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Mathematics Teachers’ Views and Use of Differentiated Instruction: The case of two teachers in the Winneba Municipality, Ghana
Abstract
To ensure that the global sustainable development goal on education is achieved, the implementation of differentiated instruction (DI) is beginning to gain attention in the Ghanaian education system. But is Ghana embracing and implementing DI effectively in the mathematics classroom? This paper investigated two junior high school (JHS) mathematics teachers’ views and use of DI in their mathematics classrooms. Qualitative data obtained through observations and semi-structured interviews in an embedded mixed methods study that employed the Solomon four group quasi-experiment design were analyzed and in this report. The results show that teachers used flexible grouping, tiered assignment, end of unit assignments, worksheets and ICT tools (though extremely challenging) as the convenient DI strategies. The interview data after the experiment disclosed that, DI impacted students’ performance positively. However, the data showed that DI is time consuming, extremely challenging, expensive and required resources not readily available in public schools. Recommendations are made for the embracing of convenient strategies of DI in Ghanaian classrooms.