Teachers’ engagement with students in a mixed-ability secondary classroom setting

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers’ engagement with students in a mixed-ability secondary classroom setting. Through a qualitative approach, teachers’ perceptions of mixed-ability classrooms were uncovered, by means of two research methods. Eight non-participant observations with teachers of English, Maltese and Mathematics were held to collect raw data about how teachers engage with all of their students during lessons. The teachers were then interviewed individually to gain a closer insight about what they think about mixed-ability classrooms and the challenges that accompany this setting, if any. The findings illustrate that the teachers are in favour of this setting, because of the diversity of students that it encompasses. Teachers, however, are still not fully comfortable with the notion of having students with special needs in their classrooms. Furthermore, it was concluded that addressing different learning needs is challenging and time consuming for teachers. This hinders them from adapting their lessons for individual students.