High School English as a Second Language Teachers’ Narratives on Differentiated Instruction: A Case of South African Selected Schools

Abstract

The existence of poor academic performance among English as a second language (ESL) high school learners in the Eastern Cape Province has raised a lot of debate among scholars on the most suitable approach teachers could use to assist learners. Teachers’ narratives on the implementation of differentiated instruction and its effectiveness in the academic development of learners have been emphasized. Despite these prolific debates, learners in the Eastern Cape still struggle academically, given that the province always appears in the bottom three of the National Senior Certificate report regarding learners’ academic performance. Therefore, this study examines high school English as a second language teachers’ narratives on differentiated instruction. A purposive sampling technique was used to select a sample of ninety-nine (99) teachers, which involved fifty (50) teachers for the questionnaires and forty-nine (49) teachers with at least five years of experience from ten (10) schools for the interviews. The findings revealed that some teachers understood the concept of the approach and narrated its effectiveness, while some teachers misconceived DI as individualized instruction and inclusive education. Similarly, others preferred the traditional method and maintained that differentiated instruction implementation is easier said than practiced where there are diverse learners. Based on this study’s findings, it was concluded that teachers should be afforded professional development programs.

1. Introduction

Differentiated instruction is a method of teaching that deals with diverse learning needs and considers students learning styles in the classroom. It is a process of adjusting teaching and learning instruction in such a way that learners can achieve academic success (Morgan, 2014; Magableh & Abdullah, 2020). Porta and Todd (2024) defined it as a process of creating an inclusive classroom, attending to learner diversity by adjusting teaching and learning instructions according to variability in the classroom. Ginja and Chen (2020) stated that the major aim of differentiated instruction (henceforth, DI) is for teachers to maximize learner’s potential by proactively designing learning instructions in response to the needs of diverse learning abilities. Teachers must improve instructional learning skills and quality teaching processes in their classes by adjusting their pedagogical practices to accommodate equal learning (Sultana et al., 2011). Gibbs (2023) and Whitley et al. (2019) opined that DI instruction is a learner-centered approach, designed to meet diverse learning abilities and multiple intelligences. South African learners are faced with many learning challenges, such as learners’ diversity, the lack of a conducive learning environment, lack of sufficient teachers, insufficient learning resources, and low self-esteem (De Jager 2013, 2017; Xeketwana, 2021). The Department of Basic Education (2014, 2015) stated that other factors contributed to inadequate support in educational schools. These factors include infrastructure challenges, limited skills among teachers and support personnel, poverty, lack of grants for the payment of school fees, inadequate personnel, especially non-teaching personnel and care professionals in hostels, lack of learning and teaching support material, inadequate transport, unavailability of professional experts, and lack of assistive devices.

Irrespective of these challenges, the constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996, (Section 1a) noted that as South Africa is a democratic nation, ordinary citizens should be given equal opportunities, treated equally, and allowed to exercise their human rights, for instance, the right to human dignity and freedoms (Department of Basic Education, 2021). The study conducted by the Department of Basic Education (2021), on instituting learning awareness and training systems for the 21st Century, carried a special responsibility to ensure that the implementation of these values is accomplished effectively, in such that it accommodates all students with or without disabilities and ensures that all learners enjoy their fullest learning potential at schools.

Gibbs (2023) supported that teachers all over the world need to make sure that learners irrespective of their gender, learning disability, or level of intelligence have access to high-quality education. To support the goal of education in South Africa, a differentiated instruction approach is suggested to be a suitable approach to actualizing the aim of education, as it has recorded a higher level of learner achievement through improving academic performance and teaching skills (Onyishi & Sefotho, 2020). Graham et al. (2021) identified that irrespective of DI effectiveness, there still exists a global scarcity of quality research on the DI approach, especially in the context of secondary schools (Smale-Jacobse et al., 2019).

Gibbs (2023) opined that in Australia, there exists a scarcity of research on DI, which has led to challenges that teachers encounter in its implementation, especially in multi-ability classrooms. Secondly, there exists a scarcity of research that could influence teachers’ positive perception of DI implementation and make them understand that differentiated instruction is a teaching approach that is well suited for learners and could improve learning achievement if properly implemented in the classroom. Magableh and Abdullah (2019) supported that the implementation of differentiated instruction is a difficult task in Jordan, especially in the mixed-ability classroom, and because of that, teachers prefer using a one-size-fits-all approach.

