense of the rationale behind ability grouping. They only knew that they were divided

into levels and labeled. The policy would have negative influence on the self-esteem

of those who were assigned to low-level groups.

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Teacher 7, however, reported that the discrepancies of students’ English abilities were really wide because of their different previous learning backgrounds and starting points of English learning. It was difficult for teachers to teach such a multi-level class. Therefore, she supported ability grouping.

Results from Administrator Interviews

Administrators, including the director of students’ academic affairs, the chief of curriculum section, and the chief of registry section, were interviewed. Their

administrative experiences were as follows: the director of students’ academic affairs had 5 years of experience in her position; the chief of curriculum section, 6 years; and the chief of registry section, 20 years. Below is a summary of their responses to questions regarding their observations or perceptions about ability grouping practiced in English.

Administrators’ Perceptions about Parents’ Responses to Ability Grouping

All the administrators interviewed reported that they did not receive particular responses or reactions from parents to either 7

th

-grade grouped or 8

th

-grade ungrouped English class. The director of students’ academic affairs explained that it was because parents from the school district rarely questioned school policy, including ability grouping practiced and abolished in English class.

However, the director of students’ academic affairs did receive a couple of phone calls from parents who queried how students could shift to a different group and if the shifting policy could be carried out fairly when ability grouping was practiced in 7

th

-grade English class. After the director’s explanations, parents seemed to accept it.

Administrators’ Perceptions about English Teachers’ Responses to Ability Grouping

At the very beginning, the administrators did not receive particular responses

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from English teachers. After a couple of months’ practice, the administrators started to receive English teachers’ complaints and questions about the effects of ability

grouping system because they sensed certain disadvantages of it. The director and the chief of curriculum section both felt that the English teachers heaved a sigh of relief after the policy was called off the next school year.

Most of the complaints the administrators received from English teachers were about Group A students’ arrogant attitudes, boredom, or apathy towards homework.

Besides, the teachers also complained that the discrepancies in the same class, both in Group A and Group B, were still wide under the 2-level grouping policy. The chief of the curriculum section also received complaints from English homeroom teachers that they had difficulties building up good relationship with the other two-thirds

homeroom students they did not teach. The director reported that these complaints were not expected in the first place until the teachers experienced the practice in person for some time.

Besides, according to the director, the English grouping policy turned out to be the pressure of English teachers because:

“At PTA, the headmistress told parents that we were leading the other schools in Taipei to practice ability grouping in 7

th

-grade English class. At that time, the English grouping policy became a focus of attention at school publicity.”

During the practicing process, the teachers did not totally enjoy the advantages of ability grouping they expected at first, but discovered more unexpected

disadvantages. Therefore, the English teachers felt relaxed when the policy was called off the next year.

Administrative Difficulties with Ability Grouping

Ability grouping did not cause the administrators much trouble in terms of

arrangement of class hours and group formation because it was practiced in only one

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grade for one year. Only a few problems were reported by the administrators, such as collecting test papers, operating grades, and seeking support from teachers and staff.

The chief of registry section reported that she had trouble collecting mid-term and final test papers. Students took tests in their homeroom classes, and then she and the staff members of the registry section had to reorganize all the test papers

according to their different English groups for the English teachers. They often mixed up students’ groups. In addition, she had to create another system to computerize students’ English grades, which increased her workload.

The director of students’ academic affairs said her ma in difficulty was the communication with the English teachers. After a couple of months’ practice, the English teachers started to report the disadvantages they discovered in grouped classrooms in team meetings. The director sensed that the teachers did not strongly support ability grouping to continue. In the meantime, she did not feel support from the higher level of school administration for this policy, either. She said that it was hard for her to practice a school policy when it lacked support from the staff.

Administrators’ Personal Preferences for the Grouping Policy

The chief of registry section preferred ungrouped English class while the director of students’ academic affairs supported grouped English class. The chief of

curriculum section preferred ungrouped English class when her workload was considered, but she supported ability grouping when teaching efficiency was considered.

