Implementation Of Differentiated Instruction Research Articles

An investigation of K–12 teachers' perception and use of differentiated instruction based on qualification, training, and experience

The purposes of the current study are to examine the levels of teachers’ perception and implementation of differentiated instruction (DI) and investigate the difference between teachers’ perception and the implementation of DI based on their qualifications, training in teaching students with special educational needs (SEN) and teaching experience. By employing a cross-sectional design, this study administered a survey to select 262 K–12 teachers working in Maldivian schools. Descriptive statistics including cross-tabulation were used in this study as the method of data analysis. Findings revealed that, for both perception and implementation of DI, the majority of teachers (52.8% and 52.3%, respectively) scored higher than the average. With respect to teachers’ perception, the results indicate that the majority of those who have a master’s level qualification (47.1%) had a low level of perception, while the vast majority of those who had specialized SEN training (75.0%) had a higher level of perception. With regard to implementation, unlike teachers with a bachelor’s degree or diploma level qualifications, the majority of those who have a master’s level qualification had a higher level of implementation (57.1%). Moreover, teachers who had specialized in SEN training had a higher level of implementation (66.7%), while the majority of the most experienced teachers had a lower level of implementation (51.3%). These findings confirm the importance of teachers’ continuous professional development, especially those who teach in high key-stage classes.

Good practices for differentiated instruction in vocational education: the combined perspectives of educational researchers and teachers

ABSTRACT Teachers are increasingly encouraged to meet students’ individual learning needs through differentiated instruction (DI) and the body of literature regarding the teaching practices constituting effective DI continues to grow. Although it could be argued that vocational education has certain characteristics that enhance the importance of DI, the amount of studies exploring this approach in the vocational education context is very limited. The aim of this study was twofold: (1) to identify the perceptions of educational researchers and teachers regarding the extent to which previously identified DI principles inform good practices in vocational education (2) to identify which challenges vocational teachers encounter in the implementation of DI. To this end, we conducted focus group interviews – structured around vignettes – with 15 participants from the Netherlands and Flanders, Belgium. Our findings imply that the principles identified in other contexts are perceived as relevant in vocational education, but that this context requires a somewhat different implementation of these principles and additionally results in specific challenges that teachers need to address. The insights obtained in this study can be used in the (re)design of professional development initiatives targeted at improving the DI practices of vocational teachers.

Differentiated Instruction for the Teaching of STEM among the Mixed Ability Students

The call for the implementation of differentiated instruction (DI) in teaching and learning has left teachers baffled. There is a crucial need to understand how to differentiate lessons for mixed ability students with diverse backgrounds. Thus, there is an urgent need to initiate this study, because, while the implementation of DI is pertinent, the teachers are facing difficulty and require immediate assistance in producing appropriate differentiated lessons for the students. The purpose of this study is to explore teachers’ cognition such as their knowledge and beliefs about differentiated instruction teaching approach. Specifically, it aimed to explore teachers’ cognition of DI for the mixed ability students. A qualitative design was utilized in which interviews and document analysis were analyzed. The findings revealed that teachers’ cognition of DI practices that include their knowledge, belief and challenges. This study shall equip teachers with the knowledge of DI and of how the constructs of DI should be utilized to produce appropriate differentiated lessons, towards successful teaching and learning.

Misconception tendency of differentiated instruction in publicly shared teaching and learning videos on youtube: A mixed-methods exploration study

Differentiated instruction is a pedagogical approach in which teachers fulfill students' needs based on their interests and learning profiles. This paradigm is new to the Indonesian educational sector as the government of Indonesia introduced the Merdeka curriculum in 2022, which offers a new style of teaching and learning in Indonesia through differentiation in the classroom. As an unfamiliar approach, the recent practice of differentiated instruction may lead to a misconception, particularly in its implementation. This paper focuses on witnessing teachers' misconceptions regarding differentiated instruction in three major aspects: teacher-student relations, teacher-learning design, and teacher-learning goals, using a mixed method with an explanatory sequential design. The first phase includes video observation for qualitative data collection to build variables and obtain quantitative results. This research used a purposive sampling technique with a total of seventy-seven teaching and learning in Indonesian high school videos from YouTube with particular keywords related to differentiation. All the videos were uploaded on YouTube in 2022, ranging from January 2022 to December 2022, and were from various origins and subjects. The final result and interpretation show that the score of differentiated instruction implementation through the observation checklist was 0.4722, considered satisfactory. Furthermore, this study identifies three aspects of differentiation that need to be strengthened, including learning pace settings, giving oral feedback to students based on their needs, and responding proactively to diverse students. The recommendations for tackling misconceptions regarding differentiated instruction are given for better future implementation.

