Digital Commons Network^™

Differentiated Instruction: A Qualitative Study Focusing On The Voices Of Elementary Teachers And Their Needs, Suzanne S. Fanelle

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This qualitative study examined teachers’ perspectives about their implementation of differentiated instruction in an effort to support district-led professional development programming. Differentiated instruction is based on well-considered goals and thorough analysis of students’ achievement, progress, and instructional needs, combined with formative assessments and progress monitoring (Van Geel et al., 2019). An initial questionnaire was administered to all K-5 teachers in a suburban school district, followed by individual interviews with three teachers who expressed that they often use differentiation in the classroom. Each of the three teachers participated in two interviews lasting 45-60 minutes each over the course of several weeks. …

Supporting Elementary Preservice Teachers’ Design Of Differentiated Instruction With A Transparent Lesson Plan Template, Charlotte A. Mundy-Henderson, Aaron Gierhart, Saoussan Maarouf

Perspectives In Learning

Planning and differentiation are key components of elementary teachers’ work in classrooms. Therefore, teacher education programs must prepare their preservice teachers for this future responsibility. This study examines how the integration of a more targeted lesson plan template and increased explicit in-class instruction impacts preservice teachers’ knowledge and implementation of differentiated instruction in an Elementary Education teacher certification program. Findings indicate that the new, more targeted lesson plan template and increased time dedicated to explicit differentiated instruction across the Elementary Education program led candidates to feel more knowledgeable about differentiated instruction and how to design and implement instruction for diverse …

Identifying Instructional Design Strategies In Differentiated Instruction In China: A Systematic Review, Haizhi Fu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Differentiated instruction (DI) is defined as an approach that allows teachers to strategically and proactively plan and vary curriculum design and delivery to address students’ individual needs and to create meaningful student experiences. Since China’s New Curriculum Reform in 2001, DI has been extensively employed to motivate teachers to be curriculum developers and researcher practitioners. Teachers were encouraged to develop a diverse curriculum by connecting students’ and teachers’ life experiences and prior knowledge to the course content. Despite this popularity, the DI practice has been met with great difficulties and challenges in China, and few studies have identified instructional design …

Effective Reading Practices For Inclusive Classrooms, Andrew Block

Graduate Teacher Education

This paper examined research on what are best practices for teaching reading comprehension to students in an inclusive classroom. This topic is explored through research findings from multiple quantitative and qualitative studies which examined the effectiveness of structured reading instruction, explicitly taught reading strategies, student autonomy, and discussion and collaboration as best practices for improving reading comprehension skills. While research showed a variety of effective practices and strategies to increase reading comprehension among all students, the research also suggested the need for content area teachers to receive on-going professional development to consistently implement evidence-based practices throughout the course of the …

Developing A Curriculum Model For Differentiating Instruction For All Learners, Emma Riemenschneider

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine what types of teaching strategies most engage gifted and talented (GT) students. This study poses the question, "How can classroom teachers engage gifted and talented students while not advancing past the abilities of non-gifted and talented students?" Two surveys were developed and administered to public school teachers and students. The teacher participants of this study were nine classroom teachers at a junior high school in the northwestern part of the state. The student participants of this study were 99 seventh and eighth graders at a junior high school in the northwest part …

Leveraging The Dynamics Of The Mixed Level Classroom: A Materials Collection, Emily Hampston

MA TESOL Collection

A number of studies have noted the rise in student demographic diversity and the heightened significance of the mixed-level classroom; however, a consensus on the appropriate methods and materials to address these developments remains to be reached. Educators are anticipated to address the needs of students with a variety of abilities, backgrounds, and interests in a singular class. Less proficient students face overstimulation whilst more proficient students face understimulation. How can the challenges of the mixed-level classroom be recast into strengths? The mixed-level classroom environment calls for student investment, real language, and familiar processes. Methods such as peer tutoring, cooperative …

The Correlation Between Self-Efficacy, Differentiated Instruction, And Gifted Training In Schools Serving Students Originating From Under-Resourced Homes, Amy Dean O'Dell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Teachers face the challenge of meeting diverse learners’ academic needs. Many learners from historically underrepresented student populations enter school with varying exposure to quality learning opportunities creating an academic gap and affecting gifted identification. Differentiation moved to the forefront of education as part of the response to intervention process and to meet gifted learners’ academic needs. However, many teachers may feel ill-equipped to address a wide range of ability levels. The classroom’s diverse and dynamic nature required efficacious teachers prepared to differentiate instruction effectively. The purpose of this bivariate correlational study was to examine the relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy, teachers’ …

