Benefits and Disadvantages of Streaming Practices to Accommodate Students by Ability

Abstract

The aim of this research is to present findings on the benefits and disadvantages of streaming practices, particularly in Malaysian schools that are recognized as an established management strategy that caters for ability differences among students in various educational settings. This study explores an application of streaming practices that engage permanent ability groupings of students into classes for the whole school year using previous year examination results as placement criteria. Implementation of streaming is still highly debated, in terms of whether streaming benefits or problematizes educational delivery, and this study conducted at three elementary schools, using interview, finds agreement from nine teachers’ and ten students’ perspectives that the benefits of streaming outweigh its disadvantages. Results implicate the teacher perceptions of benefits of streaming that provide for standardized lesson planning, and reduced peer pressure that facilitates students to set achievable goals and increase motivation. Disadvantages present as a rooted school culture that excludes inter-ability socialization of students according to academic ability and overemphasis on exam orientation, resulting in low self-esteem and achievement motivation. Implication of the study includes further research looking at strategies schools can employ to overcome these disadvantages.