Investigating the factors of difficulty in the Implementation of Differentiated Instruction in Greek Primary Education

Abstract

Differentiation of teaching and learning is a modern approach to the design and organization of the whole teaching process in mixed ability classrooms (Koutselini, 2008, Theofilides, 2008, Tomlinson, 2003). The purpose of this paper is to highlight the difficulties in the practical implementation of differentiated instruction in Greek kindergarten and primary schools. For the collection of the data, a structured questionnaire was provided to 306 kindergarten and primary school teachers in the region of Epirus in Greece who stated that they possess the theoretical framework of differentiated instruction and its implementation process. The survey’s findings highlight the basic difficulties faced in implementing differentiation. The data, although limited, are a trigger for further exploration of the issue of providing opportunities and supportive structures to teachers to effectively use in practice the differentiation of teaching and learning.