Investigating The Attitudes, Beliefs And Practices Of High School Chemistry Teachers Regarding The Differentiation Of Instruction, Anna Tyrina

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Differentiation of instruction (DI) is a broad term used for a group of pedagogical tools that teachers use to individualize instruction for students of different abilities and needs. Differentiation of instruction is a practice that has been researched and characterized to have a variety of instructional benefits, some of which include increased student motivation and engagement (Tomlinson, 2001). This study sought to characterize the attitudes, beliefs, and practices of ten high school chemistry teachers in Maine regarding the differentiation of instruction. Through a phenomenological approach, interviews with these teachers were analyzed to understand how high school chemistry teachers define differentiated …

The Impact Of A Four-Station Blended Learning Model Of Differentiating Instruction On Student Engagement In A Middle School Chinese I Class In A Southeastern State, Junlan Li

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research was to examine the impact of the proposed Four-Station Blended Learning Model (FSBLM) on the engagement level of four middle school students in a Chinese as a foreign language class. For the purposes of the study, student engagement is defined by three aspects: (1) participation in class activities, (2) classwork completion, and (3) student perceptions of Chinese class. Incorporating an action research design, data was collected through utilizing Likert-scale pre- and post-surveys, pre- and post-interviews, observations and the taking of field notes, students’ work samples, and classwork grades. Both qualitative and quantitative data were …

Analysis Of Elementary School English Teachers’ Perceptions Of And Design For Differentiated Reading Instruction, Chin-Wen Chien

Journal of English Learner Education

This study explored the influence of a course in an endorsement program on 22 elementary school Taiwanese English teachers’ perceptions of and designs for differentiated reading instruction. Based on the data analysis of the questionnaire, peer- and self-evaluation, and final projects, this study has two major findings. First, participants gained competence in research-based instructional strategies and approaches for differentiated reading instruction through the endorsement program. Tiered assignments were the most popular activities designed by the participants for differentiated reading instruction. Secondly, their self-efficacy gained in terms of improving their learners’ reading performance and solving their reading problems. This study suggested …

Using Hip-Hop Culture To Engage In Culturally Relevant Literacy Instruction, Mokysha D. Benford, Jacqueline D. Smith

The Journal of the Research Association of Minority Professors

The COVID-19 pandemic along with Black Lives Matter have both cast a spotlight on inequities that exist racially, and the glaring disparities in the digital divide that exist in our culture today. With student demographics changing across the nation, these issues have created a need for educators to effectively meet the needs of a diverse student population that is and continues to change. Schools and classrooms need to be culturally responsive using the cultural knowledge, prior experiences, and learning styles of diverse students to make learning more engaging and effective more than ever. Culturally responsive literacy instruction bridges the gap …

Conversations With Australian Teachers And School Leaders About Using Differentiated Instruction In A Mainstream Secondary School, Kathryn Gibbs, Wendi Beamish

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Circumstances in today’s schools are requiring a rethinking of pedagogical approaches so that equitable learning opportunities are provided to all students. This small-scale, qualitative Australian study reports how some teachers and school leaders viewed differentiated instruction (DI) being applied in their secondary campus to address diverse abilities and needs. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted using Zoom. The analysis of data identified three themes related to DI: understandings, practices, and concerns. Findings showed that all participants understood many of the important elements of DI. Teachers reported using several well-known DI strategies, with experienced teachers applying a more considered approach. Teachers raised …

Competitive Edge Teaching: A Comparison Of Differentiated Reading Instruction In The K-3 Elementary Classroom To The Sports Psychology Behind High School Athletic Coaching Methods, Lindsay W. Lee

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This study explored the similarities between the philosophies and techniques used by select high school athletic coaches and select elementary reading teachers. The study shows parallels between the psychology behind coaching methodology within high school athletics and differentiated instruction within the elementary reading classroom. The purpose of this research was to develop a pathway to influence the increased implementation of differentiated instruction in elementary schools by determining and highlighting these parallels. The design of the study is a triangular analysis of interview questions conducted in a face-to-face interview format, document analysis, and surveys to show the parallels between the planning …

Teacher Perceptions Of Blended Learning To Support 21st Century Learners, Nikki Hensley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand teacher perceptions of blended learning as an instructional methodology for addressing the needs of diverse learners. The researcher explored the perceptions of teachers who were participating in an ongoing professional development program within their school district. This program focused on improving teaching and learning through the implementation of a blended learning approach. The researcher examined the experiences of teachers as they learned to adapt pedagogical practices to address the learning needs of 21st century students through blended learning. The researcher sought to gain a better understanding of how teachers perceived that …

Investigating The Use And Effectiveness Of The Istation Advanced Reading Program With Fourth-Grade At-Risk Struggling Readers, Andres Martinez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of computer-based-instruction (CBI) and multimedia when used as an intervention with upper elementary students experiencing reading difficulties on the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) Reading Assessments. The researcher employed a quantitative, causal-comparative research design for this study. A Texas supplemental reading program, the Istation Advanced Reading Program, was used as a Response to Intervention (RTI) for those at-risk students of failing their Reading STAAR Test in the fourth grade and to sustain an effective reading program district-wide.