The chief of registry section preferred ungrouped class because it was much

easier for her to deal with ungrouped class in terms of collecting test papers and

operating students’ grades. The chief of curriculum section had ambivalent feelings

towards ability grouping policy. In terms of workload, she preferred ungrouped class

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because it was easier for her to deal with ungrouped class. However, she personally believed ability grouping was easier for teaching. It is easier for teachers to control teaching schedules when the range of students’ abilities becomes smaller.

The director of students’ academic affairs also preferred ability grouping, and she advocated that the distinction between groups should be set up very clearly. She said:

“It is not fair for low achievers to learn with others in ungrouped class where they function as companions but benefit nothing in learning. Students should be divided into four, five or even more levels according to their English ability, like what most language learning institutes or cram schools outside the formal education system do. I think that it is the most effective way to learn a foreign language. Another key point to make it work out is the

development of teaching materials. We should organize our English teachers to develop materials of our school for students of different levels, and provide students with what they really need. It is the most ideal way, but I think it is a tiring job for teachers. It is not easy to persuade teachers to do that.”

Results from Student Interviews

Forty out of the 263 student participants were selected for interviews. Based on the ratio between Group A, Group B and transfers (approximately 2:5:3), 8 of the 40 interviewees were from Group A, 20 from Group B, and 12 from transfers. The sex in the three categories was equally allocated to male and female. Half of the

interviewees experienced ability grouping in elementary school, while the other half

did not. Half of them had learned English for 4 years or more before they entered

junior high school. Only five of them had only 1-year English learning experience

before junior high school and they all belonged to Group B. Fifteen interviewees had

2- or 3-year English learning experience before junior high school. The background

information of student interviewees is shown in Table 95.

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Table 95 Background information of student interviewees

Group A SA1 SA2 SA3 SA4 SA5 SA6 SA7 SA8

Boy Girl

ü ü

ü

ü

ü ü

ü

ü Colin

Raymond

ü

ü ü

ü

ü

ü ü

ü Ability grouping

in elementary

Yes

No ü

ü ü

ü

ü

ü ü

ü

2 to 3 years

4 years or more ü ü ü ü

ü

ü ü

ü

Group B

SB

1 SB

2 SB

3 SB

4 SB

5 SB

6 SB

7 SB

8 SB

9 SB 10

SB 11

SB 12

SB 13

SB 14

SB 15

SB 16

SB 17

SB 18

SB 19

SB 20

Class B1 Class B2

ü

ü ü ü ü

ü ü

ü ü ü

ü ü

ü ü ü ü ü

ü ü ü Boy

Girl

ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü

ü ü ü

ü ü

ü

ü ü ü ü ü ü Colin

Raymond Others (3 schools)

ü

ü ü

ü ü

ü

ü

ü ü

ü ü ü ü

ü ü ü ü

ü ü ü

Ability grouping in elementary

Yes No

ü ü ü

ü ü ü

ü ü ü

ü ü ü ü

ü ü ü ü

ü ü ü 1 year

2 to 3 years 4 years or more

ü

ü ü ü

ü ü ü ü ü

ü ü

ü ü

ü ü ü

ü ü ü

ü

Transfer ST1 ST2 ST3 ST4 ST5 ST6 ST7 ST8 ST9 ST10 ST11 ST12 Boy

Girl ü ü ü

ü ü

ü ü

ü ü

ü ü ü

Colin Raymond Others (2 schools)

ü ü

ü ü ü ü ü

ü ü

ü ü

ü Ability grouping

in elementary Yes

No

ü ü

ü ü ü ü ü ü

ü ü

ü ü

2 to 3 years

4 years or more ü ü ü ü

ü ü

ü

ü ü ü ü

ü

Group A to B Group B to A

ü

(B1)

(B1)

ü

(B2)

ü ü

(B1)

(B2)

ü ü

(B1)

(B2)

ü ü

(B1)

(B2)

ü

(B1)

ü

ü

(B1)

ü

(B1)

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Students’ Feelings about Their Groups When Ability Grouping was Practiced

Students of Group A were generally happy about being assigned to Group A while many students who were assigned to Group B at the first semester of the 7

th

grade held a negative view on themselves or their groups. In addition, the names of B1 and B2 caused conflicts and teasing among Group B students. But the use of the same textbooks reduced the discrimination.

