AQA GCSE · Question 19 · Education

SOURCE TEXT:
Item D
In 1981 sociologist Stephen Ball undertook a case study of a comprehensive school and examined the way it was organised. The school used a banding system. Students were placed into one of three bands (similar to streaming). Band 1 contained the most able students and Band 3 contained the least able students. Ball compared the experiences of those students in Band 1 with those placed in Bands 2 and 3.
Ball noted that each band was taught differently and followed different educational routes. Only students in Band 1 were encouraged to have high aspirations and to study academic courses. During his observations, Ball noticed that students' behaviour changed as a result of the bands that they were placed in. Ball linked this to the teacher expectations of each band. For example, Band 1 was expected to be hardworking and well behaved, while Band 2 students were expected to be difficult and uncooperative. This led to negative changes in the behaviour of Band 2 students.
Source: Ball, S. J, Beachside Comprehensive. A Case Study of Secondary Schooling, 1981.

QUESTION:
From Item D, identify and describe one way in which Ball believed that the banding of students affected their approach to learning and behaviour in school, including what you know of his perspective on education.