Effectiveness of Differentiated Instruction in Teaching English for Grade Four Classes

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

English is a difficult but important subject because the curriculum considers it as a tool subject needed to understand the different content subjects. It is concerned with developing competencies in listening, speaking, reading, writing and viewing. Speaking includes skills in using the language expressions and grammatical structures correctly in oral communication while writing includes readiness skills, mechanics in guided writing, functional and creative writing. In a classroom teaching-learning process, the teacheris facing diverse learners. In this research, I want to know the effect of this method on the performance of the pupils from the result of the diagnostic and achievement test.

METHODS

Two groups were taught the same lessons for one week. The control group using single teaching with similar activities approach while the experimental group using DI with three sets of activities, evaluation, and facilitation for the three groupings of pupils for a week duration. Both were given the diagnostic test to identify the classification of pupils if they belong to the above average, average and below average group. The achievement test administered the following week using parallel teacher-made tests. The results of the Pre-Test and the Post Test compared to determine whether using DI is effective or not.

RESULTS

Based on the result of the Pre-test, the Control group has lowered scores compare to the Experimental group but so close or almost the same in the manner that the scores are scattered. It showed a good baseline. Classes were of different levels of intelligence. The result in the Post Test scores of the Experimental group was taught with DI is remarkably better as compared to those Control group was taught the traditional approach. The score signifies that the variance of the Experimental group was smaller than that of the Control group suggested that the pupils' intellectual ability was not scattered unlike in the Pre-Test result. The finding is supported by Stravroula's (2001) study on DI where was able to prove that DI is effective as it positively affects the diverse pupils' characteristics.

DISCUSSIONS

It showed that using Differentiated Instructional (DI) is effective in teaching English. Teachers are the best facilitators of learning of pupils for diverse backgrounds and abilities. After the diagnostic, DI implemented to both groups and the result was improving. There were no pupils reported to be in the below average group for both the control and the experimental group.