Differentiated Instruction Scenario on Physics Learning: Reflection of Readiness and Future Implementation

This study has successfully constructed the scenario of differentiated instruction (DI) on physics learning as a reflection of readiness and future implementation through undergraduate students’ beliefs. Differentiated instruction (DI) is an approach that enables teachers to plan strategically to meet the needs of every student. However, differentiated instruction in physics may or may not challenge its users in reality as it depends on beliefs and views about the nature of science, instruction, and pedagogical content knowledge. This quantitative-qualitative study involved 56 undergraduate students and consisted of three main stages: preliminary, analysis, and rendition. In the first and second stages, we found a strong negative correlation between the proportion of mathematics-conceptual knowledge of the topics and the possibility of implementing differentiated instruction (r =-0,576). Meanwhile, belief in self-proficiency is directly proportional to the DI implementation possibility (r = 0.828). In conclusion, we created two scenarios based on analysis, representing the current reality of how DI will be implemented and future implementation expectations. Moreover, this research strengthens the theory that beliefs influence the possibility of using differentiated instruction. We suggest a demand for an effective introduction to differentiation instruction during science teacher preparation programs and leading professional learning that may support the development of undergraduate students at the beginning of their careers.

Planning for Differentiated Instruction: Empowering Teacher Candidates in STEM Education.

Differentiated instruction (DI) is an inclusive method of instruction by which teachers provide multiple possibilities for learning based on students' backgrounds, readiness, interests, and profiles. Acknowledging student diversity in Canadian classrooms, this study explores STEM teacher candidates' (TCs') preparation to implement DI in a STEM curriculum and pedagogy course in a teacher education program. The course is enriched with DI resources and training focused on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). The course efficacy in enhancing TCs' implementation of DI is explored through the following research questions: (1) What is the impact of the course on TCs' implementation of DI, (2) How do TCs develop curricula to be inclusive of DI strategies, and (3) What successes and challenges do TCs encounter when developing DI-focused curricula? The study adopts a mixed-method approach, in which data sources include pre-post questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Participants are 19 TCs enrolled in the second year of the teacher education program at a Canadian university. Findings suggest that the course empowered TCs to integrate DI principles and strategies in their coursework. This success reiterates the importance of opportunities aimed at enhancing teachers' preparation to incorporate DI in their practices. The findings call for adopting similar approaches in pre-service and in-service teachers' training to ensure that DI principles and strategies are deeply rooted in teachers' practices. The study informs teacher educators about integrating EDI in teacher education programs' curriculum and overall planning.

Lessons on educational borrowing and change: teachers’ implementation of differentiated instruction in Singapore

ABSTRACT Learner-centred educational approaches, like differentiated instruction (DI), have been gaining popularity worldwide through the process of educational borrowing. Teachers’ experiences with educational change are complicated when the educational ideas they encounter are transferred from abroad. This mixed method study examined how ten teachers in Singapore implemented and experienced DI, an educational approach from the USA. Findings revealed that when the destination conditions are more aligned with source conditions, Singapore teachers experience greater successes in their DI implementation, specifically in creating environments that support learning, building on quality curriculum, and leading and managing the classroom. When teachers faced cultural, technological, and political misalignments, they encountered greater obstacles, specifically, in using assessment and adapting instruction to student variances. Findings spell implications for greater synergy across educational change and borrowing work, including more criticality when borrowing educational ideas across countries and the need to foreground contextual peculiarities in both source and destination countries.

