ERIC Number: EJ1096484
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Apr
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0038-0407
EISSN: N/A
Ability Grouping's Effects on Grades and the Attainment of Higher Education: A Natural Experiment
Bygren, Magnus
Sociology of Education, v89 n2 p118-136 Apr 2016
To test the effect of ability grouping on grades and the attainment of higher education, this study examines a naturally occurring experiment--an admission reform that dramatically increased ability sorting between schools in the municipality of Stockholm. Following six cohorts of students (N = 79,020) from the age of 16 to 26, I find a mean effect close to zero and small positive and negative differentiating effects on grades. With regard to the attainment of higher education, I find a mean effect close to zero, the achievement group gap was unaffected, the immigrant-native gap increased, and the class background gap decreased. These results are consistent with much previous research that has found small mean effects of ability grouping. They are inconsistent with previous research, however, in that I find ability grouping's effects on gaps are rather small and point in different directions.
Descriptors: Ability Grouping, Grades (Scholastic), College Admission, Admission Criteria, Cohort Analysis, Educational Attainment, Effect Size, Experimental Groups, Control Groups, Predictor Variables, School Segregation, Dropout Rate, Achievement Gains, Secondary School Students, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Sweden (Stockholm)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A