Differentiated Instruction: Challenges and Opportunities in EFL Classroom

Mardhatillah Mardhatillah, Suharyadi Suharyadi

Abstract


The issue of Differentiated Instruction (DI) has recently attracted the attention of scholars and practitioners because of its immense significance and many opportunities to enhance student learning. In this regard, the current study aims to contribute a small summary of DI in the context of EFL to provide context and illustrate the need to implement DI in the classroom to ensure that students learn languages successfully. Since differentiated instruction puts students at the center of teaching and learning, encourages equality and academic achievement, and acknowledges student diversity, it encourages teachers to be aware of individual needs, interests, skills, English proficiency levels, and students’ preferred learning strategies. Although some challenges may occur such as time-consuming and pressure on teachers in implementing DI, this approach has advantages that can affect students' learning processes, future learning attitudes, and future success. So, the learning process provides many opportunities when the teacher is committed to differentiated instruction.

Keywords


Differentiated instruction (DI), EFL classroom, review

Full Text:

Download PDF

References


Afriliyasanti, R., Cahyono, B. Y., & Astuti, U. P. (2016). Effect of flipped classroom model on Indonesian EFL students’ writing ability across and individual differences in learning. European Centre for Research Training and Development, 4(5), 65–81.

Aftab, J. (2016). Teachers’ Beliefs about Differentiated Instructions in Mixed Ability Classrooms: A Case of Time Limitation. Journal of Education and Educational Development, 2(2), 94. https://doi.org/10.22555/joeed.v2i2.441

Aldossari, A. T. (2018). The Challenges of Using the Differentiated Instruction Strategy: A Case Study in the General Education Stages in Saudi Arabia. International Education Studies, 11(4), 74. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v11n4p74

Algozzine, B., & Anderson, K. M. (2007). Tips for Teaching: Differentiating Instruction to Include All Students. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 51(3), 49–54. https://doi.org/10.3200/PSFL.51.3.49-54

AlHashmi, B., & Elyas, T. (2018). Investigating the Effect of Differentiated Instruction in Light of the Ehrman & Leaver Construct on Grammar Learning. Arab World English Journal, 9(3), 145–162. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol9no3.10

Aliakbari, M., & Haghighi, J. K. (2014). Impact of Differentiated Instruction Strategies and Traditional-Based Instruction on the Reading Comprehension of Iranian EFL Students. Journal of Research in Applied Linguistics, 5(1), 109–129.

Baecher, L., Artigliere, M., Patterson, D. K., & Spatzer, A. (2012). Differentiated Instruction for English Language Learners as “Variations on a Theme”: Teachers Can Differentiate Instruction to Support English Language Learners. Middle School Journal, 43(3), 14–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/00940771.2012.11461807

Bahous, R., Bacha, N., & Nabhani, M. (2011). Motivating Students in the EFL Classroom: A Case Study of Perspectives. English Language Teaching, 4(3), p33. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v4n3p33

Baumgartner, T., Lipowski, M. B., & Rush, C. (2003). Increasing Reading Achievement of Primary and Middle School Students through Differentiated Instruction.

Bigge, M., & Shermis, S. (2004). Bigge, M., & Shermis, S. (2004). Learning theories for teachers (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. (6th ed.). Pearson.

Borja, L. A., Soto, S. T., & Sanchez, T. X. (2015). Differentiating Instruction for EFL Learners. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 5(8), 7.

Celik, S. (2019). Can Differentiated Instruction Create an Inclusive Classroom with Diverse Learners in an Elementary School Setting? Journal of Education and Practice, 10(6), 31–40. https://doi.org/10.7176/JEP/10-6-05

Chien, C.-W. (2015). Influence of Differentiated Instruction Workshop on Taiwanese Elementary School English Teachers’ Activity Design. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 5(2), 270. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0502.06

Dabr, R. E. A. E. M. E. (2021). Developing Preparatory Stage Students’ EFL Listening Skills Through Learning Styles Based Differentiated Instruction. Journal of Faculty of Education, 32(127), 119–142. https://doi.org/10.21608/jfeb.2021.240905

Ernest, J. M., Thompson, S. E., Heckaman, K. A., Hull, K., & Yates, J. (2011). Effects and Social Validity of Differentiated Instruction on Student Outcomes for Special Educators. The Journal of International Association of Special Education, 12(1), 33–41.

