Contribution
Description: There are difficulties in adequately dealing with heterogeneous groups of learners in secondary schools. This is shown by large numbers of pupils who repeat classes or start school age-inappropriately. Reform schools demonstrate alternatives. By implementing individualised learning and multi-age classes they individualise and differentiate within a heterogeneous group of learners. This study will examine how these frameworks of teaching affect different non-cognitive variables. Some that have shown to be important for academic success are: previous knowledge, motivation, self-concept, and self-esteem (Guthrie & Anderson, 1999). In the individualised framework the pupils' learning processes are arranged according to their capabilities, their individual time needed and according to their personal standards.
Composing multi-age classes is another optional framework to deal with heterogeneity. This means deliberately grouping students from two or more grades in one group of learners for educational purposes (Veenman, 1995). The heterogeneity created in this way exceeds the usual amount. Not only can pupils benefit from social experiences with other students of different ages. But they also have a chance to exchange learning contents without any age boundaries (Laging, 1999). Moreover the heterogeneity in the group is so obvious that the teacher cannot overlook that all pupils have different needs. To tend to all of these needs individualised learning can be used.
Further research is needed on both frameworks. Research on completely implemented individualised learning in comprehensive schools is rare. Though multi-age learning does not seem to have an effect on academic achievement, studies on its non-cognitive effects are inconsistent (Veenman, 1995). Multi-age learning often is combined with individualised learning which makes it difficult to isolate the effects of one from the other. The purpose of this study is to get clarity on the respective non-cognitive effects.
Methodology: In co-operation with the Hamburg "Landesinstitut für Lehrerbildung und Schulentwicklung" data will be gathered in three different comprehensive schools. 5th graders from respectively a regular comprehensive school, a school with individualised learning and a school with individualised and multi-age learning will be subjects. Different questionnaires on learning motivation, self-concept, self-worth, and social skills will be utilised. By using structural equation models correlations between the non-cognitive variables in the different schooling conditions are examined.
Conclusions: It is hypothesised that individualised learning will have positive effects on non-cognitive variables. Assumptions and findings supporting this stem from research on norms of reference (Rheinberg, 2001; Lüdke & Köller, 2002), on self determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000), and on self-worth (Trautwein, 2003).
Inconsistent results on non-cognitive effects of multi-age learning (Veenman, 1995) might be caused by the intertwining of multi-age with individualised learning. This study aims to disentangle the respective non-cognitive effects of the two.
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