Differentiated instruction in the EFL classroom: Discrepancies between teachers’ self-report questionnaires and actual practices

Abstract

This paper aims at examining the classroom implementation of differentiated instruction (DI) in the Greek state primary school. Data were collected via a self-report questionnaire and classroom observations. The questionnaire was completed by 149 teachers of English. Ten teachers were also observed during their actual classroom teaching practices. The findings indicate that, despite the participants’ positive attitude towards DI, the Greek primary classroom remains a teacher-centered learning environment. Moreover, the participants’ observed use of DI strategies (e.g. group-driven activities) was less frequent than their reported use. This could be attributed to teachers’ misconceptions of what DI entails for classroom implementation, as well as to classroom contingencies