Fauziah, H., & Cahyono, B. Y. (2022). Prevalent beliefs in learning styles myths: Indonesian research trends on learning styles. Issues in Educational Research, 32(4).

Fuad, N. M., Zubaidah, S., Mahanal, S., & Suarsini, E. (2017). Improving Junior High Schools’ Critical Thinking Skills Based on Test Three Different Models of Learning. International Journal of Instruction, 10(01), 101–116. https://doi.org/10.12973/iji.2017.1017a

Ismajli, H., & Imami-Morina, I. (2018). Differentiated Instruction: Understanding and Applying Interactive Strategies to Meet the Needs of all the Students. International Journal of Instruction, 11(3), 207–218. https://doi.org/10.12973/iji.2018.11315a

Jin, E. A. W. N. (2015). Teachers’ practices of using differentiated reading instruction in ESL classroom. Wawasan Open University.

Joseph, S. (2013). Differentiating instruction: Experiences of pre-service and in-service trained teachers. Caribbean Curriculum, 20, 31–52.

Kotob, M. M., & Abadi, M. A. (2019). The Influence of Differentiated Instruction on Academic Achievement of Students in Mixed Ability Classrooms. International Linguistics Research, 2(2), 8–28. https://doi.org/10.30560/ilr.v2n2p8

Leblebi̇ci̇er, B. (2020). Learning through differentiated instruction: Action research in an academic english class. Middle East Technical University.

Logan, B. (2011). Examining differentiated instruction: Teachers respond. Research in Higher Education Journal, 13, 1–14.

Magableh, I. S. I., & Abdullah, A. (2020a). Effectiveness of Differentiated Instruction on Primary School Students’ English Reading Comprehension Achievement. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 20–35. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.3.2

Magableh, I. S. I., & Abdullah, A. (2020b). On the Effectiveness of Differentiated Instruction in the Enhancement of Jordanian Students’ Overall Achievement. International Journal of Instruction, 13(2), 533–548. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2020.13237a

Maheswari, P. A. M., Adnyani, N. L. P. S., & Suwastini, N. K. A. (2020). Interlanguage Analysis on Indonesian EFL Learners’ Compositions. Lingua Didaktika: Jurnal Bahasa Dan Pembelajaran Bahasa, 14(2), 121. https://doi.org/10.24036/ld.v14i2.108643

Malacapay, M. C. (2019). Differentiated Instruction in Relation to Pupils’ Learning Style. International Journal of Instruction, 12(4), 625–638. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2019.12440a

Manik, N. P. I. M. C., & Suwastini, N. K. A. (2020). Analyzing Grammatical Error in Students’ Recount Text Writing in Junior High School. Humanis, 24(3), 238. https://doi.org/10.24843/JH.2020.v24.i03.p02

Matra, S. D. (2014). Teacher Questioning In Classroom Interaction. A Journal of Culture, English Language Teaching and Literature, 14(1), 82–111.

Naka, L. (2018a). Differentiated Instruction as the Main Tool in EFL Learning Enhancement. International Journal of Sciences, 42(2), 7.

Naka, L. (2018b). Differentiated instruction in English Foreign Language learning in undergraduate studies. Journal of Literature, Languages and Linguistics, 42, 11.

Ortega, D. P., Cabrera, J. M., & Benalcázar, J. V. (2018). Differentiating Instruction in the Language Learning Classroom: Theoretical Considerations and Practical Applications. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 9(6), 1220–1228. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0906.11

Pham, H. L. (2011). Differentiated Instruction And The Need To Integrate Teaching And Practice. Journal of College Teaching & Learning (TLC), 9(1), 13–20. https://doi.org/10.19030/tlc.v9i1.6710

Porta, T., & Todd, N. (2022). Differentiated instruction within senior secondary curriculum frameworks: A small‐scale study of teacher views from an independent South Australian school. The Curriculum Journal, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1002/curj.157

Raza, K. (2020). Differentiated instruction in English language teaching: Insights into the implementation of Raza’s teaching adaptation model in Canadian ESL. TESL Ontario, 41–50.

