Classroom teachers' self-efficacy and opinions on differentiated instruction

Differentiated instruction is an approach that requires redesigning the content, process and product in line with individual differences such as students' interests, needs and readiness. It is of great importance to determine the self-efficacy and opinions of classroom teachers who implement the differentiated instruction approach at the primary school level, which has a critical role in the educational processes of students. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to examine the self-efficacy levels and opinions of classroom teachers towards differentiated instruction practices. A convergent parallel design, a type of mixed research methods, was employed. While the survey method was applied in the quantitative phase of the study, the case study design was applied in the qualitative phase. The study group of the research consists of classroom teachers working in the central district of Amasya province in the 2023-2024 academic year. In the quantitative phase, 256 classroom teachers determined by simple probability sampling method; in the qualitative phase, 12 classroom teachers selected by maximum diversity sampling method are included in the study group. In the quantitative phase of the study, the Differentiated Instruction Self-Efficacy Scale developed by Mutlu, Öztürk, and Aktekin (2019) was used to collect data. In the qualitative phase of the study, a semi-structured interview form developed by the researcher was used to collect data. Mann Whitney U test, Kruskal Wallis test and descriptive statistics were applied to analyze the quantitative data; thematic analysis and coding were used for qualitative data. As a result of the research, it was seen that classroom teachers' differentiated instruction self-efficacy was at a high level. As a result of the analyses made in the context of variables, it was determined that there was a significant difference in the differentiated instruction self-efficacy levels of classroom teachers in favor of female classroom teachers, in favor of classroom teachers with undergraduate and graduate degrees, and in favor of classroom teachers with the title of head teacher. In the context of professional seniority variable, it was seen that there was a significant difference between classroom teachers with 26-30 years of professional seniority and classroom teachers with 1-5 years of professional seniority in favor of teachers with 26-30 years of professional seniority. In addition, the findings of the study reveal that the differentiated instruction self-efficacy levels of classroom teachers who teach different grade levels are similar. In the study, it was concluded that classroom teachers defined differentiated instruction as an approach in which teaching processes and the variety of activities and materials to be used in these processes are determined in line with the individual differences of students. In the context of differentiated instruction, it was concluded that classroom teachers considered their competencies high in terms of recognizing students and putting them at the center of the learning process, but they did not consider themselves competent in time management. In the study, it was concluded that classroom teachers listed the factors that make differentiation activities difficult as time management, overcrowded classrooms, lack of materials, and excessive diversity in students. Based on these findings, it is recommendend that improvement studies can be carried out for class sizes and physical and technological equipment of schools in order for classroom teachers to implement differentiated instruction activities more efficiently.