Most Group A interviewees said that being in Group A enhanced their confidence in themselves. Only SA1 said that he was nervous about being in Group A. He was afraid that he would fall behind in Group A because his peers of Group A were better than him in English ability.

Most of those who were assigned to Group B at the first semester of the 7

th

grade said they deserved it. These students described that their English learning experiences in elementary school were not very good. For example, one student described his English learning experience in elementary as follows:

“… most classmates had learned English in cram school, but I never went to cram school, so it was very difficult for me to follow in class. The teacher went through the content very quickly because she thought most of us already learned the content in cram school, which made me quit learning.”

(SB9)

These students sensed that their English was not good enough to be assigned to Group A, so they felt natural for them to be in Group B.

Five students (SB5, SB6, SB15, ST5, ST9), however, said that they were

frustrated and disappointed about being assigned to Group B. They reflected that their English abilities deserved a better group. For example, one student said:

“The first idea entering into my head when I knew my group – ‘It is

impossible. I learned English in cram school for two years before I entered

junior high school.’ I thought I did well on the placement test. I felt very

frustrated. I did work hard. Why was I assigned to Group B?” (SB6)

Besides, one Group B student (SB10) felt that something was wrong with the

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placement test. Being an advanced learner in Raymond Elementary School, he was assigned to Group B when he entered junior high school. It was hard for him to accept his group at first, but later he changed his mind. He said:

“I felt that my test paper of the placement test was graded wrong… because I knew the answers to all the questions. There must be something wrong.

But later on I felt no difference no matter which group you were in because everyone used the same textbooks… When I was in elementary school, we used different materials in different groups. That made a difference.”

(SB10)

Interestingly, four students of B2 reported that students of B1 laughed at them.

Some classmates in B1 thought B1 was better than B2, so they looked down upon students of B2 and teased them. According to the school’s grouping policy, B1 and B2 were basically equal in English ability. However, the numbers, 1 versus 2, still labeled students and caused conflicts among students of different classes, as shown in the following quote:

“… They felt number 2 must be worse than number 1. They said we were in B2 because we were the worst. I thought the same way as they did at first.

But after the first mid-term exam, I was surprised that I got better grades than many students in B1… It was OK to stay in B2. All of the students used the same textbooks anyway, just in different teaching methods. I think it’s OK. That would be really terrible if we used different textbooks, that would make us really different.” (ST7, transferred from B2 to Group A)

ST7 pointed out that the use of the same textbooks made her feel less discriminated, the same as SB10.

Instructional Approaches in Ability-grouping Classes

In Group A. Group A students reported supplementary materials enriched their

learning in Group A. There were more communicative activities in class, and they had

more opportunities to communicate in English. They also faced keener competition

among peers, which made learning in Group A more challenging. However, it was

still hard to get top students involved in learning in Group A.

(21)

Students reported the teaching pace was usually fast in Group A. They felt the textbooks were too easy for them because they learned most of the content before.

Besides the textbooks, teachers gave them supplementary materials, such as outside readings, articles, or vocabulary related to the topics of the textbooks. These materials were more challenging for them to learn. However, two students reported the

supplementary materials were too difficult. For example, SA8 said:

“I could not understand the handout the teacher gave us, but it seemed that the others had no difficulties reading the handout. I was afraid to ask…

The worst thing was that the teacher gave us a test after that… I did very badly on the test, especially on the part of writing sentences. I felt

frustrated. Though I could handle the textbooks well, I did not like reading the articles the teacher gave us, especially the test.” (SA8)

SA8 pointed out that the supplementary materials the Group A teacher provided were far beyond her current level, which caused her difficulties in English learning. To her, it was unfair to include the supplementary materials in the tests.

Besides supplementary materials, Group A students had more opportunities to practice or communicate in English in class, such as doing role-plays, oral

presentations, and games. They especially liked to adapt the dialogues in the textbooks because they could put funny elements in the play though some of them were not decent. The teachers also spoke more English in class and provided students with opportunities to exchange their ideas or information in English.

