The effect of between class ability grouping on science academic achievement and self esteem of sixth class students

The general objective of this research is to expose the effects of between class abilitygrouping on science academic cchievement and self esteem of sixth class students and thestudents? and the teachers? opinions relating to between class ability grouping. The researchwas executed in 2005-2006 educational year within a primary school with coedclasses and aprimary school with between class ability grouping in Aydın. The sample of this research ismade of 176 students as an experiment and control group and from the school which hasbetween class ability grouping, 30 students and 8 teachers showed their opinions about thispractice. In this research, Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale and an achievement test that wasimproved and validity- reliability study was done by the researher are used. The opinions ofthe students? and the teachers? about between class ability grouping were determined with halffeasible interviewing forms. In the research covariance analysis was done to the datas thatwere obtained from achievement test and Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale.As a result, according to the achievement test, there couldn?t be found a meaningfuldifference between the experiment and the control group (p=.068), beside this there wasfound a meaningful difference between high, medium and low classes (p=.000). Thedifference was fixed between high-medium and high-low classes. According to the sexvariable, success of the students? was searched and it was understood that there is nomeaningful difference among girl students in experiment and control group (p=.251). There isno meaningful difference among the boy students in experiment and control group (p=.189).According to the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale, there couldn?t be found a meaningfuldifference between the experiment and the control group (p=.628), beside this there wasfound a meaningful difference between high, medium and low classes (p=.007). Thedifference was fixed between high-low and medium-low classes. According to the sexvariable, effects of between class ability grouping on self esteem of students were examinedand it was understood that there wasn?t any meaningful difference among girl students inexperiment and control group (p=.719). There wasn?t any difference among the boy studentseither (p=.350).So when the qualitative datas were examined, it was understood that the students wereuncomfortable because of their education in high, medium and low classes. Teachers thoughtthat between class ability grouping is negative for the students? personality development.