Shih, R.-C. (2010). Blended learning using video-based blogs: Public speaking for English as a second language students. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 26(6). https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.1048

Sougari, A.-M., & Mavroudi, A. (2019). Differentiated instruction in the EFL classroom: Discrepancies between teachers’ self-report questionnaires and actual practices. Selected Papers on Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, Vol 23, 398-413 Pages. https://doi.org/10.26262/ISTAL.V23I0.7356

Suharyadi, S., & Wulyani, A. N. (2022). EFL teachers’ reasons for selecting instructional materials during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bahasa Dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, Dan Pengajarannya, 50(1), 49. https://doi.org/10.17977/um015v50i12022p49

Sulistyo, G. H., Rachmajanti, S., Suharyadi, M., & Muniroh, S. (2018). Empowering Teachers’ Professionalism for Students’ Better Learning through Reflective Training: A Theoretical Framework for Sustainable EFL Teacher Professional Development. Proceedings of the International Conference on Learning Innovation (ICLI 2017). International Conference on Learning Innovation (ICLI 2017), Malang, Indonesia. https://doi.org/10.2991/icli-17.2018.24

Suson, R., Baratbate, C., Anoos, W., Ermac, E., Aranas, A. G., Malabago, N., Galamiton, N., & Capuyan, D. (2020). Differentiated Instruction for Basic Reading Comprehension in Philippine Settings. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 8(9), 3814–3824. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2020.080904

Suwastini, N. K. A., Rinawati, N. K. A., Jayantini, I. G. A. S. R., & Dantes, G. R. (2021). Differentiated Instruction Across EFL Classrooms: A Conceptual Review. TELL-US Journal, 7(1), 14–41. https://doi.org/10.22202/tus.2021.v7i1.4719

Tanjung, P. A., & Ashadi. (2019). Differentiated Instruction In Accommodating Individual Differences Of Efl Students. English Language Teaching, 6(2), 63–72.

Tomlinson, C. A. (2000). Differentiation of instruction in the elementary grades. ERIC Digests, 1–7.

Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms (2. ed). Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.

Tomlinson, C. A., & Imbeau, M. B. (2010). Leading and managing a differentiated classroom. ASCD.

Uzair-ul-Hassan, M., Kazim, B., & Parveen, I. (2019). Teachers’ Practices of Differentiated Instructions, Fair Interactions and Fair Assessment of Students in Sargodha. Journal of Educational Sciences & Research, 6(1), 47–62.

Valiandes, S. (2015). Evaluating the impact of differentiated instruction on literacy and reading in mixed ability classrooms: Quality and equity dimensions of education effectiveness. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 45, 17–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2015.02.005

Vargas Parra, M. A., Rodríguez Orejuela, J. A., & Mosquera, L. H. (2017). Promotion of Differentiated Instruction through a Virtual Learning Environment. Revista Folios, 47, 165–177. https://doi.org/10.17227/folios.47-7404

Widiati, U., Suzila, T. I., Karmina, S., & Zubaidi, N. (2023). Literacy Teaching Strategies: Do Indonesian Secondary EFL Teachers Practice What They Know? LEARN Journal: Language Education and Acquisition Research Network, 16(1).

Winarti, W., Cahyono, B. Y., Mukminatien, N., & El Khoiri, N. (2021). Collaborative Writing Using Process Writing Approach: The Effect of Group Size and Personality Types. International Journal of Instruction, 14(4), 391–410. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.14423a




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v8i1.1022

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.




JELTL (Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics); Web: www.jeltl.org; Email:[email protected]

Creative Commons License
JELTL by http://www.jeltl.org is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License


Indexed and Abstracted BY: