Differentiated Instruction: The Effect on Learner’s Achievement in Kindergarten

Abstract

Identifying an effective instructional strategy to help diverse learners reach their full potentials is a goal for educators. Differentiated instruction has received much attention as a possible strategy. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the effect of incorporating differentiated instructional practices on students’ achievement in the kindergarten classes. In this action research, the researcher sought to answer the following research question: Does incorporating differentiated instructional practices leads to significant increase in students’ achievement in the kindergarten classes? Two kindergarten classes with 38 students and 2 teachers participated in the study; one was assigned to an experimental group who received differentiated instructional strategies for 3 weeks and the other one to the control group who received traditional teaching practices. Data was collected, analyzed and compared using SPSS and independent sample t-test. Results revealed that there was no significant difference in student achievement results between the differentiated and non-differentiated classrooms. Findings of this study highlight the necessity for further explorations on the effect of differentiated instructional practices on achievement results in the kindergarten classrooms.

Teachers’ Role as Communicator and Motivator in Facilitating Early Childhood Sex Education in Kindergarten

“…The similar argument was found in the previous research which stated that the strengthening of sex education for children should be adapted to the curriculum related to the provision of self-development learning in schools (Sinclair et al, 2016). Not only the curriculum, but also the lack of teachers' skills related to the understanding and the knowledge in in educational implementation is not fully implemented by early childhood education institutions in kindergartens in Indonesia (Erhamwilda et al, 2017;Kotob & Arnouss, 2019). This statement is supported by the activities of providing sex education for early childhood which mainly focus on the child's cognitive, kinaesthetic and socio-emotional using the Standard Levelling of Children Achievement and Development (STTPA) resulting in a highly rigid activities for children.…”

The Implementation of Teaching English Using Differentiated Instruction in Senior High School during Covid-19 Pandemic

“…Implementing various ways of teaching English has a positive impact on the student's achievement in learning English. (Ismail, 2019;Kotob & Arnouss, 2019;Sandra & Kurniawati, 2020). An English language class is made up of students who are all diverse, they come from various backgrounds and cultures that vary in their interests, readiness, needs, and development (de Graaf et al, 2019;Putri et al, 2020).…”

“…Differentiated instruction is one of the teaching approaches that enable students to learn in various ways based on their valuable individual differences (Bondie et al, 2019;Tanjung & Ashadi, 2019). Differentiated instruction is the adaptation of curriculum components in the parts of content, process, and product and refers to the needs of students according to their interests, readiness, and learning profiles (Ismail, 2019;Kotob & Arnouss, 2019;Tomlinson, 2017). The process can be done by the teachers in their classes whenever they want, during the individual learners, small groups, or whole course.…”

How Can Teachers Tailor Success? Innovative Strategies for Content, Process, and Product in EFL Classrooms

“…Differentiated education is an approach that enables learners to acquire knowledge in ways that resonate with their inherent, distinct personalities (Tanjung & Ashadi, 2019;Bondie et al, 2019). It involves customizing the instructional environment to accommodate students' interests, readiness levels, and learning profiles across content, process, and product dimensions (Tomlinson, 2017;Ismail, 2019;Kotob & Arnouss, 2019). Teachers can apply these adaptations in class, catering to individual students, small groups, or the entire class as needed.…”