Researchers have studied DI and stated its effectiveness in teaching and learning (Roy et al., 2013; Dosch & Zidon, 2014; Prast et al., 2018; Melesse, 2019; Bal, 2023). For example, a mixed method study by Magableh and Abdullah (2020) on the effectiveness of differentiated instruction strategies that focused on the overall learning achievement of English students in Jordan revealed that teachers lack the teaching skills and therefore failed to give varied teaching instructions that are suitable for a mixed-ability classroom. The study used a total of 60 grade eight learners from two high schools, where 30 learners were used for the experimental group and were taught differentiated instruction based on homogenous grouping and tiered assignment in the content, process, and product of DI, while the other 30 participants in another school were the control group and were taught English using grade eight Jordanian English textbooks with the application of the traditional method of teaching. The study revealed that differentiated instruction reduced classroom diversity.

Some theories have been linked to differentiated instruction, for instance, the learning style theory by Kolb (1976) in his book titled “Experiential Learning”, as described by Manolis et al. (2013); its purpose was to describe learning styles and how teachers need to consider these learning styles to accommodate learners and to enhance teaching and learning in the classroom. Others include the Socio-cultural theory by Vygotsky (1978), Multiple intelligence theory by Gardner (1983), and Universal Design Learning (UDL) as described by Gibbs (2023). These listed theories are connected to the concept of differentiated instruction because of its focus on learner differences, learner’s readiness, interest, and learning profiles.

2. Narratives About DI

The term differentiated instruction is not a new concept even though its approach has not been seriously implemented by teachers Jones (2019), especially among South African teachers (De Jager, 2017). Differentiated instruction is described as a teacher’s response to learner needs, through the adaption of practical, proactive actions and the integration of various teaching methods during teaching and learning (Zerai et al., 2021). Shareefa (2023) and Putra (2023) opined that there are a lot of factors that could hinder teachers from implementing DI; these include teacher’s perception and level of awareness, years of teaching experience and qualification, type of training received during pre-service and in-service years, teacher’s misconception of differentiated instruction, low self-efficacy, and lack of motivation. Based on the modern-day classroom, which is based on having various learning diversities, teachers need to be inventive and blend their teaching styles in order to accommodate diverse learning styles.

Studies have shown various teachers’ narratives about DI (Geelan et al., 2015; Wan, 2016; Jones, 2019). Jones noted that the challenge of differentiated instruction is that teachers cannot do enough as they usually encounter difficulties in recognizing learner differences. Teachers narrated that DI has been overestimated and should not be suggested as a means for supporting the diverse needs of students in the classroom because of the complexity of its implementation (Delisle, 2015). According to Bondie (2019), DI is usually difficult for teachers to use, because there is no common clear picture of what DI looks like in the classroom. Melesse (2019) opined that differentiated instruction, which focuses on accommodating learning needs, is challenging for Ethiopian teachers and that because of this, teachers prefer using the normal traditional method. The researcher further stated that teachers who have many years of teaching experience at the Colleges of Teacher Education and Universities established that adopting a differentiated instructional approach in the Ethiopian Universities context is limited. The researcher found that the challenges teachers encounter focused on the integration of technology into learning, adapting to the learner’s socio-cultural backgrounds, and political concerns. The study supports the findings of Ndu et al. (2022), who found in South Africa that high school ESL rural teachers find it challenging to accommodate learners’ socio-cultural backgrounds. Adjusting learning instruction to learners’ needs is a challenging factor. Based on the effectiveness and scholarly discussion about DI implementation, teachers are encouraged to adjust their teaching and learning to accommodate diverse learners.

To this end, the present study explored grade 10 high school ESL teachers’ narratives of DI. Before the research study, this category of teachers is assumed to have come across differentiated instruction and to have implemented the approach in their daily classroom teaching; they are assumed to be more familiar with differentiated instruction strategies and their implementations than other teachers having fewer years in the teaching profession; additionally, this category of teachers would likely have the ability to influence the implementation of DI in their schools (Brevik et al., 2018). Shareefa (2023) suggested that teachers’ years of teaching experience could assist in improving teaching skills and be a vital influence that enables effective classroom instruction. Evidence from the literature reveals that differentiated instruction is an important instructional approach that teachers can employ for successful curriculum delivery as it allows instruction that is aligned with student needs.

