Perceptions and adoption of differentiated instruction by elementary teachers

Differentiated instruction has been recognized as an effective educational approach in addressing the challenges of various categories of student populations, yet many teachers do not use it in their classrooms. This study examined the perceptions, concerns and challenges of elementary school teachers to identify factors that influenced their decisions to implement differentiated instruction. It focused on how teachers adapt to change in instructional methods and the developmental stages that influenced the extent to which they described their experiences with differentiated instruction. A basic qualitative research methodology was chosen for this study. The assumptions for basic qualitative research were met from participant selection through data collection and data analysis. An urban elementary school in Tennessee provided the setting for the research. Teachers involved in the study responded to questions about how they use differentiated instruction, how frequently they use it in their classrooms and the factors that influenced their use. They were also observed in their classrooms during the ongoing implementation of differentiated instruction. Lesson plans were reviewed to verify the implementation of differentiated instruction. An analysis was conducted to identify the contextual and educational factors that influenced how often and at what level this approach was employed to attend the needs of their diverse students. Qualitative data resulting from interviews, classroom observations, and lesson plans yielded a more definitive perspective of the differentiated instruction approach. The findings from this study indicated that although teachers found differentiated instruction time-consuming and difficult to implement, it was necessary to maximize student learning. New teachers practiced the operational definition of differentiated instruction more closely than veteran teachers. Veteran teachers however, integrated differentiated instruction into their daily activities more using their own practices.