Intra-school differentiation in primary education of Ukraine (1975-1990s): Achievements and disappointments in a historical perspective

Abstract

The article examines the issue of intra-school differentiation (Ukr. Transl. ‘внутрішньошкільна диференціація’) in primary education, actualized in the early 70s of the 20th century in Ukraine. Analysis of various types of sources proved that intra-school differentiation was initially realized in the form of levelling classes (Ukr. Transl. ‘класи вирівнювання’) (1975–1984) and then as a system of differentiated classes (Ukr. Transl. ‘диференційовані класи’) (1988–1990s). It had a number of benefits (it made it possible to implement an individual approach to learners with different levels of readiness for systematic schooling, cognitive abilities development; to provide comfortable conditions for gifted, standard, pedagogically neglected and mentally challenged students, etc.). The present research shows that due to a number of reasons such as problems with the preparation of educational and methodological supply, lack of school psychologists, psychological unwillingness of some teachers to change educational approaches to different categories of students, insufficient financing of the educational sector, etc., there was a certain disappointment at intra-school differentiation among the teachers and researchers and the collapse of differentiated classes in primary school of Ukraine in the late 90s of the last century.

Keywords

• differentiated learning
• intra-school differentiation
• differentiated classes
• primary education
• ukraine