Learning Profile Mapping for Differentiated Instruction Implementation

Learning Profile Mapping for Differentiated Instruction Implementation

Junior High School Science Teachers’ Knowledge, Practice and Challenges of Differentiated Instruction in Kpandai District, Ghana

This study investigated knowledge practice and challenges of Junior High School Science teachers in Differentiated Instruction (DI) in Kpandai District of the Northern Region of Ghana. The study employed the concurrent nested design. Out of 268 teachers, a sample size of 31 science teachers was drawn to participate in the study through questionnaire and a sub-sample of five teachers was purposively selected for interviews. The quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics while the qualitative data was analysed thematically. The study concluded that most JHS science teachers in Kpandai District possessed required knowledge on DI and they actually differentiated the instruction in their Science classes. However, they faced some challenges when differentiating their instructions. The study recommends that knowledge of DI possessed by most Science teachers should be strengthened through regularly organizing in-service training for them. This should be done by GES Directorate of Kpandai to enable the teachers improve their knowledge of DI. Teachers should be supported by SISOs to practice every aspect of DI especially when assessing the learners. Finally, the government and other educational stakeholders should ensure that textbooks and other materials/resources are readily made available to Science teachers for effective implementation of DI in schools.

Examining theory-practice gap in implementing differentiated instruction (DI) in the Ethiopian TVET system: the case of TVET colleges in Bahir Dar City

The objective of this study was to examine the theory-practice gap in implementing DI. To this end, a mixed research design was used. The data sources were TVET teachers, college Deans, and the regional TVED experts in Bahir Dar city. Questionnaire, FGD, and document analysis were used to gather data. Then statistical tools including percentage, mean, standard deviation, one sample t-test, independent samples t-test, and one way ANOVA were employed to analyze the data. The findings indicate that the TVET system recognizes the principles of DI in its national level documents such as the strategy, curriculum, and TTLM preparation. It was also found that male TVET trainers’ understanding and practice of DI was higher than their female counterparts. Another finding was that the mean of Diploma holder (Level IV) teachers’ understanding and practice of the principles of DI is greater than that of the corresponding First Degree and Second Degree holders. Generally, the practice of the principles of DI in the TVET system was found poor. Planning time, shortage of materials, large class size, and lack of school administration support were among the factors obstructing the implementation of DI. In this regard, some possible suggestions are recommended in this article.

Confident, positive, but interested? Exploring the role of teachers’ interest in their practice of differentiated instruction

Given the substantial ongoing increase of individual learning demands, teachers are urged to address student heterogeneity in their daily teaching practice by means of differentiated instruction (DI). As the successful and effective implementation of DI relies mainly on teachers, research has intensively focused on examining teacher-related variables, such as teachers’ self-efficacy and attitudes, that have played a crucial role in their use of differentiated instructional practices. However, besides these well researched constructs, teacher interest is another important teacher-related variable that has, up to now, received very little attention and has been rarely incorporated into inclusive education research. Against this background, this study aimed to bring together previous research on teacher-related variables on their differentiated instructional practice, and extend prior literature by incorporate teachers’ interests. In total, 168 German in-service teachers from different school tracks participated in the study. Results from hierarchical linear regression (HLR) analyses showed a significant and positive predicting role of teacher interests on their practice of DI. Noteworthy is that teacher interests contributed significantly to their differentiated instructional practice, even after controlling for their self-efficacy and attitudes. Implications of the results, as well as further lines of research are discussed.

How teachers develop skills for implementing differentiated instruction: Helpful and hindering factors

By administering a self-assessment survey among 288 primary school teachers, we gained detailed insight into the implementation of strategies for differentiated instruction (DI) in mathematics. Besides implementation, we asked about the relative difficulty of each DI strategy, and about the factors helpful and hindering for the development of skills for implementing DI. The findings from the current study are in line with previous research, and provide additional and more detailed insights. Beginning teachers indicate their implementation of DI significantly lower than teachers with more than three years of experience. Strategies that are reported to be implemented more often, are also more often regarded easy to learn. Next to gaining experience and sufficient time for DI, an important factor for developing DI skills seems to lie in the community of practice within schools.

