Mathematics Teachers’ Views and Use of Differentiated Instruction: The case of two teachers in Ghana

To ensure that the global sustainable development goal on education is achieved, the
implementation 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 reported in this report. The results shows 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 shows 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.