Addressing student diversity to improve mathematics achievement through differentiated instruction

Abstract

Managing student diversity is one of the issues that occur in mathematics education. Students typically achieve poorly in school if it is not appropriately addressed. Therefore, differentiated instruction (DI) strategies were used in mathematics classes to address the issue. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of DI strategies in addressing student diversity and raising mathematics proficiency levels. DI was carefully implemented in one school using the plan-do-study-act methodology. Data were gathered via test scores, questionnaires, and interviews, and professionals in the field of mathematics education verified the content validity of the said instruments. The study discovered that more incredible mathematics achievement resulted from addressing student diversity. Mathematics classes were better delivered and adapted to students’ learning styles using DI. However, mathematics teachers faced difficulties like lengthy preparation, poor classroom management, large class sizes, and a lack of resources.