Education Commons^™

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 …

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 …

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 …

Differentiated Reading Instruction With Technology For Advanced Middle School Students’ Reading Achievement, Clarissa Haymon, Andrea Wilson

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Guided by the theory of differentiated instruction, this quantitative study evaluated the effectiveness of Achieve 3000, a technology-enhanced program for differentiating reading instruction. Achieve 3000 was fully implemented with fidelity in a local middle school that has a large percentage of advanced learners. Archived reading scores of 120 advanced Grade 6–8 students were compared pre- and postimplementation of Achieve 3000. A paired-samples t test examining the overall effect of the intervention indicated that students’ posttest LevelSet Lexile reading scores were significantly higher than their pretest scores. A mixed-design analysis of variance was used to examine the main and interaction effects …

Teacher Perception: Secondary Level Skill Development Support For Students With Specific Learning Disabilities, Philip L. Specht

Education Doctorate Dissertations

Defining the special education framework and teacher roles continue to be a challenge as schools face the differentiated needs of 21st-century learners. Delineating the functions and duties of special education teachers (SETs) at the secondary level provides a unique challenge, which is addressed by a midsized suburban high school developing the Inclusive Consultation Model (ICM). This innovative instructional model is school-wide and multi-disciplinary, impacting both special education and academic teachers. Through weekly consultation, the SET supports the content teacher in contributing instructional methods to meet the varied student needs in class. Outside of class, SETs justify the value of their …

The Effect Of Differentiated Instruction Training On The Instructional Strategies Of Education Trainees At Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Erin C. Brown

Education Doctorate Dissertations

This research examined the effects of differentiated instruction and self-reflection training within a post graduate education trainee program. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of the inclusion of multiple teaching and learning strategies and reflective practice instruction on how education trainees chose, adjusted, and assessed instructional methods in their programs. Differentiated instruction theory, learning style theory, and reflective theory constituted the framework for this study.

The method of analysis was a case study of individual education trainees utilizing multiple data collection methods. Qualitative data was gathered through structured interviews, dialogic seminars, and reflective journals. Constant comparative …

Does Pre-Assessment Work?, Thomas R. Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Educators must understand the purpose, form, and content of pre-assessments to reap their potential benefits.

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 …

Differentiating Writing Instruction: Meeting The Diverse Needs Of Authors In A Classroom, Mary Shea

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

Abstract

The proposed article, Differentiating writing instruction: Meeting the diverse needs of authors in a classroom, begins with an explanation of the concept of differentiated instruction as a basis and another term for responsive teaching. This involves writing instruction that is sensitive to the diversity of students’ individual strengths and needs and reacts to these factors in a timely manner with targeted instruction. The practice of responsive teaching — teaching differentially — is also the foundation of RTI (response to intervention) structures, currently developing in schools across the U.S. as a result of the national mandate. However, responsive teaching …

Middle School Teachers' Perceptions Of Incorporating Alternative Assessments To Accommodate Students, Terra Wright

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A suburban middle school located in the southeastern United States included differentiated instruction and technology in all aspects of the curriculum. Teachers at this school received professional development on differentiated strategies; however, many teachers did not apply the strategies to assessments and continued to use traditional assessments despite the poor performance of their students on class evaluations. This qualitative case study, rooted in constructivist theories, examined middle school teachers' perceptions and use of alternative assessments. All 6th Language Arts teachers were selectively invited to participate in my study because they teach a core 6th grade subject, four teachers responded and …

A Grounded Theory Study On The Role Of Differentiated Instruction In Effective Middle School Science Teaching, Brian Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to develop a model explaining the role of differentiated instruction (DI) in effective middle school science teaching. The study examined the best teaching practices and differentiated elements from eight general education middle school science teachers, all scoring at the highest level of a teaching effectiveness measure on their evaluations, through a collection of observational, interview, survey, and teaching artifact data. The data were analyzed through the methodology of a systematic grounded theory qualitative approach using open, axial, and selective coding to develop a model describing how and to what degree effective middle …

An Analysis Of Elementary School Teachers' Knowledge And Use Of Differentiated Instruction, Alixa Rodriguez

Ed.D. Dissertations

School districts today are being held accountable for providing all students with a quality education in order for students to meet mandated learning standards as well as become productive citizens; thus teachers need to be more responsive to their students’ needs. This study investigated teachers’ knowledge about differentiated instruction; how often teacher differentiate instruction in specific subject areas; and factors that help or hinder the implementation of differentiated instruction. Study results demonstrated that the majority of the teachers surveyed are familiar with differentiated instruction; however, because of their unfamiliarity of available tools, the immense amount of preparation time involved coupled …

The Relationship Between The Pedagogical Use Of Differentiated Instructional Strategies And 3rd, 4th, And 5th Grade Language Arts Achievement, Kenitra Lasha Barnes

Dissertations

Today’s classrooms are comprised of students who perform on a myriad of levels. As a result of both state and federal mandates, educators have been charged with the task of ensuring that all students master the required grade level benchmarks at the end of each school term. The challenge in carrying out that duty is finding strategic ways of reaching all students, regardless of their performance levels. The stricter state mandates have placed many classroom teachers in a compromising position that leaves them with no time to remediate students who may struggle with mastering a skill and minimal time to …

Drop Out Or Persist? The Influence Of Differentiated Instruction And Teacher Behavior On College Freshmen And Ged Students, Vera Strickland Robertson

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to provide information to school administrators about the impact differentiated instruction and teacher behavior have on students' decision to drop out of high school or persist. The ultimate goal of this study is to determine if a significant relationship exists between differentiated instruction, teacher behavior and dropout status.

The participants in this study included students enrolled in select colleges or GED programs. The ages of the participants were ages sixteen to twenty-one. The participants completed a questionnaire constructed by the researcher to gather data pertaining to participants' experiences with differentiated instruction and teacher behavior …

Master Teachers’ Critical Practice And Student Learning Strategies: A Case Study In An Urban School District, Greg G. Paulmann

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Job embedded professional development in the K-12 education setting has long been discussed and debated. This study builds on standards of critical reflection and thinking using the National Institute for Excellence in Education’s Teacher Advancement Program’s master teacher model as a conduit between theory and practice. A study of professional development design based on student learning strategies became worthy of review. The master teacher, through field testing and critical reflection, isolates critical elements necessary to transform teaching practice around student learning strategies. The work of the master teacher is situated as a leader of change within a professional learning community. …