ActionResearchfocusingonDifferentiatedInstruction行动研究的差异教学

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DifferentiatedInstructionandItsEffectonStudentLiteracyAchievement

InFulfillmentforthe

Requirementsof

GED7600:ActionResearchProject

To

Dr.ErnestPiermarini

and

Dr.KathleenZazza

From

SheilaBeglin

August3,2010

AcknowledgmentsPage

Iamverygratefultomanypeoplefortheguidance,supportandunderstandingthattheyprovidedmewithduringthispastyear.First,IwouldliketothankDr.Piermarini,Dr.ZazzaandDr.Gillfortheirsupportandunderstandingduringthischallengingyear.Iwouldalsoliketothankmyclassmates,Maureen,Stephanie,Connie,Kristen,SeanandEric.Wehavealwaysbeensupportiveofeachother.IamextendingaspecialthankyoutoConnieLargeandStephanieSmithforyieldingmyconstantemailsandphonecalls!IwouldalsoliketothankthestaffofWilliamO.SchaeferElementarySchoolforallowingmetoworkwitheachofyou.Lastly,Iwouldliketothankmyfamilyandfriendsfortheirhelpsupportandunderstandingduringthisyear.Iappreciateallofthetimesyouallowedmetodiscussmyfrustrations,excitementandfeelingsofanxiety!Thankyou!

TableofContents

ChapterI

StatementofHypothesis

Introduction

StatementoftheProblem

ChapterII

ReviewoftheRelatedLiterature

ChapterIII

Method

Participants

Instruments

Design

Procedure

ChapterIV

Results

ChapterV

Conclusions

Recommendations

References

Appendixes

ListofTablesandFigures

AppendixA DevelopmentalReadingAssessment

AppendixB TeacherSurvey

AppendixC AdministratorInterviewQuestions

AppendixD FocusGroupDiscussionQuestions

AppendixE EmailtoTeachersaboutSurvey

AppendixF EmailtoTeachersaboutFocusGroup

AppendixG DevelopmentalReadingAssessmentResults

Abstract

Thisstudyinvestigatedwhetherfirstgradestudentswhoreceivedifferentiatedinstructioninreadingwillachieveatahigherlevelthanchildrenwhodonotreceivedifferentiatedinstructioninreading.DatawascollectedthroughanalysisofDevelopmentalReadingAssessmentscores,ateachersurvey,afocusgroupdiscussionandinterviewswithadministrators.Participantsincluded40firstgradestudents,25teachersand2administrators.Teachersurveydataandtheadministrativeinterviewresultswereanalyzedqualitatively.TheresultsoftheteachersurveyindicatethatteachersfeelthatwhenreadinginstructionisdifferentiatedstudentswillscorehigheronELAassessmentsandwillachieveathigherlevelsintheirreading.

ChapterI

Hypothesis

FirstgradestudentswhoreceiveDifferentiatedInstructioninreadingwillachieveatahigherlevelthanfirstgradestudentswhodonotreceiveDifferentiatedInstructioninreading.

Introduction

Intoday’ssocietystudentsenterschoolwitharangeofexperiences,skills,abilitiesandinterests.Studentslearnatdifferentratesandindifferentways.Teachershavecontentstandardstofulfillandexpectationsthatmustbemet.Manyteachersuseaone-size-fits-allapproachtoteachingandlearning.Theseteachersareawareoftheircontentandwhatproductstheirstudentsmustyield.However,theytakealloftheirstudentsdownthesamepath,learningthesamecontentandyieldingthesameprojectsandassessments.Theseteachersdoallofthiswithlittleregardforstudentdifferences(Tomlinson,2000).

Thereisanimmenseamountofresearchdemonstratingtheimportanceofresponsiveeducation.CarolAnnTomlinsondefinesdifferentiatedinstructionastheeffortsofteacherstorespondtothevariancesamonglearnersintheclassroom.Wheneverateacherreachesouttoanindividualorsmallgrouptovaryhisorherteachinginordertocreatethebestpossiblelearningexperience,thatteacherisdifferentiatinginstruction(Tomlinson,2004).