The Proximity of Universal Design for Learning and Differentiated Instruction

The purpose of this quantitative multivariate correlational study was to determine if there is a significant relationship between a general education teacher’s perception of learner characteristics for Students with Disabilities (SWD) and a teacher’s use of Differentiated Instruction (DI) in the general education classroom, grades 6-12. Since previous studies did not clearly support any significant benefits in utilizing segregated instruction for the teaching of students with exceptionalities, it was vital to identify research-based methods to facilitate the education of all students in the general education classroom. Sustained by research on student achievement, the proper and comprehensive implementation of DI has shown to benefit students of all ability levels. Therefore, the intention of this study was to add to the research concerning the importance of the classroom teacher in the successful implementation of DI. Fifty-two general education teachers from grades 6-12 who work with SWD from a large school district in Southeast Georgia participated in the study and completed a five-point Likert scale survey. A canonical correlation, used to analyze the relationship between the variables in the data, suggested that 10 out of 21 correlations were statistically significant. Of the remaining correlations, ten showed non-significant positive correlations and one showed a non-significant negative correlation between mean assessment and mean interest. Furthermore, the researcher did not find a statistically significant relationship between a teacher’s overall of identification of a student’s learning styles and a teacher’s overall frequency to differentiate instruction in the general education classroom, grades 6-12. Suggestions for future research are included. Keywords: students with disabilities, exceptional students, gifted, differentiated instruction, inclusion, differentiation, general education teachers, IEP, learning profile, learning styles, LRE, multi-ability classroom, RTI, twice-exceptional students

Development and validation of customized pedagogical kits for high-school chemistry teaching and learning: the redox reaction example

Abstract In this paper, we describe the structure, development, and validation process of customized pedagogical kits (CPKs) for differentiated instruction (DI) in chemistry. The CPKs rely on the DI approach, comprising varied pedagogical activities (e.g., games, inquiry activities, puzzles, simulations, models) designed as treatments, to help chemistry teachers personalize their teaching according to students’ misconceptions. The kits are based on the response to intervention (RTI) model, where the teacher applies an ongoing evaluation to meet the individual student’s needs within an evolutionary flexible process of learning. Each kit includes a diagnostic task, its characterization, pedagogical treatments for diagnosed misconceptions, and an assessment task, to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatments implemented in the classroom. The kits are developed along relevant literature criteria for using DI strategies and are based on constant validation and ongoing assessment, as demonstrated in the Redox-reaction CPK development. The validation and impact of the CPK on students’ achievements are supported by 25 chemistry teachers that implemented the full kit in their classrooms. Furthermore, the CPKs developed in the present research have succeeded in resolving many of the difficulties and challenges mentioned in the literature as obstructing the implementation of DI.

Teachers’ perceptions and practices of differentiated instruction: Cross-cultural validation of the differentiated instruction questionnaire in Hong Kong

The aims of this study were to translate and cross-validate the original Differentiated Instruction Questionnaire (DI-Quest; Coubergs et al., 2017) for use in Hong Kong (HK), which measures teachers’ philosophy and praxis factors regarding differentiated instruction (DI) implementation. A total of 416 HK primary and secondary teachers responded to the questionnaire. Exploratory factor analyses (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted to investigate and verify the factorial structure of the Chinese version of DI-Quest (C-DI-Quest). The findings support C-DI-Quest as a psychometrically valid tool for measuring DI perceptions and practices among HK teachers. Future research should consider testing the instrument in larger samples, as well as using the tool alongside qualitative research to better understand the DI implementation in HK.

QUAN ĐIỂM DẠY HỌC PHÂN HOÁ: ĐẶC TRƯNG VÀ NGỘ NHẬN

The New General Education Curriculum (2018) was developed in the context that the whole Vietnamese education system is facing a change in the approaching mindset from content-based instruction to competency-based education for learners. Accordingly, differentiated instruction (DI) is an approach to make the process of achieving the aforementioned aim more manageable. However, in the reality of DI implementation, many teachers still feel afraid to organize teaching following this point of view because they think that there are too many challenges and difficulties that teachers will face, and at the same time, realize that teachers' knowledge about the nature of DI is still limited, leading to misunderstandings and poor implementation. In order to add a view for the theory of DI in Vietnam, this article focuses on describing the characteristics of DI as well as explaining certain misconceptions regarding DI.