Accordingly, this study is guided by the following research objectives:

• Explore teachers’ narratives of differentiated instruction implementation.
• Determine the effectiveness of years of teaching experience on DI implementation.

3. Methods

This study followed a quantitative and qualitative method. A total of ninety-nine (99) participants were involved in the study. For the quantitative study, fifty (50) ESL rural grade 10 teachers voluntarily participated, which involved five (5) teachers in ten schools. Five schools each were selected from Alice municipality and Fort Beaufort municipality in South Africa. The quantitative study was analyzed in percentages, following Likert items from strongly agree to strongly disagree, where participants were informed to tick appropriately based on their choice. From the quantitative biographic data, 88.0% of the respondents were South Africans, and 12.0% were non-South Africans. For the gender distribution, male and female teachers were equally distributed, with 50.0% each. The quantitative data comprised a few questions to support teachers’ narratives on differentiated instruction implementation. Hands (2022) stated that using both quantitative and qualitative studies helps to complement the findings of a study. Accordingly, underpinned by an interpretivist paradigm, this study also employed a qualitative research approach and a case study design in which interviews were used as a data collection tool. Using a purposive sampling technique to select teachers who are qualified for the study, this study used ten (10) rural high schools and only forty-nine (49) ESL teachers with at least five years of teaching experience. This category of participants was identified to be knowledgeable and could assist with the related phenomenon of concern (Etikan et al., 2016). Teachers who used only English Language as a medium of instruction in their classes participated in this study, and all participants voluntarily participated.

After the interview, the data were transcribed into themes using textual analysis. For the selected teachers, the interview followed a progressive pattern: first, the research purpose was introduced; technical words were defined and explained; and the research question guidelines were grouped into 5, where the grouping was based on the sub-questions suitable for each grouping. The main questions consisted of the following:

(1)

Implementation of DI practices, where we asked questions on how the participants implemented DI.

(2)

Learning resources that teachers used to facilitate DI implementation; at this point, the sub-questions focused on learning resources used by teachers to adopt DI.

(3)

The challenges encountered by teachers, in which questions relating to teachers’ challenges on DI implementations in their classes were stated.

(4)

Identifying teachers’ perceptions about the implementation of DI; the questions were designed to find out teacher’s perceptions regarding DI.

(5)

Differentiated instruction awareness; this was to determine when and where teachers became aware of this approach, as the place of awareness will necessitate how to assist teachers.

On the nationality, forty-six (46) were South Africans, and three (3) were non-South African; for the gender distribution, males composed twenty-seven (27), while females numbered twenty-two (22). On the years of teaching experience, teachers with 5–10 years’ experience were fourteen (14) in number, from 11–15 years were a total of seven (7) teachers, from 16 to 20 years were 2 teachers, from 21 to 25 years of teaching experience were thirteen (13), and from 26 to 30 years were thirteen (13) in number.

4. Ethical Consideration

Before the data collection, ethical clearance approval was applied for and obtained from the University of Fort Hare ethics committee with approval code DLA011SMNG01, and permission to conduct the research in selected schools of the Eastern Cape Province was obtained from the Department of Education. The nature of the study and technical words were explained clearly to the participants. The rules of informed consent, anonymity, and privacy in findings were followed. This was achieved by informing the participants that the findings were solely for research purposes, and the anonymity and confidentiality of the research data were preserved by using pseudonyms.

Table 1. Summary of teachers’ responses on their practice of DI implementation in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. High school ESL teachers, N = 50, Likert.

	Strongly Agree %	Agree %	Neutral %	Strongly Disagree %	Disagree %
I prefer using traditional method of teaching compared to differentiated instruction.	10 (20)	23 (46)	9 (18)	4 (8)	4 (8)
Implementation of DI helps to develop academic achievement among your learners.	13 (26)	28 (56)	12 (24)	3 (6)	0 (0)
I implement alternative strategies in classroom teaching.	19 (38)	26 (52)	5 (10)	4 (8)	0 (0)
Before I enter my class, I find it challenging to reflect on how to differentiate my instructions.	4 (8)	9 (18)	6 (12)	24 (48)	7 (14)
I consider learners’ zone of proximal development, multiple intelligences, and learning styles in teaching activities.	4 (8)	31 (62)	14 (28)	1 (2)	0 (0)
I apply various strategies to explain to students who find it challenging to understand ESL in the classroom.	24 (48)	20 (40)	6 (12)	0 (0)	0 (0)

shows that 62% of teachers agree with the statement, “I support my students by applying zones of proximal development, multiple intelligences, and learning styles”.