Inorderforeverystudenttobesuccessful,teachersmustvieweachchildasanindividual,examiningtheirstrengths,areasofneedandinterests(McTighe&O’Connor,2005).Teachersmustbeinformeddecisionmakers;theymustbeabletomakeimportantinstructionaldecisionsforeachoftheirstudents.Inorderfordifferentiationtobesuccessful,assessmentmustbeusedasatooltoevaluateeachstudent’sindividuallevelandthentoestablishtheneedsoftheindividualstudent.Teachersmustuseon-goingassessmentstohelpguidetheseimportantinstructionaldecisions.Assessmentcannotsimplybeadministeredandthereafterforgotten.Rather,teachersmustusetheirfindingstohelpstartinstructionfromwherestudentsareacademicallyandprovideeachstudentwiththeinformation,skills,lessonsandactivitiesthatwillhelpmovethatspecificchildalongintheireducation(McTighe&O’Connor,2005).

Inordertotrulydifferentiateinstructionwell,teachersmustrelyonfrequentformativeassessmentsandconductlearningstyleinventoriesandlearningprofilesearlyintheyearsoastohelpteachersdifferentiateinstructionbasedonstudentacademicneeds,interestsandlearningstyles.Researchshowsthatthisinformationisinvaluablewhenworkingwiththediverseneedsoflearners.

Withhighstakestestingandteacheraccountabilitypushingdownintotheclassroom,today’steachershaveaverytoughjob.Theyareheldaccountableforstudentperformanceonhighstakestestsandtheiroveralllearning.Teacherslackthenecessarytrainingandsupportneededtotrulydifferentiatetheirinstructionforallstudents.TheEducationalLeadershipConstituentCouncilstatesinStandardIIthateducationalleadersneedtohavetheknowledgeandabilitytopromotethesuccessofallstudentsbypromotingapositiveschoolculture,providinganeffectiveinstructionalprogram,applyingbestpracticetostudentlearninganddesigningcomprehensiveprofessionalgrowthplansforstaff(St.ThomasAquinas,2007).Whenteachersutilizedifferentiatedinstructionasanimportanttooltohelpmeettheneedsoftheirdiversegroupoflearners,theywillkeepthefocuswhereitbelongsandtakeeachstudentasfarasheorshecangoinhis/herreadingpotential.Itisimportantthatteachersaresupportedintheirattemptstodifferentiatetheirinstruction(Tomlinson,2000).

Thisstudysetsouttoanswerthefollowingquestion:dostudentsperformhigherinreadingwhentheyareinclasseswheretheirreadinginstructionisdifferentiated?

Demographics

WilliamO.SchaeferElementarySchoolislocatedinTappan,NewYork.TappanislocatedinRocklandCounty,whichisaboutforty-fiveminutesoutsideofNewYorkCity.WilliamO.SchaeferElementarySchoolispartoftheSouthOrangetownCentralSchoolDistrict.Theschoolconsistsofkindergartenandfirstgrade.Therearefourhundredandeightyninestudentsintheschool.Theethnicandracialmakeupoftheschoolis79%White,10%Asian,9%HispanicorLatino,and2%BlackorAfricanAmerican.Theschoolhasanannualattendancerateof93%.Fourpercentofthestudentsreceivefreelunch,1%iseligibleforreducedlunch,and4%ofthestudentpopulationhaslimitedEnglishproficiency.

StatementoftheProblem

Howdowemeettheacademicneedsofdiverse21stcenturylearners?Eachyearteachersareconfrontedwithaclassroomofchildrenwhohaveawiderangeofabilitiesandvariedexperientialbackgrounds.Inordertohelpmeettheneedsofthesediverselearners,teachersneedtouseacombinationofformativeandsummativeassessmentsaswellaslearninginventoriesandprofilestohelpthemgainvitalinformationoneachindividualstudent.Whenteachersareequippedwiththisimportantinformationtheywillbeabletomakeinformeddecisionsabouteachindividualstudentandhis/hereducation(Tomlinson,1999).

