Does one size fit all?

Does one size fit all?
By Qiyang Zhang, Johns Hopkins University
Diversity is a key feature in U.S. schools. With increasing cultural, language, and academic diversity in U.S. schools, researchers are interested in finding out whether differentiated instruction improves students’ learning outcomes. A recent publication in Review of Educational Research investigated the effects of Tier 1 differentiated instruction offered by general education classroom teachers on literacy outcomes. The article focuses on designed differentiated instruction, which is defined as pre-teaching classroom design in tasks, texts, and tools to support customized instruction during classes.
 
The authors reviewed research conducted in the past 20 years and included only programs that had comparison groups, used literacy outcomes, took place in regular classroom settings, and were taught by general education teachers. Among 11,569 records identified, only 18 studies met the inclusion criteria. Meta-regression analysis, on average, presented a positive effect (ES = +0.13, p = 0.002) of differentiated literacy instruction. Compared to other outcomes (i.e., fluency, vocabulary, comprehension), students demonstrated significantly higher literacy achievement improvement in letter-word (ES = +0.20, p = 0.014) and writing (ES = +0.96, p < 0.001) when schools provided designed differentiated literacy instruction for teachers. The results support the conclusion that one size does not fit all.
 
Differentiated instruction holds promise to enhance learning outcomes more effectively. The authors recommended some differentiated practices, such as selecting reading texts at students’ academic levels, fostering independent or teacher-guided group work, and encouraging students to present in various ways. Based on deep understanding of students’ needs, individualization, choice, and an alternate curriculum are best practices among many differentiation approaches.

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