Group A students also felt keen competition among peers in class. They reported their peers in Group A were very responsive to their teachers’ questions. Students were eager to raise their hands and earn extra points by answering questions. Even shy students, like SA1, also wanted to express themselves when they were in Group A:

“I wanted to be awarded extra points, so I encouraged myself to raise my

hand when I knew the answer. I would like to perform well and win the

(22)

game. I felt a little pressure competing with the others, but I would like to promote myself to the top in Group A.” (SA1)

Group A students generally felt pressure competing with the others, but they tended to view the pressure as positive influences which could improve themselves.

They felt the class atmosphere was good. They did not have to waste time waiting for others. When they were doing an activity, they did not have to worry that someone could not participate because of his/her low ability. However, some students did not pay attention in class. SA6 and SA1 described two types of these students:

“In Group A, those who were in the top rarely listened to the teacher in class.

They usually did their own things, like reading books or doing homework.

One or two would sleep in class. But they were not noisy, they did not distract others’ attention or interrupt the class.” (SA6)

“Top students, like George, liked to talk about something unrelated to the topic we were discussing in class. I think it was because his English was very good. He liked to show off. He was noisy in class.” (SA1)

From SA6’s and SA1’s descriptions above, top students in Group A appeared to show no interest in learning or be inclined to distract their peers’ attention in class.

In Group B. Ability grouping generally benefited Group B in learning due to slow teaching pace, repetitions, and more opportunities for them to practice and perform. But a few students also reported several inevitable disadvantages of being in Group B.

Many interviewees of Group B reported that they could more easily understand teachers’ instructions in Group B classes because of slow pace of teaching and more repetitions and reviews. They liked the class atmosphere in Group B, as SB3

commented:

“The teacher did not teach very fast. She gave us a lot of practice and often

helped us review in class. There were a lot of interactions among students

and between students and the teacher. The teacher usually asked us easy

questions. We could use the sentence structures we just learned to answer

these questions. There was a contest among groups; the winners were

(23)

awarded chocolate, cookies, or extra points. Except few students who already gave up learning, most students would raise hands actively and have fun. Without top students in class, I felt more relaxed to speak English.

When I was in homeroom class, I rarely answered the teacher’s questions because there was always someone reacting faster and better than me.”

(SB3)

Students of Group B felt that the class atmosphere was good and helped them learn better. Among them, 5 interviewees who responded to their teachers actively in Group B said that they never raised their hands to answer the teachers’ questions when they had English in their homeroom classes. Studying with more able students gave them a lot of pressure, which made them unwilling to perform in front of the others.

However, there were several students who had different opinions (SB5 & SB12 in Class B1, SB6 & SB15 in Class B2). They complained about the easy and

repetitious instruction and the lack of competition in Group B. Other disadvantages, such as inattentive learning attitudes, student’s resentment, and the teasing from more capable peers in Group A, were also found in SB14’s descriptions:

“It was very noisy in Group B. Students talked loudly, showed no interest in learning, so I felt that the teacher had no interest in teaching us. I did not like the teacher. My homeroom peers of Group A asked me about my mid-term grades on purpose and showed off their grades. I did not like the feeling.” (SB14 in Class B2)

Transferred St udents’ Feelings about Shifting and the Class They were Transferred to

Students of Group B were happy about shifting to Group A and they enjoyed learning in Group A more than in Group B. Those who shifted to Group B from Group A reflected strong wills to go back to Group A and worked harder than before.

After experiencing the two groups, they clearly felt the differences between Groups A

and B in terms of the learning contents, in-class activities, teachers’ instruction, and

(24)

academic competition.

Those who transferred from Group B to Group A (ST2, ST3, ST5, ST7, ST9, ST10) were happy about the shifting. They worked hard in Group B so as to shift to Group A. They reported that teachers of Group A went through the textbooks at a fast teaching pace and often skipped a lot of contents in textbooks, as shown in ST7’s remarks:

“In Group A, the teacher did not show us flashcards. She just led us to read the vocabulary by looking at the word lists in the textbooks, and asked “Any question?” If no, the teacher would ask us to memorize it at home and we would have a test the next day… The rest of class hours were our show time.

We were divided into small groups, and we became teachers ourselves.”