4.1. Analysis and Discussion of Data

Using Likert items, the collected quantitative data were statistically analyzed using percentages.

A total of 46% of respondents “agree” that they find it easy to use the traditional method of teaching compared to differentiated instruction. This response could be attributed to the challenges they encounter during its implementation. The traditional method is a teacher-centered approach, and teachers considered it very easy to use because it lacks active learning that engages learners, which causes student failures (Marks et al., 2021). The present study also found some challenges that could cause teachers to prefer the traditional method instead of DI implementation. Some of these challenges are the lack of sufficient learning resources, lack of time, etc.

The implementation of DI helped to develop academic achievement among learners (56%). This finding corresponds to the study by AM et al. (2023), who found that DI led to a significant difference in student achievement. However, regarding grade levels, the researchers argue that DI effectiveness among learners was noticeable among the Senior and Junior high school learners compared to Kindergarten, elementary pupils, and college students. In another study, Ziernwald et al. (2022) noted that regarding the high-achieving students, DI also improved their academic achievement and increased their learning motivation.

A total of 52% of teachers “agree” that they can implement alternative strategies in classroom teaching. Alternative instruction strategies that teachers could use involve adaptive teaching (Eaton, 2022) and individualized instruction (Saadu, 2022).

When asked if teachers find it difficult to reflect on how to differentiate instruction before they enter the classes for lessons, 48% “disagree”. According to Tajik et al. (2024), teachers who are committed to assisting their learners may not find it difficult or a waste of time to practice DI instruction.

Sixty-two percent of teachers agree with the statement “I support my students by applying zones of proximal development, multiple intelligences, and learning styles”. This finding shows that teachers assist learners’ needs by using different strategies.

A total of 48% “strongly agree” that they use various strategies to explain to students who find it difficult to understand ESL in the classroom. This result corresponds with the qualitative study, where teachers stated that they use code mixing and code switching to assist their learners, especially those who find the use of ESL as a medium of instruction in their classes challenging.

4.2. Results and Discussion of Interview

The verbatim responses to the interview questions are provided below:

Category 1. 

DI practices used by teachers in their classes.

Q1. During the teaching process, do you have the ability to identify and accommodate students’ learning needs?

I assess their learning abilities through questioning and assessment. Then, I will know how to group them in groups and peers. It is believed that peer influence can make them competitive and learn faster. At times when some are weak in the subject, I give them homework; for those who are finding it difficult in mathematics, I make sure I give such a person a home assignment in mathematics and tell the parents to assist them if there is a need.

I mix them in my group activities and spend more time teaching and engaging the slow learners in learning activities that will help them understand what I have taught.

Amazingly, based on the above responses, teachers in these schools understand the existence of diverse learners in their classes. They have ideas on how to identify and accommodate learning abilities. Responses varied from identifying the slow learners and grouping learners based on different abilities and identifications observed, assessing learners, using mixed ability grouping methods, adopting remedial teaching use of assessments, accommodating the slow learners, etc. Al-Hebaishi (2012) supports that there exist learning diversities, levels of temperaments, and diverse social/cultural backgrounds among learners that could be found in the classroom and that teachers’ ability to adapt to learners’ learning characteristics helps to moderate learners’ style of learning during the teaching process. In a qualitative study conducted in Norway by Aas (2022) on how teachers’ beliefs could influence student learning needs and improve inclusive education, the results revealed that teachers had a positive attitude in attending to learning needs. However, there exist some challenging factors that prevented Norwegian teachers from adapting to student learning needs, these factors involved teachers perceiving that student learning needs are individual problems; adaption was regarded as a difficult task, and teachers had limited experience, which affected their role in adapting to learning needs. In a recent study by Tajik et al. (2024), who utilized a mixed study approach involving 102 EFL students in Afghanistan and 3 English instructors, the researchers used the elements of DI, which are the learning environment, content, process, and product, to ascertain teachers’ level of implementation among diverse learning abilities. The results show that for the learning environment, teachers created activities to develop a sense of community in classes (4.17). On the content, participants stated that the instructors used multimedia materials (4.16) such as PowerPoint, photos, and charts to present the content (4.41). Teachers used various strategies to improve students’ comprehension of the content, such as the use of summary questions (4.01). Regarding the process, the students noted that their teachers utilized a variety of grouping arrangements during instruction to a high degree (4.38). For the product construct, the participants stated that the instructor provided various assessments to decide their course grades, which involved writing a paper, in-class participation, conducting quizzes, and final exams (4.03). On the teachers’ attitude toward DI, the result shows that the implementation of DI in large and heterogeneous classes is possible when there is a commitment to the design of differentiated instruction strategies that will accommodate learners’ specific needs. The above study is useful to the present study because it shows the aspects of DI implementation.

