Between efficacy and inequity: Teachers’ practices and beliefs regarding ability grouping for coping with learner diversity in language education at upper secondary school

Abstract

According to Gymnasieskolernes Lærerforening (2020), the student composition at Danish upper secondary schools has become increasingly heterogeneous over time, as more learners are allowed in than before. Teachers are forced to deal with this, for example through differentiated instruction, and more specifically ability grouping. The strategy of ability grouping, where learners are divided into homogeneous groups/classes according to their level, is a controversial approach, which according to several international studies, has shown modest positive effects, mostly among strong students, and extended negative effects in relation to equity. In an online survey study regarding teaching differentiation (Rasmussen & Fernández, 2023), we found evidence for a relatively widespread use of ability grouping in third foreign language subjects such as German and Spanish in upper secondary schools in Denmark, as well as a tendency to abandon the practice after some time. This discovery led us to expand our study to include observations and interviews (with learners, teachers and school leaders) focusing specifically on ability grouping practices. Results indicate that many foreign language teachers practice some form of ability grouping. We find a polarized landscape, with strong believers, who experience teaching success and a positive response from the learners; outspoken opponents, who either reject the practice as a matter of principle or because of negative experiences; and some neutral school leaders who trust their teachers’ ability to decide what is best for their students, even when no evaluations of this practice are performed and even when the leaders themselves might doubt its appropriateness.