「能力分班」一直是倍受關注與爭議的教育課題,有不少研究顯示能力分班與社會階級兩者之間的關係不容忽視。因此,本文擬針對此議題進行探討,首先回顧課程分流與社會階級的重要文獻,以作為深入分析與討論的依據,接著以臺灣國民中學階段所成立的美術班為例,檢視臺灣教育制度中藝術才能班所隱含的階級問題,反省其中階級再製的可能性。研究的進行係以台北縣國民中學為範圍,挑選其中一所設立美術班的學校為研究對象,同時亦選取同年級另一普通班級作為參照,並透過訪談與文件分析的方式蒐集資料,由此發現美術班的階級意涵如下:(一)美術班學生的家庭社經背景優於普通班,家長對於班級事務與學習活動的參與也較為積極熱衷;(二)美術班學生擁有豐厚的文化資本,對於學校生活的適應、課業學習的表現、師生關係的維持等具有正面影響;(三)透過學校的篩選與分類機制,以及學校教師的不同期望與評價,美術班與普通班學生將註定朝向不同的發展規劃,升學主義影響階級再製的可能性。
This study tries to explore the issue of ability grouping in terms of social class. Firstly, important literature on tracking, with special focus on it connection to social class, is reviewed. Secondly, to unwrap the connection, an art class and a regular class in a Taipei County junior high school are taken as research subject. Qualitative methods such as interview and document survey are carried out, and class implications derived as follows. (1) Students of art class are better off than those of regular class in family socioeconomic background, and get much more involved with class affairs and learning activities. (2) Students of art class possess richer cultural capital, which produces positive influence on their adaptation to school life, academic performance and interaction with teachers. (3) Students of art class and their counterparts of regular class are led by selecting mechanism in school and different expectation from teachers to different career planning, and to some degree results to class reproduction.