(ST7)

They enjoyed having more opportunities to communicate in English and learning supplementary materials. Activities, like outside readings, tape-recording of stories, or oral presentations made learning in Group A more interesting. The interactions

between students and the teacher were also more active in Group A, as shown in ST9’s remarks:

“There were a lot of interactions in Group A. Classmates were eager to raise hands and speak. Some classmates, like Jon, George, often produced

sentences I had never heard before. I would go ask them and learn the sentences. Group A students spoke more English; I could learn from both the teacher and the classmates in Group A. In Group B, everyone spoke Chinese.” (ST9)

In addition, students faced more competition among peers in Group A than in Group B. Most of them viewed the competition in a positive way and enjoyed it. But ST10 exceptionally became silent in Group A, as shown in his remarks:

“Every time when the teacher asked a question, almost everyone would raise hands; you would see everyone keep raising hands. In the end, I quit;

anyway, you would not be called on by the teacher. When I was in Group B, few students would raise hands, so I got more chances to answer

questions… In Group A, I was afraid that I would be laughed at if I made a

(25)

mistake; in Group B, you did not have to worry about that, no one would notice even if you made a mistake.” (ST10)

Those who transferred from Group A to Group B showed a variety of feelings.

Most of them (ST1, ST4, ST6, ST8, ST12) did not expect they would be transferred to lower groups beforehand. They believed that they were transferred because of their carelessness in schoolwork. They reported that they worked hard in Group B in order to go back to Group A though they were bored by Group B’s slow and repetitious instruction. For example, one student said:

“I wanted to go back to Group A. I worked hard and I always volunteered to answer the teacher’s questions or write the sentences on the blackboard because I would be awarded extra points. When I was in Group A, I often talked privately, was not attentive, and did not turn in my homework on time.” (ST12)

But ST11 showed his indifference towards his shifting. He said:

“… so so. I had no particular feelings. I was transferred to Group B because I did not do well on my mid-term and final exams. I failed the section of phonetic symbols. I did not care for learning phonetic symbols. I don’t think I would use those symbols in the future, then why should I bother to learn them? When the teacher was teaching phonetic symbols, I never listened.

Anyway, I just don’t care.” (ST11)

Students’ Feelings about Ungrouped English Class

Some interviewees were disappointed that the grouping policy was called off because they had better learning experience in grouped classes. But many

interviewees liked to learn with familiar homeroom peers. Besides, they liked ungrouped English class because there were no problems of labeling, insufficient competition, or alienation from their English homeroom teacher when they were in ungrouped class. However, slow learners of Group B faced the problem of falling behind in ungrouped class.

More than half of the interviewees of Group A felt it was a pity that ability

grouping did not continue in the 8

th

grade. The reasons that they liked ability-grouped

(26)

classes were the challenging suppleme ntary materials, fast teaching pace, the active interactions in class, and better in-class order.

Half of Transfer also liked grouped class for the same reasons as Group A students stated above. Besides, ST10 said that he lost motivation to study in ungrouped class because he had no pressure of shifting groups.

On the contrary, fifteen interviewees (13 from Group B, 2 from Group A) liked to stay in ungrouped class because they liked to have English with familiar peers.

There were more active exchanges among ungrouped peers because they knew each other very well. In addition, the learning atmosphere in homeroom class was much better. For example, SB9 said:

“In Group B, I did not feel it was necessary to compete with others. But in homeroom class, an atmosphere of competition prevailed. I became extraordinarily hard-working in ungrouped class because there were more people for me to surpass.” (SB9)

Those who were assigned to B2 were happy that they finally got rid of the terrible label because they viewed B2 as a lower group than B1. Interestingly, SB7 and SB13 reported a different reason from the others:

“… I was looking forward to being taught by my homeroom teacher. She is an English teacher too.” (SB13)

However, three interviewees (SB3, SB17, SB19) reported that it was hard to keep up with the teacher’s instruction in ungrouped class. For example, SB3 said:

“I did not understand well when the teacher explained grammar or taught more difficult things. I got a greater sense of fulfillment when I was in Group B.” (SB3)

Another three Group B students (SB4, SB16, SB20) felt that English class was more serious in ungrouped class than in Group B because they did not have as many activities or games as they did before. Besides, the teachers in ungrouped class were more demanding of their grades on tests.

