| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺灣海洋大學 === 應用英語研究所 === 107 === Abstract
Most English classes in elementary schools in Taiwan contain mixed-level students, and the traditional “one-size-fits-all” instruction has usually caused a bimodal distribution of students’ English performance. Differentiated instruction (DI) is reportedly a teaching approach that helps students at different levels to learn more effectively. However, few studies have examined how teachers actually implement DI in classes and what the perspectives of teachers and students are regarding DI. The purpose of this study was to investigate how an English teacher put DI into practice in mixed-level sixth-grade EFL classes at an elementary school and teachers’ and students’ perspectives on the implementation of DI. Data collected included class observations, student questionnaires, pre and post-test results, class materials, and interviews with teachers.
The results showed that the teacher differentiated content, process and product by providing tiered worksheets and various activities in her sixth-grade EFL classes. Six teachers believed that DI could motivate and help students at all levels and prolonged use of DI improved students’ English ability. On the other hand, they also pointed out barriers that prevent them from using DI more often, including difficulties in lesson planning and classroom management, lack of time and support from schools, and lack of confidence. Based on this finding, this study suggests that schools should help teachers overcome these barriers by providing workshops in a real classroom context, teaching assistants and reasonable teaching schedules. Another major finding was that while the students’ performances did not indicate statistically significant improvement, the students reported that they liked DI because they liked the activities and thought that their English improved. It seems that DI motivated students after one semester, though did not significantly improve their English proficiency. Potential reasons for this are given and implications are offered at the end of this study.
Keywords: differentiated instruction, teachers’ perceptions, students’ perceptions, elementary school, students’ performance, EFL students
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