Streaming : a sociological perspective

Abstract

An ideal view of streaming would have us justify the process of sorting and selecting students into different classes (stream A, B, C etc.) and schools (junior lyceum, secondary, trade schools, craft centres etc.) in terms of a number of educational goals. In attempting to organise class and school membership on the grounds of similarity of academic abilities and occupational aspirations, streaming is said to facilitate the achievement of the following positive ends: * Teaching is more effectively carried out because studefl\ts proceed at roughly the same rates through the learning tasks; * Appropriate pedagogies, curricula, texts and teachers can be delivered to different kinds of students according to the latters' particular needs, abilities and inclinations.