Author: Muna Adam
Adam, Muna, 2024 Maldivian School Teachers’ Perceived Understanding and Planned use of Differentiated Instruction , Flinders University, College of Education, Psychology and Social Work
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Each student possesses unique learning characteristics. Differentiated instruction (DI) considers each individual's unique characteristics and uses these distinctions to shape the learning process rather than viewing them as obstacles. The philosophy of DI addresses the diverse needs of all students. Teachers need adequate knowledge and understanding of the various skills required to implement this strategy. Despite the significance of this method, primary teachers in the Maldives have limited knowledge regarding the comprehension and use of DI. This study, informed by Tomlinson's (2014) DI framework and Tomlinson's (2017) flow of the differentiated classroom, explored Maldivian primary school teachers’ perceived knowledge and understanding of DI, their planned use of DI, and the barriers and enablers they experienced in its implementation.
Method: A qualitative collective case study design was utilised, incorporating semi-structured web- based interviews and lesson plan documents from four primary school teachers. Data from these sources were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.
Results: The findings indicated that the teachers may have interpreted DI as effectively meeting students’ educational demands by considering individual ability levels. Teachers perceived DI as a collection of strategies rather than a philosophy, planning to implement DI by tailoring classroom activities to students' ability levels in heterogeneous grouping. Lesson duration and student-to- teacher ratio were perceived constraints hindering effective implementation of DI. Teachers reported having collaborative meetings supported their planning for DI.
Conclusion: The results highlighted teachers' views that DI is essential to catering to the learning needs of diverse students. Four key areas of the theoretical framework—differentiating by product, environment, use of formative assessment, and heterogeneous grouping—were evident from the results. This confirmed that teachers reported and planned to implement DI to some extent. Therefore, professional development programs should focus on the elements of the DI frameworks. School leaders should revise the lesson plan format to avoid a focus on fixed ability grouping.
Keywords: Differentiated Instruction, Maldives, Planning for Differentiation
Subject: Education thesis
Thesis type: Masters
Completed: 2024
School: College of Education, Psychology and Social Work
Supervisor: Emma Grace