Wheneducatorsemployresponsiveandeffectivemethodsinaddressingstudentdifferences,theirstudentswillhavetheopportunitytobefullyengagedandinterested,theywillbeprovidedwithadevelopmentallyappropriateandstimulatingeducationbasedontheirabilities,andlastlytheywillbegiventheopportunitytoworkuptotheirgreatestpotential(Anderson,2007).

ThestaffmembersofWilliamO.SchaeferElementarySchoolhavereceivedtraininginthetheoryandprinciplesofdifferentiatedinstruction.Eachteacherisabletodefinedifferentiatedinstructionandproviderelevantsupporttoexplainwhydifferentiatedinstructionisdefinitelythemostappropriatewaytoteachouryoungstudents.Theproblemexistsintheactualapplicationofdifferentiatedinstruction.AccordingtotheprincipalandassistantprincipalatWilliamO.Schaeferelementaryschool,kindergartenandfirstgradeteachersattheWilliamO.SchaeferElementarySchoolare“talkingthetalkbutnotwalkingthewalk.”

CarolAnnTomlinsondefinesdifferentiatedinstructionastheeffortsofteacherstorespondtovariancesamonglearnersintheclassroom.Wheneverateacherreachesouttoanindividualorsmallgrouptovaryhisorherteachinginordertocreatethebestlearningexperiencepossible,thatteacherisdifferentiatinginstruction.AlthoughtheteachersatWilliamO.Schaeferunderstandthedefinitionandprinciplesofdifferentiatedinstruction,extensiveresearchshowsthatitismuchharderforteacherstodifferentiatebasedonstudents’needs,ratherthanteachaone-size-fits-allcurriculum(Knowles,2009).

Afternumerousconversationswiththeschooladministration,ithasbecomeclearthatmanyteachersseemtobeemployingaone-size-fits-allapproachtoeducation.Theyarenotdifferentiatingtomeettheneedsoftheirdiverseclassroomoflearners.Thisisanenormousanddistressingproblem!Iftheteachersunderstandthereasonswhydifferentiatedinstructionisthebestpossiblewaytoteachandalsounderstandtheprinciplesofdifferentiatedinstruction,whyaren’ttheyutilizingthisimportanttheoryandpracticeintheircrafttopromotethesuccessofallthelearnersintheirclassroom?(Tobin,2008).

ChapterII

ReviewoftheRelatedLiterature

“Thebiggestmistakeofpastcenturiesinteachinghasbeentotreatallchildrenasiftheywerevariantsofthesameindividual,andthustofeeljustifiedinteachingthemthesamesubjectsinthesameways.”ThisquotebyHowardGardnerstatestheimportanceofteachersunderstandingthevastdifferencesoftheirstudents.Todaystudentscometoschoolwithawiderangeofdifferences.Classroomsaremadeupofaheterogeneousgroupofstudents(Tomlinson,1999).Thismeansthatinanygivenclassroomtherearearangeofabilities,learningstylesandinterests.Teachershaveatoughjobofmeetingeachchildwheretheyareandthenmovingthemalongattheirownrateandattheirownleveloflearning(McTighe&O'Connor,2005).

Goodteachersunderstandthateachandeverystudentisuniqueanddeservesandrequiresspecialattentionandadaptationsofthelearningexperiencetofittheiruniqueneeds,interests,abilitiesandattitudes(George,2005).Teachershavetheimportanttaskofassessingstudentstodeterminewheretheyare,howtheylearnbestandwhatintereststheyhave,andthenusethisimportantinformationtohelpguidetheirinstructionforeachstudent.

Teachershavecontentstandardsthattheyaretoaddressandexpectationsthatmustbemet.ManypeoplefeelthattherearepositiveandnegativeaspectsofNochildLeftBehindandtheeffectsofastandards-basededucationalsystem.HollieLevystatesthatstandardshelptoclosetheachievementgapbyclarifyingforteacherswhatmustbetaughttoeachstudent.However,thenegativeaspectofstandardsisthatteacherscansolelyteachtothestandardsandstopthere(Levy,2008).Standardsorlearningoutcomesaremeanttoinformandguidethecurriculum,not“be”thecurriculum(Tobin,2008).

Manyteachersuseaone-size-fits-allapproachtoteachingandlearning.Theyareawareoftheircontentandwhatproductstheirstudentsmustyield.However,theytakeallthechildrendownthesamepath,learningthesamecontent,yieldingthesameprojectsandassessments.Thisapproachcarrieslittleregardforrelevantstudentdifferences.CarolAnnTomlinsondefinesdifferentiatedinstructionastheeffortsofteacherstorespondtovariancesamonglearnersintheclassroom.Wheneverateacherreachesouttoanindividualorsmallgrouptovaryhisorherteachinginordertocreatethebestlearningexperiencepossible,thatteacherisdifferentiatinginstruction(Tomlinson,2004).

Inorderforteacherstosuccessfullydifferentiateinstructiontomeettheneedsoftheirdiversegroupoflearners,theymustuseassessmentstohelpguidetheirinstruction.JayMcTighestatesthatclassroomassessmentsandgradingpracticeshavethepotentialtonotonlymeasurelearningandserveasawaytoreportstudentlearning,butalsohasthepotentialandshouldbeusedbyteacherstopromotestudentlearning(McTighe,2005).Inordertoachievemaximumperformance,studentsandteachersalikeshouldbeutilizingongoingassessmentsandcontinualadjustmentstopromotestudentsuccess.

InhisarticletitledSevenPracticesforEffectiveLearning(2005),JayMcTighedistinguishesbetweenthreeveryimportanttypesofassessmentsutilizedbyeffectiveteachers.First,hediscussessummativeassessmentsandhowteachersusesummativeassessmentsasameanstomeasurewhatstudentshavelearnedattheconclusionofaninstructionalunit.Next,hediscussesdiagnosticassessmentswhicharemorecommonlyreferredtoaspre-assessments;thesetypesofassessmentstypicallyprecedeinstruction.Theyarecommonlyusedbyteacherstodetermineastudent’spriorknowledgeandskilllevel.Lastly,McTighediscussesformativeassessmentsasoccurringconcurrentlywithinstruction.Formativeassessmentsareongoingandprovidespecificfeedbacktoteachersandstudentsforthepurposesofguidinginstructiontoimprovestudentlearning(McTighe,2005).McTighedescribesformativeanddiagnosticassessmentsbeingusedtoprovidefuelfortheteachingandlearning,whileofferingdescriptivefeedbackalongtheway(McTighe,2005).RichardDuFourmadeananalogybetweenformativeandsummativeassessments;hestatedthatformativeassessmentsarelikeamedicalphysical–itallowsyoutotakepreventativemeasures.Incontrast,summativeassessmentsarelikeanautopsy;it’ssimplytoolatetotakeanypreventativemeasures(Dufour,Dufour,Eaker&Karhanek,2004).

Anothertypeofassessmentthatteacherscommonlyusetohelpdifferentiateinstructionislearningprofiles.Alearningprofileisasimpleprofileofeachstudentcontainingpertinentinformationspecifictolearningpreferences,familystructure,favoritehobbiesandinterestsandotheraspectsofinterest(Anderson,2007).Learningprofilesareessentialwhenateacheristryingtoplanengaging,student-centereddifferentiatedlessonsandinstructionalactivities.Additionally,manyteachersuselearningstyleinventoriestohelpdeterminehowachildlearnsbest.Forexample,isthechildavisuallearner,anauditoryorkinestheticlearner;whichofthelearningstylesisbestsuitedtomeettheneedsofindividualstudents(Tomlinson,2009)?