Differentiated instruction in L2 teaching: two extensive reading programmes conducted during COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Purpose This study investigates two extensive reading (ER) programmes carried out in a secondary school in Beijing during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the aim of analysing how differentiated instruction (DI) is reflected in the ER implementation and how this forced online learning inform foreign/second language (L2) pedagogy in relation to ER and DI. Design/methodology/approach Adopting an exploratory case study approach, the study collected data from multiple sources: interview with six students and two teachers; questionnaire survey (N = 74 + 27); teachers’ reflective journal; documents related to the two reading programmes. Data collection lasted for a semester (six months). Thematic analysis was used to code and interpret data. Findings Following the five-category framework for differentiated instruction (Tomlinson, C. A., and T. Moon. 2013. Assessment and Student Success in a Differentiated Classroom. Alexandria: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development), this study collects evidence of DI implementation in terms of content (three-tiered system of providing reading materials), process (personalised reading frequency and quantity), and product (diversified forms/platforms of presentation of reading results) of the reading programmes. However, due to the online teaching mode, DI was not fully reflected in aspects of affect (inadequate collaborative activities and interaction between students and teacher) and learning environment (lack of studying-together atmosphere). Results also indicate a widening gap between higher and lower achieving learners regarding engagement with ER activities due to differences in student autonomy and parental involvement. Originality/value This study provides some insights into differentiated instruction in ER implementation in the lockdown period, and proposes implications for L2 pedagogical design and innovation with a DI approach to ER.

Implementation of a Differentiated Instruction Initiative: Perspectives of Leaders

Differentiated Instruction (DI) is a framework that supports planning for diversity within K-12 classrooms. Research has grown steadily over the past 15 years that explores DI implementation, as well as beliefs and practices. Literature to date has focused heavily on the experiences of educators, with limited attention given to the role of leadership in implementing DI in schools. The current study explores the perspectives of 19 school and board-level administrators regarding the ways in which a differentiated instruction framework was implemented within their school board as well as facilitators and barriers to the implementation and uptake of the framework. Interviews revealed five themes: a) DI continuum, b) differentiated professional learning supports, c) making space for shared professional learning, d) align/integrate/embed, and e) multi-level leadership. Our findings reflect a strong belief system of most of the participants with respect to the foundations of DI as well as an understanding of effective approaches to professional learning and school change.

Teachers’ Interactive Cognitions of Differentiated Instruction: An Exploration in Regular and Talent Development Lessons

Differentiated instruction (DI) is an effective instructional strategy to maximize individual students’ abilities; in practice, however, its implementation appears to be problematic. To better understand teachers’ perspectives on DI and the effect different teaching contexts can have, we explored teachers’ interactive cognitions of DI in their regular lessons and in “talent lessons.” Four stimulated recall interviews were conducted with a sample of secondary school teachers ( n = 4) in the Netherlands. We found that teachers’ interactive cognitions varied depending on the context. More specifically, it appeared that in the “talent lessons,” teachers focused more on small groups or on individual students than they did in the regular lessons. Also, regardless of context, teachers often take student characteristics into account, but how they do this varies among teachers. This study provides a valuable starting point for professional development trajectories and aimed to develop teachers’ implementation of DI while taking individual differences among teachers into account.

Factors Influencing the Implementation of Differentiated Instruction in English Language Instruction in Rural and Urban Secondary Schools of Johor Bahru

When the effectiveness of an instruction is based on the outcomes of the students at the end of the lessons, the heterogeneity of the classroom could not be ignored. Considering the fact that Malaysian classrooms consist of mixed-ability students, the Cambridge Baseline Study (CBS), which was conducted in 2013, prior to the education reformation, emphasised the use of Differentiated Instruction (DI). Since DI is relatively new to the Malaysian education system, little is known of the phenomenon of its implementation from various aspects, namely, its effectiveness, teachers’ readiness, challenges faced, factors significant to its implementation, students’ and teachers’ perceptions, its aptness to Malaysian classrooms and needs of relevant stakeholders. In relation to this, the current study aims to investigate the factors influencing DI implementation in English language instruction. In addition, it also seeks to reveal if there are differences in the influencing factors between rural and urban schools. English language teachers from ten schools in Johor Bahru were selected for semi-structured interviews which revealed that teachers consider aspects related to Curriculum, Instruction, Knowledge of DI, School, Students, Time and Workload in the implementation of DI, and that there was no significant difference between the factors considered in rural and urban schools. Implications and future studies are discussed.