The Effects of Stratification in Secondary Schools

Synthesis of Survey and Ethnographic Research

Bibliographic Data

ID23345482
AuthorsAdam Gamoran (0000-0003-0495-4883, University of Wisconsin–Madison), Mark Berends (0000-0002-1281-8649, University of Wisconsin–Madison)
Year1987
Volume57
Issue4
Pages415-435
Publication date1987-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReview of Educational Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0034-6543 • E-ISSN: 1935-1046
PublisherAmerican Educational Research Association (AERA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.3102/00346543057004415
OpenAlexW2168223686
LanguageEN
Citations received74
References cited29

On the topic of stratification in secondary schools, this paper uses ethnographic research to interpret the findings of survey analyses and uses survey studies to assess the causal implications and generalizability of ethnographic findings. The authors criticize survey research for ambiguity concerning the measurement of within-school stratification and for lack of attention to the mechanisms through which the effects of grouping and tracking occur. At the same time, ethnographic research is seen as limited by an inability to demonstrate the significance of between-track differences in social and instructional conditions and by the failure to disentangle track effects from the influence of social class and other preexisting circumstances. The authors advocate longitudinal, quantitative research that is sensitive to the actual dimensions of stratification in schools, and to classroom conditions and processes that vary across levels of the academic hierarchy.

Ambiguity · Developmental psychology · Ethnography · Generalizability theory · Mathematics education · Social science · Social stratification · Sociology · Statistics · Stratification (seeds) · Survey data collection · Anthropology · Parental Involvement in Education · Psychology · School Choice and Performance · Social Psychology · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies