Perceptions of Teachers about Differentiated Instruction for English Language Teaching at the Tertiary Level in Bangladesh

Abstract

Differentiated Instruction (DI) has become a very in fluential approach for the last few decades in the various arenas of education where teachers, instead of lecturing students or instructing in a one-size-fits-all approach, tailor their teaching strategies based on individual learner needs. This unique approach seems to be immensely beneficial as it makes learners independent, confident, enthusiastic, involved, and ultimately better achievers in examinations. The present paper explores the perceptions of tertiary level teachers of Bangladesh regarding DI and the use of this approach in teaching English. Data were collected from 33 English teachers from three private universities using a Likert-scale questionnaire followed by a semi-structured interview with 10 participants. The findings reveal that teachers are aware of DI and its benefits, but their classroom strategies are not congruent with the DI principles to a great extent. Although they create a friendly and non-threatening environment and allow students to choose classroom activities, they cannot differentiate the learning goals, the content, assessment tools, and evaluation for each learner. The paper ends with suggestions for creating a more conducive environment for learning by implementing Differentiated Instruction strategies in higher education in Bangladesh.