Q2. How often do you implement DI strategies?

Often when the need arises.

I use it any time I would teach a new lesson.

This question sought to find out to what extent teachers apply DI strategies in class teaching. Respondents stated that they use it when the need arises, and another stated most of the time, especially when introducing a new lesson.

The finding corresponds with the study of VanTassel-Baska and Hubbard (2018), who observed that both elementary and high school teachers rarely adopt DI strategies in their school. Teachers’ use of teaching strategies helps to prevent academic hindrances—as learners will be exposed to various new teaching and learning experiences based on teaching strategies, it allows each learner to make constant progress during the learning process.

Q3: How do you examine students’ interest and readiness in the class?

In examining students’ interests and readiness, I ask questions based on previous knowledge and try to know what current knowledge they have on the topic. Before starting the lesson, I make some quizzes and ask a question so that I can raise their level of interest in what I will teach.

The finding shows that teachers assess learners’ interest and readiness by using diagnostic assessments to determine learners’ level on a certain topic. A learning environment should be based on students’ readiness, interests, and learning profiles. “Readiness is the knowledge and skills related to a specific learning topic and interests are the topics that students would like to invest their time reading and learning”. The learning profile refers to how learners learn best (Magableh & Abdullah, 2019, p. 48).

Category 2. 

Learning Resources to Facilitate DI.

Q1. Do you have sufficient resources in the school for the effective implementation of DI?

There is no provision, especially the textbooks for reading, and parents cannot afford to buy study guides, let alone laptops for their children.

Yes, we have sufficient resources such as teaching aids, dictionaries for learners, globes, and chemicals for experiments. We also use outside classroom learning.

The finding shows mixed narratives regarding learning resources in the schools. Some teachers stated that they do not have sufficient teaching and learning resources, while others stated that they have sufficient resources for the effective implementation of DI. According to Roberts and Inman (2023), teachers who do not have sufficient or varied resources such as books, journals, online resources, and drawings to assist learners lack motivation to adopt DI implementation. When it comes to learning materials, quality is important. Mbarathi et al. (2016) posited that teachers must look for developmentally appropriate, engaging, and educationally aligned resources. They must also look for reviews and suggestions from reliable sources, including other educators, child development experts, and reputable organizations. Nevertheless, Horsley and Bauer (2010) argue that each learner has a unique learning style, and discovering tools that suit their requirements might help them learn more effectively. Therefore, hands-on activities may instill confidence in learners, while others prefer visual or aural learning. Hence, examining interests and preferences is critical to finding resources that match their learning style. Their efficacy is increased by incorporating differentiated instruction strategies including supporting learning resources into daily routines and activities.

Q2: To what extent do you use technologies to differentiate instruction in your teaching?

I do not use a computer or any other technology to differentiate instructions; I use pictures because I do not have my computer, but recently, we received computers from the government, so I will start using the computer to differentiate instructions very soon.

Not often, because for us to be able to use the technology you need to book the computer lab; unfortunately, the lab is someone else’s classroom.

The responses given above noted that teachers do not always use technologies to teach, because there are no provisions and/or sufficient technologies and because of the lack of separate computer laboratories for conducive use. This study corresponds with the qualitative study of Heng and Song (2020), who noted that the challenges of implementing the DI approach among Singapore teachers in the United States of America focused on the lack of integrating technology in their classroom. Integrating technology in teaching and learning creates confidence, inspires motivation, and improves learning interest. In another study, Alshareef et al. (2022) explored Saudi Arabian teachers’ perceptions of using technology to differentiate instruction with gifted and talented students. The finding shows that the use of technology motivated gifted learners and engaged them in the learning process. It helped to improve teaching skills, motivate learning interest because of its adaptation to learning styles, and offered opportunities to link classrooms to the real world.

