One of the most stable characteristics of any group of learners, whether
they are adults or children, is its heterogeneity or diversity. It is an
inseparable feature of the different experiences the students demonstrate
during their learning of a particular topic and it is manifested and can be
unpacked across many dimensions. Among the factors that add to
heterogeneity are the students previous achievement levels whether high,
average, low or gifted, the skills they have gained before, their families, and
wider affiliations, culture and heritages.
Life experiences, prior educational opportunities, genders, learning styles
and personalities of the students create "multiculturalism" (Dunn et al.,
2003). Moreover, individuals of the same community may still have cultural
differences among them due to their different personal experiences, a
matter that is reflected on their self perception, attitudes and relationships
with others. This makes it vital to investigate how cultural perspectives
would affect the performance of the students and how to create harmony
among them.
Alton-Lee and Nuthell (1998) have defined Quality teaching as 'pedagogical
practices that facilitate for heterogeneous groups of students their access
to information, and ability to engage in classroom activities and tasks in
ways that facilitate learning related to curriculum goals'. In another study,
Alton-Lee (2003) stated that heterogeneity of class groupings is not a fixed
characteristic as careful observation of the students indicates that the
differences between them are rather fluid and changing and have different
ramifications for each new teaching situation accordingly quality teaching
is necessarily a response to heterogeneous groups of students.
The heterogeneous structure of the students body was identified as one of
the major sources of inter-schools (between schools) variation that can
significantly affect the students performance and achievement levels.