Inadifferentiatedclassroom,thelearninggoalsareclear,thereisastronglinkbetweenassessmentandinstruction,flexiblegroupingisused,individualgrowthisemphasized,teacherssethighexpectationsforboththemselvesandtheirstudents,andlastlyteachersensurethatdifferentiationisusedtochallengestudentsandhelpthemsucceedratherthantobeusedtomakethecontenteasierforstudents(Cox,2008).

Anotherimportantstep,andpossiblythefirststepontheroadtodifferentiatinginstruction,isfirstmakingsurethatyouknowwhatgoalsyouwanttoachieve.Schoolsmusthaveasolid,approvedupon,corecurriculumthatisguaranteedandviable.Inorderforteacherstostartteachingtheymustknowwheretheywanttoendupbeforetheystartoutandthendeviseaplanforhowtogetthere(Tomlinson,1999).

InDifferentiatingInstructiontoIncludeAllStudents,KellyM.Andersondiscusseshowdifferentiatedinstructionconsistsofafewimportantelements:choice,flexibility,on-goingassessmentandcreativityresultingindifferentiatingeitherthecontentbeingtaught,orhowstudentsareprocessinganddevelopingunderstandingofconceptsandskills,orthewaysinwhichstudentsdemonstratewhattheyhavelearnedandtheirlevelofknowledgethroughvariedproducts(Anderson,2007).Whendifferentiatingtomeettheneedsofalllearners,teacherscandifferentiatebasedoncontent,processorproduct.

Whenteachersdifferentiatethecontentaspectofalesson,teacherscanadaptlessonstheyplanforthestudentstolearnorhowthestudentswillgainaccesstothedesiredknowledge,understanding,andskills(Tomlinson&Allan,2000).Whenteachersdifferentiate,theprocesswithinalessonreferstohowthelearnerscometounderstandandassimilatefacts,conceptsorskills.Somemethodsteacherscanusetodifferentiatetheprocessaspectofalessonisbytieringtheindependentworkactivities,learningcentersandindividualizedhomeworkenrichmentprojects(Anderson,2007).Teacherscanalsodifferentiatetheproductcomponentofalesson.Thisallowsstudentsvariouswaysofdemonstratingwhattheyhavelearnedfromthelessonorunitofstudy.Whendifferentiatingproducts,teachersarechallengingstudentsatalllevelstomakedecisions,beresponsiblefortheirownlearning,andaffordingthemopportunitiestodemonstratewhattheyknowthroughproductsthatarerepresentativeofthestudents’learningstyles,theirinterestsandtheirstrengths(Anderson,2007).

PaulS.Georgestatesthat“changingone’sinstructionalstyleandcapabilityismucheasiertotalkaboutthanitistodo,asdifficultasitisessential.Hestatesthatmanyteachersseemquitewillingtocontinuewiththetraditionalteacher-directed,wholeclassinstructionalmodel,eveniftheyharbordeepuncertaintiesabouttheirfundamentaleffectiveness”(George,2005,pg.191).

AsCarolAnnTomlinsonstates,differentiationseemsacommon-senseapproachtoaddressingtheneedsofawidevarietyoflearners,promotingequityandexcellenceandfocusingonbestpracticeinstructioninmixed-abilityclassrooms(Tomlinson,2000).Most,ifnotall,teacherswouldagreewiththisstatement.However,whenyougointotheclassroomofmanyeducatorsyoufindthattheyareutilizingaone-size-fits-allapproachtoteachingratherthandifferentiatinginstructiontomeettheneedsofallstudents(Knowles,2009).

KimPettigdiscusseshowmanyschoolsknowandunderstandtheimportanceofdifferentiatedinstruction,butthedisconnectisintheapplicationanduseofdifferentiatedinstructionintheirclassrooms.Pettigexplainsthatschoolsdonotneedtoreinventthedifferentiatedinstructionwheel;theyjustneedtolearnhowtorollit(Pettig,2000).Teachersneedtotakethefirststepstowardsdifferentiatinginstructionandeventuallytheywillbeabletoembracedifferentiatedinstructionintheirclassrooms.

