Differentiation has become a topical matter in the wake of the implementation of the National Curriculum. This paper explores different conceptions and evaluations about differentiation. One of its main aims is to show that the issue of differentiation arises out of the tension between the basic values of equality and belongingness on one hand and individuality on the other. This is reflected in the processes of teaching and learning, in the design of the curriculum and the organisation of schooling, and in the Intended outcomes of learning. Another aim is to show the links between these value considerations and particular assumptions about the nature and sources of individual differences. The case for a genuine interactionist model is presented which recognises the interplay between internal child and external environmental factors. This model is associated with the position that there is a plurality of values which need to be balanced and reconciled.
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Brahm Norwich (1994) studied this question.