The International Observatory on Academic Achievement - Documentary search

File number :
POEE-ISC-11e

Bibliographic reference :
Ayalon, H. (2006). Nonhierarchical Curriculum Differenciation and Inequality in Achievement: A Different Story or More of the Same? Teachers College Record. 108(6), 1186-1213.

Abstract :

Although the differentiated curriculum has been shown as a strategy likely to reduce educational inequalities, several studies tend to demonstrate that it fosters these very inequalities. But is this true for all forms of curriculum differentiation? The author sought to answer this question in part.

Types of Curriculum Differentiation
Three main forms of differentiation were identified:
(1) Level differentiation – Occurs when a school offers the same subjects to every student but at different levels of difficulty, with advanced courses providing more educational opportunities to students (hierarchical differentiation – based on student ability);
(2) Formal tracking – Refers to classical curriculum tracking in which students study in either academic or non-academic (often vocational) programmes, each with its own curriculum (hierarchical differentiation – based on student ability);
(3) Subject differentiation – Occurs when every student can choose from among alternative subjects offered at the same level (non-hierarchical differentiation – based on student interest).

The third form of differentiation is the object of this study. The author sought to determine the effects of differentiation per subject on inequalities, course choice and academic achievement based on the gender and socio-economic status (SES) of Israeli high school students.

The school reform introduced in Israel at the end of the 1970s resulted in making curriculum differentiation by subject a practice widely used to better meet the diversified needs of students. Formally speaking, programmes are non hierarchical; however, an informal hierarchy, or stratification, was established, promoting exact sciences and life sciences at the expense of social sciences and humanities.

Methodology
Data was drawn from the Israeli Ministry of Education and Culture1992 database, which contains data on 18,704 students attending 198 schools. The main variables studied included student grades, courses taken, gender, parental schooling, school characteristics and so on. Data analysis was twofold: first, student characteristics were analyzed in correlation with course choice then with academic achievement; secondly, the influence of the curriculum on these correlations was analyzed.

Main Results
The outcomes of curriculum differentiation by subject are similar to those of other forms of curriculum differentiation. More boys and privileged students enrolled in exact sciences and life sciences courses. These outcomes may imply that this type of curriculum quite simply achieved its goal of offering students choices adjusted to their preferences. Nonetheless, the ultimate objective is to foster their academic achievement by allowing them to make these very choices. On this issue, it appears that curriculum differentiation by subject did not actually achieve its goal, because the results from this study revealed that inequalities in achievement had increased, based on gender and socio-economic status.

Therefore, a curriculum that offers a large number of alternatives leading to similar educational opportunities does not necessarily reduce inequalities, either in terms of choices made or academic achievement. This problem may be explained by school staff who informally encourage students to opt for tracks deemed appropriate to the groups with which they are associated (e.g., boys vs. girls, privileged vs. underprivileged environment). Students may be more inclined to refer to this typecasting rather than to their interests and abilities when the time comes to make choices.

Links :
This journal is also available in electronic format. Publisher’s Website Address: http://www.tcrecord.org/"

Key Words :
Differentiated Curriculum, Hierarchical Curriculum, Course Choice, Educational Opportunities, Gender, Socio-economic Status, Quantitative Analysis, Secondary\\High School, Newsletter9

Monitored Countries :
Israel