EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION AND STUDENT PERFORMANCE

Abstract

Differentiated instruction (DI) is a collection of strategies utilized to increase student achievement and engagement. School districts are using the strategies of differentiated instruction to increase student academic achievement based on No Child Left Behind mandates. The purpose of this quantitative study, which utilizes two pre-existing data sources, was to determine if there was a difference between student standardized test scores as measured by the North Carolina End-of-Course (NC EOC) tests based on the level of their teachers' use of differentiated instructional strategies. Few studies have examined the results of students' academic achievement of teachers who utilize DI strategies compared to those teachers who do not utilize DI strategies as regularly. This study sought to determine if End-of-Course effectiveness residuals for teachers at a single high school were significantly higher for those teachers who practiced differentiated strategies more frequently than teachers who did not practice DI strategies as regularly. The study utilized a survey created at Margate High School (a pseudonym) and teacher residual data prepared by the district's Evaluation and Research department. T-tests were used to determine if there was a significant difference in average residual scores between teachers who frequently practiced differentiated strategies than their peers who did not employ the strategies as regularly. Additional t-tests determined if there were differences in the average residual scores of those who more frequently differentiated content, process and product than their peers. School leaders must consistently evaluate instructional programs to determine their effectiveness on student academic achievement. While differentiated instruction has a strong foundation in both educational theory and brain research, the literature is mixed as to its efficacy; therefore, additional research needs to be conducted to determine the impact of differentiated instruction on student achievement.