A study of the morale of A stream and C stream pupils in secondary schools with special reference to any differences in the attitude and behaviour of their teachers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to find out differences in morale between high and low stream pupils in secondary schools and to attempt to link these differences with any differences in the attitude and behaviour of their teachers. Three points had to be studied: the concept of morale and the concomitants of high and low morale; arguments for and against streaming; and the influence of teachers on classroom morale. The concept of morale, as it can be deduced from existing research, was studied in Chapter I. Factors of morale and group morale. Mention was made of methods used to study morale and of the criteria of high and low morale. An analysis was also made of published studies on morale. In Chapter II the study of morale was limited to morale in the classroom situation. Emphasis was laid on the influence of the teacher on classroom morale, as this can be seen from studies of social climate in the classroom. Other factors in classroom morale – the self-picture, leadership, time perspective, pride in class and school and esprit de corps, a sense of co-operation and a sense of responsibility, were studied and mention was made of procedures and actions in the everyday running of the school which would lead to high or low morale. In Chapter III the assumptions behind streaming were analysed in the light of results from existing research. An analysis was also made of studies on the effects of streaming on the scholastic success and on the behaviour, sociability and personality of pupils. Results were inconclusive or contradictory when scholastic success was used as a criterion, but there is conclusive evidence that, generally speaking, streaming has a harmful effect on the behaviour and personality of the pupils and narrows the scope for the satisfaction of psychological needs. This suggests that streaming should have an adverse effect on the morale of pupils, especially of those in ‘duller’ steams. Chapters IV and V dealt with the construction of tests and questionnaires for pupils and teachers, with the statistical methods used in establishing differences in morale, with the reactions of pupils and teachers to the tests and questionnaires, and with a description of the schools where the study was carried out. The conclusions were set out in Chapters VI and VII. A short description of nine boys who ranked highest in morale and of nine boys who ranked lowest was also given. Results showed that ‘bright’ stream forms had higher morale than ‘dull’ stream forms. Teachers also seemed to have better attitudes towards the ‘bright’ stream forms than towards the ‘dull’ stream forms. There were indications that this difference in the attitude of the teachers was one of the important factors leading to the differences in morale between streams.