Differentiating Instruction in Early Childhood Care Education: Teachers’ Practice

Abstract

Differentiated instruction involves altering the implementation and design of the lesson and activities so that the needs of all children are met. Through it children use different pathways to explore and learn while taking away the same essential ideas and understanding on the content. The study sought to determine teachers’/caregivers practice in differentiating instruction in pre-primary classrooms in Owerri educational zone of Imo state. This descriptive survey is guided by three research questions and two hypotheses. Population comprised all teachers/caregivers in the government approved preprimary schools totaling 119. This number was purposively sampled. Instrument was a validated 17-item questionnaire and data generated were analysed using grand mean, percentages and chi square. Results show that teachers’ practice was very poor. Years of experience had influence on their practice but location did not. Recommendations made among others include the need to mount retraining and retooling programmes to improve teachers’/caregivers practice in differentiating instruction at this foundation level.

Key words: childhood education, Differentiated instruction, teachers/ caregivers’
practice