Performance-based Activities for Differentiated Instructions in Science

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Educators nowadays are challenged to deal with more diverse students as they are responsible to help the students learn despite the cultural, social and academic differences. Thus, the researcher wanted to develop performance-based activities for differentiated instruction that cater to the students' diversity in terms of their multiple intelligence.

METHODS

The researcher decided to use descriptive research in determining the multiple intelligence of the respondents and the significant difference in the respondents' performance before and after the activities. Furthermore, it assessed the usability of the performance-based activities through the students' response on the questionnaire for the usability of the material.

RESULTS

The study shows that the respondents have verbal-lingual intelligence (2.51), logical-mathematical intelligence (3.00), musical intelligence (3.25), bodily-kinesthetic (2.60), interpersonal (2.54) and intrapersonal intelligence (2.52). On the other hand, the performance-based activities designed for differentiated instruction were developed and adapted for students who have different multiple intelligence. The significant difference between the pre-test (14.05) and post-test (26.55) of the respondents who performed the designed performance-based activities for differentiated instruction is 11.68 which is greater than the t-value indicating that they are significantly different. Also, there five out of the activities (16.67%) are highly preferred activities. Three of the highly preferred activities are suited to their intelligence and two were the activities designed to develop their spatial intelligence. Lastly, the usability of the performance-based activities design for differentiated instruction, as assessed by the respondents is 3.73 that corresponds to strongly agree descriptive rating.

DISCUSSIONS

The findings revealed that the students were mostly inclined to music. They were good in verbal-lingual, logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalistic intelligence. Of the designed performance-based activities designed for differentiated instruction, five were highly preferred by the respondents. The usability of the designed activities gained a descriptive rating of strongly agree. Thus, the performance-based activities are ready for the test of effectiveness and helpful in improving the students' understanding of Science lessons.