Researchshowsthatdifferentiatinginstructionisaverychallengingtask.Teachersrequiresupportfromtheiradministrationinordertobesuccessfulintheireffortsofmeetingtheneedsofalllearners.

Inconclusion,differentiatedinstructionshouldbeusedbyallclassroomteacherstovigorouslyattempttomeetthestudentswheretheyareinthelearningprocessandmovethemalongasfastandasfaraspossibleinthecontextofamixed-abilityclassroom(Tomlinson,2000).Teachersmustuseassessmentdatatohelpguidetheirinstructioninordertomeettheneedsofalllearners.Whenallteachersembracethisimportantwork,ourstudentswillreapthebenefitsandrewardsthroughincreasedstudentlearningandachievement.

ChapterIII

Method

Whenteachersuseresponsiveandeffectivemethodsinaddressingstudentdifferences,theirstudentswillbegiventheopportunitytobefullyengagedandinterested,theywillbeprovidedwithadevelopmentallyappropriateandstimulatingeducationbasedontheirabilities,andlastlytheywillbegiventheopportunitytoworkuptotheirgreatestpotential(Anderson,2007).

Intoday’ssocietystudentscometoschoolwithdiversebackgroundsandteachersmustmeettheirneedsbydifferentiatingtheinstructionthatisbeingdelivered.AtWilliamO.SchaeferElementarySchoolmanyteacherscontinuetoteacha“onesizefitsall”curriculuminsteadofdifferentiatingtheirinstruction.

OnecurriculaareawhereWilliamO.SchaeferElementarySchoolhashadtroublegettingteacherstoberesponsiveintheirteachingisintheareaofreading.Thisstudysetsouttoanswerthefollowingquestion:dostudentsperformhigherinreadingwhentheyareinclasseswheretheirreadinginstructionindifferentiated?

Thisstudylooksattheimpactofdifferentiatedinstructioninliteracyanditsimpactonstudentachievement.InordertoassesstheWilliamO.SchaeferElementarySchoolstaff’suseofdifferentiatedinstructionasurveywasadministeredtothekindergartenandfirstgradeteachers.

Theresearcherconductedinterviewswiththeprincipalandassistantprincipal.Therewasalsoafocusgroupthatdiscusseddifferentiatedinstruction.

Participants

Theparticipantsintheresearchgroupincludetwentyfirstgradestudents.Theyhaveasignificantrangeinabilities.FivechildrenareidentifiedunderResponsetoInterventionasneedingadditionalsupportintheareaofwriting.Thesechildrenwillbenefitfromthesupportoftheirclassroomteacher,apush-inspecialeducationteacherwhowillsupportthemduringwritinginstructiondaily,andscheduledinstanceswherethechildrenarepulledoutofclassforadditionalsmallgroupwritinginstruction.Therearealsofivechildrenwhowillbeeligibleforreadingsupportservices.Theseserviceswillbesuppliedbytheschoolliteracyspecialistwhowillpullthechildrenoutofclasseachdayinasmallgroupforthirtyminutesofsmallgroupinstruction.Therearealsoseveralchildrenwhohavebeenidentifiedasrequiringadditionalclassroomsupporttocontrolbehavioralandemotionalissues.

Thecontrolgroupisalsoafirstgradeclasswherethechildrenpresentwithsignificantrangeinabilities.TherearethreechildrenwhoareidentifiedunderResponsetoInterventionasneedingadditionalsupportintheareaofwriting.Thesechildrenwillbenefitfromthesupportoftheirclassroomteacheraswellasapush-inspecialeducationteacherwhowillsupportthemduringwritinginstructiondaily,andscheduledinstanceswherethechildrenarepulledoutofclassforadditionalsmallgroupwritinginstruction.Therearealsothreechildrenwhowillbeeligibleforreadingsupportservices.Theseserviceswillbesuppliedbytheschoolliteracyspecialistwhowillpullthechildrenoutofclasseachdayinasmallgroupforthirtyminutesofsmallgroupinstruction.Thereisalsoonechildwhohasbeenidentifiedasrequiringadditionalclassroomsupporttocontrolbehavioralandemotionalissues.