Eight interviewees (1from Group A, 1 from Group B, 6 from Transfer) reported

(27)

they felt no differences between grouped and ungrouped classes. They said that students themselves determined the learning outcomes, not the way they were grouped.

Instructional Approaches in Ungrouped Classes

Students of Group A felt learning less competitive and easy in the ungrouped class. On the contrary, students of Group B felt learning more competitive in the ungrouped class. However, some low achievers left behind in ungrouped class because ungrouped teachers’ instruction were not aimed to their levels.

Most of Group A students reported that their ungrouped teachers’ instruction focused mainly on textbooks at an average teaching pace. No outside readings were provided in ungrouped class and there were few activities or opportunities for them to perform on stage. For example, SA3 compared his ungrouped classroom with Group A classroom as follows:

“Group A teacher spoke more English. In ungrouped class, the teacher spoke more Chinese, so it was very easy to understand what the teacher was talking about. In Group A, the outside readings were more difficult for me, whereas in ungrouped class I only needed to study the textbooks, which were easier for me to learn, so I was not as hard-working in ungrouped class as in Group A.” (SA3)

Many students of Group B mentioned that their ungrouped teachers explained more grammar points. They felt learning was more competitive in ungrouped class.

They, therefore, worked harder and spent more time on studying English than before.

However, several students reported ungrouped teachers’ instruction was not aimed to their level, thus they felt they were a group of students who were left behind and ignored in ungrouped class, as shown in SB17’s remarks:

“In ungrouped class, the teacher cared for those advanced or intermediate

learners more than us, low achievers. She might think that most of the class

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already learned this part, and she would skip it and move on. We were not able to keep up with the others. To some extent I felt the ungrouped teacher did not care about me.” (SB17)

Those Transfer interviewees who had experienced both Group A and Group B stated that learning in ungrouped class was more like learning in Group B or somewhere between Group A and Group B.

Peer Interactions in Grouped and Ungrouped Classes

Students of all groups said that they interacted with peers more actively in ungrouped class than in grouped class because they were more familiar with the peers in ungrouped, homeroom class. However, some disadvantages of peer interactions were discovered in ungrouped class by some interviewees. For example, it was noisier in ungrouped class because students liked to talk privately. And few activities were provided for students in ungrouped class to interact with each other.

Most interviewees’ interactions with homeroom peers in ungrouped class were more active. Because they were familiar with each other, the exchanges or discussions were more animated in ungrouped class. Less able students had more role models to learn from, and they easily got help from peers in ungrouped class.

In grouped class, they also tended to stay with their homeroom peers when they did group activities. Their interactions with peers from other classes were very few because they were not familiar with one another. They liked to consult homeroom peers when they had questions in grouped class. Group B students even tended to consult their homeroom peers in Group A, who were more reliable to them, as shown in the following student’s remarks:

“Peers in Group B did not know more or understand better than me, so I would ask homeroom classmates who were in Group A or the teacher.”

(SB9)

However, there were interviewees who did not like interactions with homeroom

(29)

peers. SB1 and SA7 pointed out the unfamiliarity among students in grouped class had some positive influence on in-class order, as shown in the following quote:

“The order in grouped class was better than that in homeroom class because there were a lot of students you did not know; I did not talk privately in Group A, but I would in homeroom class.” (SA7)

Two students of Group A also liked the peer interactions in Group A more, where there were many chances to interact with others, as shown in SA5’s remarks:

“In Group A, there were many small group activities, such as oral

presentations, role plays, and projects. You needed to work with others. You had more chances to interact with others. In ungrouped class, you just

listened to the teacher. There were no activities and no chances to work with others, so there was no interaction with the others.” (SA5)

Several interviewees had no particular feelings about their interactions with homeroom peers and they sensed no effects of the interactions on their English learning.

Students’ Perceived Effects of Ability Grouping on English Learning

Most students reported that ability grouping basically benefited their English learning due to the adjusted instruction corresponding to students of different levels.

However, a few Group B students produced resentment towards English grouped class. Some felt advantages and disadvantages of ability grouping at the same time.

