Discusses development of pupil grouping in European compulsory education into two opposite class organization types, mixed ability classes and ability-grouped classes. Categorizes the types along two dimensions with three program types and three grouping types, yielding nine teaching categories. Discusses comparative results of streaming and mixed…

Studied reference processes in within-class grouping for elementary school students in the Netherlands in homogeneous (n=16) and heterogeneous (n=14) classes. Findings indicate that homogeneous grouping sets strong reference processes in motion, and processes of comparison have considerably greater effects in homogeneous groups, with negative…

Four measures of performance of three types of pairings (boy/boy, girl/girl, girl/boy) involved in completion of a language task on microcomputers gave consistent results. Single-gender pairs improved in comparison with individuals working alone but mixed-gender pairs did not. Single-gender pairs tended to share task and discuss solutions, whereas…

Examines group cohesiveness and client satisfaction for clients in homogeneous and heterogeneous counseling groups. Results of questionnaire reveal a significant relationship between group cohesiveness and client satisfaction. Homogeneous counseling groups reported higher cohesiveness and satisfaction than heterogeneous group members. Discusses…

Several studies on cooperative learning suggest that cooperative learning make students develop more higher level reasoning, more frequent generation of new ideas and solutions, and greater transfer of what is learned within one situation to another. Cooperative learning also promotes academic achievement, increases retention, and vastly improves…

This book is an outgrowth of a conference funded by the National Institute of Education and held at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research in May 1982. A major theme of this volume of collected papers is how and in what ways grouping of students can be used effectively. Papers included are: (1) "Instructional Groups in the Classroom:…

A 2-year-project with 48 disadvantaged (D) and 48 middle class (P) Israeli 2-year-olds was set up to study how heterogeneous or homogeneous grouping influences social interaction. Twenty-four D's were the homogeneous group, 48 P's and 24 D's were equally divided into three heterogeneous groups with a ratio of 2:1. This report is based on an…

The present research was designed to contribute to a better understanding of the social forces activated in a heterogeneous preschool setting by studying the way in which heterogeneous and homogeneous groupings influence the social interactions of disadvantaged children with peers and adults. (Authors)

This article examines recent trends and the literature on grouping with emphasis on possible negative effects of heterogeneous grouping on gifted students. Guidelines from three recent publications all supporting some level of grouping are listed. (DB)

Discusses teaching in schools with heterogeneous grouping and in those with homogeneous grouping. Supports multiability classrooms and describes the benefits. Suggests techniques to deal with the range of student ability. (SR)

A study compared the performance of heterogeneous and homogeneous instructional groups, and of individuals within these groups, when group members all received the same grade. High-ability students obtained lower grades in heterogeneous groups than in homogeneous groups, with the reverse true for lower-ability students. Lower-ability students…

Argues that global challenge created by the pressure for change requires educators to understand the balance between continuity and constant change dependence and independence, individualism and community, homogeneity and heterogeneity. To achieve balanced learning and development, education should place greater emphasis on continuity,…

An experiment was conducted to investigate the innovative performance of problem solving groups (n=196) with three different blends of cognitive styles. As predicted, groups with a heterogeneous blend of styles outperformed groups with completely or partially homogeneous blends. Participant satisfaction, however, was lower for heterogeneous teams.…

This article examines the relationship between student perceptions of team learning experience and communication style. Student group learning perceptions were evaluated and team communication style was measured using dyads derived from Myers-Briggs personality profiles. Groups containing similar personalities were classified as compatible,…

Twenty-one studies of the effectiveness of various grouping plans for elementary reading instruction are reviewed in this paper. Following the review, the studies are summarized according to the grade level with which they dealt, and conclusions are drawn regarding the most effective grouping plans. Among the conclusions reported are: (1) no one…