Classroom Environments and the Stratification of Pupils' Ability Perceptions

Rosenholtz and Simpson have suggested that the task structures, ability grouping practices, and evaluation practices present in a classroom are important determinants of the degree to which children's ability perceptions become stratified within the classroom. The effects of classroom practices on stratification of pupils' self-perceptions of math ability were estimated in 67 upper elementary math classes from schools in predominantly white, middle-income communities. The results suggest that the effects of task structure depend on the "talent dispersion" (actual dispersion of ability levels) in the class. In classes in which talent dispersion was high, differentiated task structures were associated with lower levels of stratification than were undifferentiated task structures. This effect disappeared in classes in which talent dispersion was low. The dispersion of report card grades, but not the frequency and emphasis of grading, was positively related to stratification. The implications of the results for educational theory and practice arc discussed.