And there were some students who felt no influence of ability grouping on their English learning.

Most interviewees of Group A held a positive view on ability grouping. They

liked the learning atmosphere in Group A class, which was more competitive and

challenging. Besides, the active exchanges and supplementary materials stimulated

them to study harder and better. Seven students from Transfer also held a positive

view on the effects of ability grouping. Teachers could adjust instruction according to

students’ levels, which benefited students of different abilities. Those who had

(30)

negative English learning experiences in elementary school also affirmed the positive effects of ability grouping on English learning. Learning in Group B at the first year of junior high gave them opportunities to relearn the basics, and thus helped them build up their confidence in English learning. They easily got chances to be involved in class activities because of the absence of more able students. The experience gave them a sense of achievement.

Four interviewees (SB4, SB5, SB8, SB12) reported there were advantages and disadvantages in Group B. The advantages were the same as stated above. The disadvantages they reported were teasing from Group A students, class atmosphere which discouraged competition or study, and distraction from inattentive peers, as shown in the following remarks:

“… those who were unwilling to learn were very noisy in class; they would drag you down if you were not tough enough. Besides, I had to put up with teasing from others.” (SB12)

There were interviewees who hated ability grouping. SB7 (in Class B1) and SB14 (in Class B2) reported that they disliked the feeling of being labeled, the discouraging learning atmosphere in Group B, and the arrogant attitudes of the homeroom peers in Group A. Some interviewees from Transfer also said their learning in Group B was easily affected by negative attitudes of the other peers, as shown in ST5’s remarks:

“In Group B, only several students were better; the others were very bad, they did not do homework, did not care about grades, and did not work hard.

You had to depend on yourself. I felt I progressed more in Group A; I became more active. Therefore, I think being in Group A was more helpful for me; there is no help to be in Group B.” (ST5)

However, some students (SA6, SB6, SB11, SB15, SB16, ST3) said that ability

grouping had no influence on their English learning but it expanded their social circle

because they made new friends from other classes.

(31)

Students’ Perceived Effects of Mixed-ability Grouping on English Learning

Learning in ungrouped class benefited most Group B students and those in the low standing of Group A. However, it was less challenging for most Group A students.

Besides, some Transfers felt no pressure of shifting groups in ungrouped class.

Five interviewees of Group A said that they became lazy and spiritless in ungrouped class. Comparing themselves with other peers in homeroom class, they were more able. The learning situation became less competitive to them, so they felt less pressure and they were less hard-working. ST8, ST9, and ST10, perceived negative effects of mixed-ability grouping on their learning, including no pressure of shifting groups and teachers’ easy instruction.

Only one interviewee of Group A said mixed-ability grouping benefited learning:

“In ungrouped class, the teaching pace was slow, and the teacher helped you review; it was easier to memorize the content in class… . In Group A, the teacher thought we had learned the content before, and she skipped a lot of things or went through them very quickly. But I probably stayed at the previous stages. I needed more time to think and absorb… ” (SA7) In contrast, most interviewees of Group B reported positive effects of mixed-ability grouping on their learning. They got more encouragement from homeroom peers. They were motivated to work hard by learning with more able students and role models. In addition, the teacher taught more in ungrouped class than in Group B.

Two interviewees of Group A, 9 of Transfer, and 2 of Group B reported no particular effects of mixed-ability grouping on their learning.

Students’ Preferences for Grouping Policy

Most Group A students preferred ability grouping whereas most Group B

students chose ungrouped class. But there were few exceptions. Students in the low

standing of Group A disliked learning difficult supplementary materials in grouped

(32)

class while slow learners enjoyed learning in grouped class (Group B) where they made progress slowly without pressure.

More than half of the interviewees of Group A preferred an ability-grouped classroom because of the high-spirited learning environment and challenging activities and tasks. Most interviewees of Transfer also preferred ability-grouped classrooms. They claimed that ability grouping stimulated their learning motivation.

