Teacher behavior and student academic engagement across ninth-grade ability group mathematics classes

Tracking has been a continuous area of debate and discussion in the educational field. Tracking refers to educational placement practices based on student ability and achievement in specific academic areas. Most research in the area of tracking has examined the relationship between placement and student achievement. These studies have failed to examine specific instructional arrangements or classroom experiences within various track placements.; The purpose of this study was to examine teacher and student behavior associated with different placement arrangements (homogeneous grouping of students by ability/achievement test scores). Specifically, this study examined teacher directed classroom activities, teacher-student interactions, and student behavior (engaged or non-engaged), in two ability groups (average and low) of ninth grade mathematics students.; This sample included 30 girls and 30 boys identified as average and low achievers. Data were collected during a six-week period in the Spring of 2003 and involved direct classroom observation.; There were several major finding in this study. Teachers who teach both low and average ability mathematics classes use similar teacher directed classroom activities. Specifically, there were no significant differences in the frequency of teacher led activities, independent seatwork, small group activities, organizational activities, and activities other than math in these different ability grouped classrooms. Likewise, teachers asked similar frequencies of questions to students in both low and average ability classes. These teachers also made similarly low frequency praise statements in both low and average ability classes. However, teachers made more disciplinary statements in the low ability classes than they did in the average ability classrooms.; On the academic engagement measure, students in the average ability classes were more engaged than their low ability classroom peers. While the attendance rate was similar (not statistically different), students in the low ability classes missed fewer days than their average ability peers.; The racial composition of low ability and average ability classes differed. The low ability classes were comprised of 74% Black and 52% White, while the average ability classes were comprised of 34% Black and 65% White.