Archived data was collected from three South Texas Title I …

Male Educators Implementing Instructional Practices That Academically Engage Students, Kenneth B. Beneby

Theses and Dissertations

Male Educators Implementing Instructional Practices That Academically Engage Students. Kenneth Bernard Beneby, 2019. Applied Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. Keywords: teacher, African American male teachers, academic engagement, secondary teaching profession, pedagogies, African American male students

This phenomenological research explored how a selected group of African American male educators understood their own experiences while implementing strategies to academically engage African American male students. The research explored the public secondary education experiences of African American male educators to better understand their occupational understandings; how having more African American educators were helpful in …

Where Do We Go From Here? Culturally Responsive Teaching And Literacy Among African American Males, Denise Evelyn Cyrus

Education Dissertations and Projects

Literacy skills impact academic achievement for school-aged children and almost every facet of modern day life thereafter. Low literacy achievement affects college acceptance, college completion, employment, housing, and socioeconomic status to name a few (Ford & Moore, 2013). Regrettably, the literacy skills gap between Black and White students in America has remained virtually the same for the past 20 years. Factors such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, and teacher quality contribute to the sustainability of literacy gaps. Scholars such as Ladson-Billings (1995a), Gay (2010), and Hammond (2015) endorse the use of culturally responsive pedagogy as an approach to reduce achievement …

The Impact Of Differentiated Instruction On Student Accomplishment Through Mathematics Stations, Dawn M. Lawson

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this action research study is to determine how differentiated mathematics stations effect student learning. The research question that guided this study is as follows: How does the implementation of differentiated instruction using math stations impact individual student learning progression on the Student Learning Objective (SLO) posttest, unit pretests and posttests, and end of the year state assessment?

The research question is answered through an action research study where students completed mathematics stations designed to meet the individual needs of each student. Research theorists, instructional strategies, and policies effecting education support the focus of this study on differentiated …

Ability Grouping And Student Achievement In Four Rural Elementary Schools In The Southern United States, Rhonda Denise Kelley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School personnel are concerned that reading gaps of grade 3 and grade 4 students have persisted in 4 rural elementary schools in the southern United States despite the use of ability grouping to improve student reading proficiency scores. Between the 2014-2016 school years, less than 50% of students in grades 3 and grade 4 scored at the proficient level in reading at the 4 target rural schools. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the teachers' and administrators' perceptions regarding the influence of grouping on the reading performance of students in grades 3 and 4. Using Vygotsky's …

Second Grade Teachers' Perspectives On Differentiated Instruction, Alyssa Simmons

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite various instructional efforts, the second grade students in a mid-sized Southwestern school district failed to progress in reading. Although differentiated instruction has been shown to improve literacy skills for young readers, many teachers at the study site did not differentiate instruction for all students. Grounded in theories of social constructivism and differentiated instruction, the purpose of this study was to investigate second grade teachers' perspectives about using differentiated literacy instruction and the effect of their teaching experience and participation in professional development on those perspectives. Data for this nonexperimental, causal-comparative study were collected from 93 second grade teachers via …

Using Whole School Cluster Grouping To Differentiate Instruction More Effectively In Elementary Schools, Crystal Machado

Crystal Machado

Preparing Teachers For High-Need Schools: A Focus On Thoughtfully Adaptive Teaching, Arlene Mascarenhas, Seth Parsons, Sarah Cohen Burrowbridge

Occasional Paper Series

Differentiated instruction, or thoughtfully adaptive teaching, helps teachers successfully meet the needs of students in under-served schools. Teacher education institutions can do their part by forming partnerships with high-needs schools so teacher candidates can gain experience in a supportive environment. Along with providing a solid grounding in pedagogy, teacher education programs need to help candidates develop their own vision of teaching. Vision is seen as a way for teachers to remain true to their core values, and as a way to stay focused on how to do the best for all of their students.

Creating Order Out Of The Chaos Of Differentiated Lesson Planning For The Novice Teacher Candidate, J. Dusteen Knotts Ph.D.

