Key Study: Ball Flashcards

1️⃣ Familiarise yourself with the flashcards:

  • Look through all the flashcards to see what's on both sides.
  • Make sure you understand the information on each card. If something's unclear, click the link to the revision notes at the bottom of the page for more details.

2️⃣ Test yourself:

  • Look at the question or prompt on each card and try to remember the answer before flipping it over.
  • Check the answer and make a note of any cards you find challenging and need to go over more.

3️⃣ Consistently Review and Practice:

  • Use spaced repetition: spend more time on the cards you struggle with and go over them more often.
  • Regularly review all the flashcards to help you better understand and retain the information over time.

Note: We may include questions that have multiple correct answers. It's useful to remember specific examples to understand these concepts better.

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Who carried out the Beachside Comprehensive study?

Stephen Ball.

What does banding mean in Ball’s study?

Putting pupils into ability bands for most or all lessons.

How many bands did Beachside use?

Three bands.

How were pupils put into bands at Beachside?

Using primary school reports and tests.

What link did Ball find between bands and social class?

Middle-class pupils were more often in higher bands; working-class pupils were more often in lower bands.

How did teachers’ expectations differ by band?

Teachers expected more from top bands and less from lower bands.

What effect did this have on pupils in lower bands?

Many lost confidence, did worse, and some formed anti-school groups.

What change did Beachside make during the study?

It moved from banding to mixed-ability teaching.

What happened to anti-school subcultures after the change?

They became weaker and there was less splitting into groups.

Did teacher labelling disappear after banding ended?

No. Teachers still labelled pupils and treated them differently.

What methods did Ball use in this study?

A case study using observation and interviews over about three years.

What was Ball’s main conclusion about grouping by ability?

Banding can reproduce class inequality; ending bands helps but labelling still causes unfair outcomes.