Category 3. 

Teachers’ Challenges During DI Implementation.

Q1: Are there classroom challenges you encounter during DI implementation?

Participants opined that some of the challenges they encounter in the classroom are language barriers. It consumes more time in teaching, leads to an inability to manage the classroom, especially accommodating diverse learners at the same time, and there is no motivation or additional salary.

The students are bored, lack classroom management, insufficient learning resources, and no additional salary or awards to motivate the teachers.

A large number of learners, too many classes to teach and my students have difficulty in expressing themselves in the English language. They prefer their first language. Hence, I use code switching and code mixing during the teaching process.

The verbatim response shows that teachers need assistance on how to tackle the challenges they encounter in their classes. Participants indicated that DI is the right approach. However, she uses code mixing to assist learners who find it challenging to understand ESL and allows the students to express themselves in the isiXhosa language, which is the Indigenous language of the Eastern Cape Province indigenes of South Africa. In the year 1996, the South African constitution moved to an inclusion nation, where the 11 Indigenous languages involving isiXhosa and the English language are recognized as the country’s official languages (Brenzinger, 2017). We could argue that the inclusion of Indigenous languages as an official language could facilitate English language learning barriers. In a qualitative study conducted by Salie et al. (2020) in the Western Cape, South Africa, on isiXhosa speaking Foundation Phase learners whose medium of instruction was the English language, it was shown that learners encounter barriers such as social barriers because of the lack of communication in English as a second language, teaching and learning barriers in ESL, and a lack of parental involvement and support. In another study, Msomi (2023) opined that the use of ESL poses a significant challenge, as Black students in rural regions of the Eastern Cape Province do not have the English language skills to use it as a medium of instruction. Black learners in rural locations such as Mbizana lack exposure to English due to its absence in their home environment. Consequently, English poses a hindrance to the academic progress of these learners.

Another participant noted that its implementation in this era is a difficult task due to challenges such as classroom management due to a large number of learners, lack of incentives in the form of awards or increased salary, etc. This study supports the study of Onyishi and Sefotho (2020), who adopted a descriptive survey research design with a sample of 382 primary school teachers in Nigeria and found that the implementation of differentiated instruction among these teachers was very low due to restricted time, classroom management, especially managing the population in the classroom, how to adapt differentiated instruction and complete the school curriculum, a lack of training on DI strategies, and teaching and learning aids in schools. Other researchers, such as Aldossari (2018), Ismajli and Imami-Morina (2018), and Roberts and Inman (2023), stated that the lack of learning spaces such as learning centers or stations to adopt differentiated instruction, school timetable limitations, a lack of teaching and learning resources, a lack of managing the classroom, an exceptional students will be fine ideology, and how to integrate formative assessment into instruction were part of the challenges teachers encountered in their classes. Van Geel et al. (2022, p. 8) suggested that teachers receive professional training and create communities of practice in schools to assist in tackling these challenges encountered by teachers.

Q2: Do you have any challenges differentiating instruction to learners in a very large classroom?

Yes, there are challenges, because it is not always easy to access the learners individually, even when the learners are not many but the classroom is not spacious, and learners are congested, which becomes another problem.

Since I will not specifically say I implement this approach, I do not have any problem. I am just hearing the term differentiated instruction for the first time and only know about inclusive learning.

The responses above show that teachers encounter challenges with differentiating instruction in a very large class and in congested classes. The above finding was recently supported by Subban et al. (2025), who found that teachers encounter some challenges with differentiating instruction, which include large classrooms, too much workload and large curriculum experience, and DI preparation time, while on the contrary, Blaz (2016) argue that a large classroom may not be a challenging factor for DI implementation. This is because of its focus on one aspect at a time, and with teachers’ and learners’ consistent practice, development, and greater awareness, large classrooms might not be challenging.

Category 4. 

Teachers’ Perception.

Q1: What are your perceptions about DI?

Participants perceived DI as the right approach that is worthy of being adopted even for all grade learners.