Thecontrolgroupandresearchgroupareverysimilar.BothgroupshavechildrenwhoareidentifiedunderRTI(ResponsetoIntervention)asrequiringadditionalpush-inteachersupportduringwritingaswellaspull-outservicesforreading.ThefocusgrouphasmorechildrenwhoareidentifiedunderRTIasneedingwritingandreadingsupportaswellasbehavioralandemotionalproblems.

ThisstudyalsolooksatteacheruseofDifferentiatedinstructionatWilliamO.SchaeferElementarySchool.Thisstudysurveyedallkindergartenandfirstgradeteachers.Thisstudyinterviewedtheprincipalandassistantprincipal.Lastly,therewasafocusgroupthatconsistedoffivefirstgradeteachers.

Instruments

Inordertomeasurestudentliteracyachievementinfirstgrade,WilliamO.SchaeferElementarySchoolusestheDevelopmentalReadingAssessment(DRA)tomeasureastudent’scurrentreadinglevel.AcopyofthisassessmentcanbefoundinAppendixA.Thisassessmentconsistsofapre-reading,duringreadingandpostreadingcomponent.Inthe“pre-reading”componentoftheassessmentthechildisaskedtopreviewthetextandthentomakepredictionsaboutthestory.Duringthe“duringreading”componentthestudentisaskedtoreadthetextaloudwhiletheteachertakesarunningrecordoftheirwordreadingandfluency.Lastly,duringthe“afterreading”componentthestudentisaskedtoretellthestorywherehe/sheisgradedusingaprovidedrubric.Lastly,thechildisaskedseveralcomprehensionquestionsaboutthetext.Thisassessmentwasusedtotrackthestudent’sreadinglevelsacrosstheyear.Forthepurposesofthisresearch,theresearcheranalyzedtheassessmentdatafromSeptemberandJune.

Thesecondinstrumentusedinthisstudywasasurveythatwasadministeredtothekindergartenandfirstgradeteachers.SeeAppendixBforacopyofthissurvey.Thefourthinstrumentusedwereinterviewquestionsthatwereusedtointerviewtheprincipalandassistantprincipal.SeeAppendixCforacopyoftheinterviewquestions.

Lastly,theresearcherconductedafocusgroupwithagroupoffirstgradeteachers.Theresearcherusedinterviewquestionswiththefocusgroup.PleaseseeAppendixDforacopyofthefocusgroupdiscussionquestions.

Design

Theteachersurveywasdesignedtodetermineteachers’sentimentsaboutdifferentiatedinstruction,itsimpactonstudentachievementandwhetherornottheyutilizedifferentiatedinstructionintheirteaching.Thesurveyfocusedonateacher’suseofdifferentiatedinstructionintheirclassroom.Respondentsratedeachstatement(i.e.,stronglydisagree,disagree,agreeorstronglyagree).Theresponseswerethenscoredforanalysis.Resultsfromthissurveycanbeusedtoidentifyteachercomfortlevelinutilizingdifferentiatedinstructionaswellasateacher’suseofdifferentiatedinstruction.AcopyoftheteachersurveycanbefoundinAppendixB.

Twoadministratorswerealsointerviewedforthisstudy.AlistofstandardinterviewquestionscanbefoundinAppendixC.Thoughtheprincipalandassistantprincipalwereaskedthestandardquestions,interviewswereconductedinaconversationalmannerandinvolvedfurtherdiscussionsoncertaintopics.Theinterviewsfocusedontheadministrators’inputabouthowmanyclassesutilize