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

Current classroom settings are more diverse than ever before. Preservice teacher candidates must learn the principles of differentiation and how to apply them to lesson preparation. Lesson planning is multi-faceted and this paper offers an integral tool to promote differentiated lesson planning to the novice teacher. These principles are presented in a concise, foundational chart aligning the components with Blooms Cognitive Taxonomy, classroom activities, assessment, scoring guides, and student grouping. Understanding of these aligned concepts sets the foundation to facilitate differentiated lesson planning.

Spelling Instruction In The Primary Grades: Teachers’ Beliefs, Practices, And Concerns, Antoinette Doyle, Jing Zhang, Chris Mattatall

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This study examined Canadian teachers’ beliefs, practices and concerns about spelling instruction in the primary grades. Data from surveys (n = 56) indicated that most teachers believe that spelling is important and plan for spelling instruction. For most teachers, the spelling words and activities used, and the instructional resources they chose, reflected an attempt to incorporate both holistic and traditional approaches to instruction. Teachers reported that substantial numbers of children experience difficulty with spelling. They suggested that greater emphasis be placed on defining spelling outcomes in the curriculum, as well as on teacher education and resources for teaching spelling to …

A Phenomenological Study Of Differentiated Instruction For Fifth Grade Gifted And High Ability Learners Through Math In Focus, Elizabeth Keithley Sizemore

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

his phenomenological study investigated the differentiation techniques implemented for gifted and high ability learners by fifth grade general classroom mathematics instructors utilizing the Math in Focus (Great Source/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009) Singapore Mathematics program in a suburban school district. To provide an understanding of the differentiation process currently being implemented by general classroom mathematics teachers, six participants completed an open-ended questionnaire and two representative participants were interviewed, observed, and asked to provide artifacts for analysis in the study. Data analysis using transcendental phenomenological reduction, including bracketing and horizonalization, revealed several overarching lessons. Participants analyzed multiple student data sources throughout the …

Differentiation Revealed: A Multiple-Methods Qualitative Study On The Implementation Of Differentiated Instruction In A Mixed-Ability Elementary Classroom, Curtis James Cunningham

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Differentiated instruction as a philosophical approach to teaching has been around for decades. In recent weeks differentiation has come under fire as being an approach to teaching that is simply too difficult for teachers to implement. While teachers may attend a workshop or take a graduate class on the topic of differentiation and choose not to embrace the philosophy, there are also teachers who have successfully implemented differentiation. The argument against differentiation is based on the amount of effort required to simultaneously implement all components of differentiation.

To address these concerns the following question provided guidance for the present multi-method …

Mastery Learning For 9th Grade Mathematics: Can The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Close The Achievement Gap?, Rhonda Jeffries, Hope Reed

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

This presentation critiques educational tracking as a default system of grouping that perpetuates inequities particularly for students most likely to experience challenges with academic achievement (Rubin & Noguera, 2004). The research explores the mastery learning method in 9th grade Algebra I CP to improve achievement for students who enter high school without Pre-Algebra skills.

Transformational Leadership For Access, Engagement, And Empowerment, Chris Colgren

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Closing achievement gaps requires schools to provide all students with equitable opportunities to learn. It is necessary to increase students’ access to rigorous curricula and quality instruction, engage all learners both cognitively and affectively, and acknowledge the unique talents and cultural knowledge that all children possess. This session is designed to help educators address the challenge of eliminating achievement gaps.

Elementary (K-5) Teachers' Perceptions Of Differentiated Instruction, Christopher Maddox

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Differentiated instruction is a pedagogical method used by classroom teachers to enhance student learning. Researchers have described how students benefit from differentiated lessons, but have not explored the relationship between teachers' perceptions of differentiation and student success. This gap is problematic because teachers' instruction directly affects student achievement. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore how elementary (K-5) teachers define, familiarize, use, and perceive differentiation. The conceptual framework was rooted from a synthesis of ideas found in current refereed literature, and the educational concepts and constructionist theories of Piaget and Vygotsky. Purposeful sampling identified 12 participants for …

Instructional Practices Of English As Second Language Teachers, Karen Ann Wallis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The past decade has seen a significant increase in the emergence of English Language Learners (ELLs) in the United States. Nationally, a disparity in achievement exists between ELLs and non-ELLs. Relatedly, this problem was evident in a northeastern school district, where ELLs had not made Adequate Yearly Progress 2 years in a row. The purpose of this study was to examine how much time English as Second Language (ESL) teachers spend on a variety of best instructional practices. Constructivism, Vygotsky's zone of proximal development, and Tomilinson's differentiated instruction were the frameworks used to guide this research. A within-group design was …