There is a content gap learners do not understand before they enter grade 10, that is the reason they struggle when they reach grade 10. I think that differentiated instruction should begin from grade 4. The Department of Education does not provide remedial educators, and we teach based on the restricted time in the school curriculum.

It could make a huge difference because when I had time to implement it, I saw the good effect on my learners.

The implementation of DI depends on the teacher’s perception, and their perception depends on their exposure and integration of the approach. The way teachers perceive DI is the way they would implement the approach. Based on the responses, teachers supported that DI is an effective approach and suggested further research from grade 4 to help teachers receive exposure to DI.

Q2: Do you think parents, school heads, and school governing bodies (SGBs) have a role to play in facilitating DI implementation?

Educators should create ways to communicate classroom successes and obstacles to the school heads, SGBs, and especially the parents, and they should involve parents in their children’s education. To effectively support a learner outside of the classroom and to collaboratively ask for support to tackle the learner’s needs, teachers and parents should work together to guarantee that their children receive the support of the community. All participants indicated the importance of including these stakeholders in their students’ teaching and learning.

I think they do because the parents should assist in buying study guides for their children; school heads and school governing bodies can assist by paying extra tutors that will assist in implementing DI. I teach grades 10–12 Business Study, which has up to 120 learners, and I teach grade 9 Creative Arts, which has 124 learners, so I do not have time for struggling learners because in a week, I don’t have a single free period.

Yes, the parents have a role to play. They should be interested in knowing the academic development of their children. The school heads have to monitor the effective implementation in the classroom and inform the Department of Education to provide the school with workshops and training for teachers; school governing bodies should provide enough resources to assist in DI implementation.

Community engagement plays an important role in fostering a sense of belonging to the educational system of learners, especially the diverse learners found in the classroom, as this enhances parent–community and teachers’ relationships. Hence, it is very imperative to emphasize that during periods of transformation in education, involvement in the community is particularly crucial, coupled with school and parent collaboration. For instance, Sebring and Montgomery (2014), in studies carried out in the US, revealed that parent–community relationships were one of the five crucial supports required for schools to function well. Several authors, such as Koch (2020), Kelty and Wakabayashi (2020), and Ainscow (2020), indicated that when school teachers engage with the community and parents and invite them to join in enhancing learners’ learning, this support grows. It is also very important to stress that strategies that involve the entire community reflect the child’s status as an essential member of the community and increase the likelihood that the child will receive a sustainable education (World Health Organization (WHO), 2011).

Category 5. 

Teachers Awareness.

Q1. Where did you become aware of the DI approach?

Surprisingly, one participant’s responses indicated that the term DI was introduced when she enrolled in another study at a higher institution to upgrade her qualification. Another participant stated that he was not familiar with the term differentiated instruction, as he became aware of the term “differentiated instruction” during the interview process. We could argue that a place of awareness or where teachers were introduced to the DI approach could be a supporting factor to motivate teachers on the implementation. The following are the responses of ESL teachers:

I became aware of this approach when I enrolled for another degree at a university. There, we were taught what differentiated instruction is, but before, I knew about teaching methodologies and teaching strategies.

This is my first time hearing about DI, although I know about individualized instruction and inclusive education, which started during the days of our great philosophers such as Aristotle, and a good teacher uses it.

Teachers indicated that they became aware of the DI approach during in-service years. This simply shows that teachers need more training and further exposure to DI strategies. This finding indicates why teachers with up to 5 years of teaching experience in these schools seem to not have the necessary skills required for implementing the DI approach among the diverse learners found in their classes. Van het Onderwijs (2015) noted in their findings that irrespective of teacher’s years of experience in the classroom, they lack the skills to adapt to instruction, adjust to timing to accommodate learners’ differences, give appropriate assignments, etc., which were challenging to both this category of teachers and beginning teachers. In another study, Van Geel et al. (2022) found that teachers with at least 3 years of teaching experience implemented DI compared to beginning teachers. They recommended in-service teachers’ training to support growth.

Q2. Do you think more awareness of differentiated instruction should be created among teachers in your school?

There should be creation of awareness on this approach, because it is not adequately observed in the schools, especially for the young and upcoming teachers who may not have heard about this approach.

Awareness cannot just help without policy from the government; there must be a policy that will monitor and recommend further strategies to be used.

