Title: Differentiated instruction strategies and their effect on the academic performance of students in teachers' colleges

Authors: Norman Rudhumbu

Addresses: Faculty of Science Education, Bindura University of Science Education, P. Bag 1020, Bindura, Zimbabwe

Abstract: Differentiated instruction (DI) has been widely viewed as an anti-thesis of the one-size-fit-all traditional lecturing approaches. By accepting that students are by nature different, DI ensures that lecturers in teachers' colleges adjust their teaching approaches in line with the needs, interests and learning styles of students. This study therefore sought to establish and explain the strategies for implementing DI as well as establish how significantly these strategies affect the academic performance of students in teachers' colleges. A quantitative approach that used a structured questionnaire to collect data from a sample of 610 students from four teachers' colleges was used in the study. Results of the study showed that ongoing formative assessment, multi-level instruction student engagement and learning contracts have a significant influence on the academic performance of teachers' college students while flexible grouping and compacting do not have a significant influence. These results have implications on theory and practice with regards to DI strategies for teaching diverse students and their effect on the academic performance in teachers' colleges.

Keywords: differentiated instruction; academic performance; differentiation strategies; student engagement; ongoing formative assessment; OFA; socio-cultural theory.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHES.2022.123445

International Journal of Higher Education and Sustainability, 2022 Vol.4 No.1, pp.17 - 37

Received: 17 Aug 2021
Accepted: 08 Oct 2021
Published online: 20 Jun 2022 *

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