They did not mind if they would be assigned to Group B because that inspired them to work harder. Several students of Group B preferred grouped class, like SB2, SB3, SB4, SB16, SB19, SB20, for basically the same reasons, as represented by SB19’s comments:

“I did not feel so much pressure when I was in Group B because everyone was much alike. The teacher taught us slowly. In homeroom class, the teacher would teach advanced grammar which was difficult for me to learn.” (SB19)

In contrast, two students of Group A (SA7, SA8) preferred mixed-ability

classrooms because they liked to stay with familiar peers and they did not like to learn supplementary materials, which were usually difficult for them. Three students of Transfer (ST1, ST2, ST3) preferred mixed-ability classrooms because they did not have to worry to be shifted to a lower group. More than half of interviewees of Group B, especially those who were in B2 classes, showed their preferences for

mixed-ability classrooms because they did not feel being labeled or discriminated in ungrouped class. The learning atmosphere became more competitive when they stayed with more able students in homeroom class, where they worked harder. They also reported it was fair for everyone to learn the same materials in homeroom class.

Results from Parent Interviews

Among the 10 parent interviewees, 3 of their children were from Group A, 3

(33)

from Group B, and 4 from Transfer (all transferred from Group B to Group A). The sex of their children was equally allocated to male and female. Four of them were from Colin Elementary School, 2 from Raymond, and 4 from other three different elementary schools. Only 3 of them experienced ability grouping English class when they were in elementary school. Two of them experienced 1-year English learning before junior high, 4 had 2 to 3 years of learning experience, and 4 had more than 4 years of learning experience. The background information of their children is shown in Table 96.

Table 96 Background information of the children of the parent interviewees

Parent P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 P9 P10

Boy Girl

ü

ü ü

ü

ü ü ü

ü ü ü

Colin Raymond Others (3 schools)

ü ü

ü ü

ü ü

ü ü

ü ü Ability grouping in

elementary school

Yes

No ü ü

ü ü

ü

ü ü ü

ü ü 1 year

2 to 3 years

4 years or more ü

ü ü

ü ü

ü ü

ü ü

Group A ü ü ü

Group B ü ü ü

Transfer (Group B to A) ü ü ü ü

Parents’ Perceived Effects of Ability Grouping on English Learning

Most of the parents believed that ability grouping helped their children’s English learning. When they were asked to detail their children’s academic or learning

performance in 7

th

-grade grouped English class, they said that they did not notice or

perceive anything special. These parents described that they rarely meddled their

children’s academic affairs and that they rarely heard their children say things about

English learning at school.

(34)

However, there were 2 parents who observed positive effects of ability grouping on their children’s English learning. P1 observed that her son had more confidence in himself and gained satisfaction as a result of his good performance on the easy quizzes as well as his good understanding of Group B teacher’s instruction:

“I felt that he was doing ok in Group B. He felt more confident of himself in Group B. He could easily follow the teacher’s instruction, and understood what the teacher said in class… especially he got good grades on small quizzes carried out in Group B, which gave him a lot of encouragement.”

(P1)

In the mother’s opinion, it did not matter that the teaching schedule in Group B went slowly or the learning task was easier. She was concerned about developing and keeping students’ interest in English learning instead of forcing students to cram in a short time.

One mother of Transfer also observed positive influence of ability grouping on her son’s learning:

“… my son never went to English cram schools before; he just had only one-year learning experience in elementary school. In fact, he did not like studying English at first. When he was in Group B, he did well on quizzes and tests, which gave him a lot of encouragement and made him work harder. I think that’s why he moved to Group A at the second semester… I think my son was in the area between Group A and Group B, so grouping benefited his English learning at 7

th

grade… and he could handle his studies when he was transferred to Group A in the second semester… ” (P8)

Different from the two parents above, one parent thought that her daughter’s hard-working personality contributed to her good performance in Group B, which was unrelated to the practice of ability grouping. Meanwhile, the mother pointed out

negative psychological impacts of ability grouping.

“… her homeroom teacher, also an English teacher, was assigned to teach B1, but my daughter was in B2, which was taught by a different teacher.

Those who could not be taught by their homeroom teacher had the feelings

of alienation in homeroom class, especially when they were labeled as B2…

數據

Table 95 Background information of student interviewees
Table 96 Background information of the children of the parent interviewees

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