5. Results

This study aimed to determine teachers’ narratives on DI and to create further awareness about the effectiveness of DI in teaching and learning. Understanding teachers’ narratives on the implementation of differentiated instruction is very crucial in finding remedies for adequate orientation and training on differentiated instruction techniques to assist learner’s academic growth and specifically their academic performance. Terms such as “leaving no child behind”, “equity and fairness”, and “no one size fits all” have been linked to differentiated instruction, and teachers’ skills to implement this approach solely depend on their narratives based on their classroom experience. Findings from the quantitative study show that teachers preferred the traditional method of teaching (46%), even though they believed that DI could develop academic achievement if effectively implemented (56%). Teachers use alternative instructions in their classes (52%), and regarding teachers’ reflection on DI strategies, 48% disagree that it is not a difficult task. Furthermore, 62% accommodated diverse learners by considering their learning styles, multiple intelligences, and learners’ zone of proximal development. A total of 48% used other strategies such as code switching and code mixing to assist those who find it challenging to understand ESL effectively during teaching and learning. The quantitative study was analyzed to support the qualitative study, which focused on five categorized aspects. The first aspect was understanding the DI practices among grade 10 high school ESL teachers and finding out the learning resources teachers use. The challenges encountered, identifying teachers’ perceptions of the implementation of DI, and ascertaining the place of awareness of differentiated instruction were also assessed.

The findings of this study show that a few teachers identified the concept of differentiated instruction and had positive perceptions regarding the approach. Other teachers were not familiar with the term differentiated instruction but misconceived DI as individualized instruction, teaching strategies, and inclusive education. Teachers had mixed narratives about DI that affected the implementation of DI in daily classroom practices. This finding corresponds with the study of Nepal et al. (2024), who found that in Australia, pre-service teachers had a shallow understanding of DI, and they misconceived the DI approach as an instructional strategy suitable for supporting only slow and struggling learners. On the other hand, De Jager (2017) reportedly noted that teachers find it challenging to assist diverse learning needs. This is because they do not have the teaching skills. Teachers repeatedly suggested incentives in the form of awards, gifts, and the provision of learning resources to motivate DI implementation in their classes. The findings also revealed that teachers’ years of teaching experience did not show any significant difference in the implementation of DI.

6. Limitations and Further Research

This study was restricted to rural high school settings and included only teachers who used ESL as a medium of instruction. The data obtained during the interview process cannot be a yardstick to measure other studies and cannot be generalized. The second limitation is that the study sample was small even though it followed a qualitative and quantitative research method, which assisted in obtaining valuable data from the participants. Using a large sample size comprising a mixed-method approach would have provided deeper insight into the research findings. This study recommends that teachers develop themselves through furthering their studies and consistent training through seminars/workshops to help improve teaching skills and to avoid misconception about DI.

We recommend that teachers should have a greater interest in DI than using the traditional method, and they should have a positive perception and adapt DI strategies to assist diverse learning abilities in their classes. They should also be cautious about determining learners’ intelligence levels, learning styles, and preferences. The integration of this approach into teachers’ programs and the school curriculum should be considered. The school should provide appropriate learning materials and learning centers that would encourage teachers and facilitate the implementation of differentiated instruction for all schools, especially among grade learners. We also recommend incentives in the form of awards and increased salaries to motivate teachers. This study recommends school supervision for teachers and the provision of all the required learning resources to aid DI implementation. For researchers, further research on examining the impact of the DI approach on the development of teaching strategies and learner performance is recommended.

7. Conclusions

This study shows that teachers prefer the traditional teaching method compared to differentiated instruction. They have not been adequately trained to implement the approach. They are encouraged to further their educational qualification and to receive exposure to new trends in teaching and learning. While some teachers misconceived this approach, there are a few limitations teachers encountered during the DI implementation. These include a lack of technology, insufficient learning resources, too high a workload and large numbers of learners, a lack of in-service teacher training and sensitization on how to implement differentiated instruction, a lack of time to implement DI, etc. Teachers perceived that DI is a rightful approach and suggested creating further awareness and policies to help assist teachers. Teachers’ narratives about DI implementation have not reached the highest standards. However, if the effective training and monitoring of teachers are put in place, then, effective implementation can be achieved, which would improve positive narratives and help improve academic performance.