Effect of differentiated instruction on primary EFL students’ writing performance and perception: The case of grade 7 students in Hawassa city, Ethiopia

Abstract

This study examined the effect of Differentiated Instruction (DI) on Grade 7 students' writing performance and their perception towards the instruction. To this end, a quasi-experimental design with a mixed methods approach was employed. The study focused on readiness level among the other potential student characteristics that need to be taken into account for instruction differentiation. The study was conducted at Tabor Elementary School in Sidama Regional State of Ethiopia. A total of 82 elementary level students were subjects of the study. Data were gathered through writing test, perception scale questionnaire and interview and analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Independent Sample t-test, mean and standard deviation were used toanalyze the data. The results showed that the students in the experimental group exhibited higher score when compared with those in the comparison group. Furthermore, the participants’ perception towards differentiated instruction approach is shown to be positive.