Differentiated instruction from students' perspective in mathematics lessons: presentation in invited symposium: 'More than just noise: new insights on heterogeneity in students' perceptions of instruction'

Abstract

Differentiated instruction concerns adapting education to students’ needs. However, relatively little is known about how students experience the degree to which their teachers fulfill their individual educational needs. In the current study, the Differentiated Instruction from Students’ Perspective (DISP) questionnaire was developed and administered among 458 students of grade 4 to 6 of 22 primary school teachers in the Netherlands. The internal consistency of the DISP instrument was considered good. Students in general were moderately positive about the level of differentiation they experienced and few differences between DISP-ratings of students with varying mathematics achievement levels were identified. It is concluded that the DISP questionnaire is a suitable instrument to study students’ perspectives and can be used by researchers as well as by teachers who would like to gain insights in and improve their differentiation practice.