Differentiated Instruction and Inclusive Education in EFL Classrooms.

Abstract

The concept of inclusive education has gained currency recently, and a promising route to its implementation is said to be differentiated instruction. The underpinning purpose of the present study is to inspect the use of differentiated instruction to create inclusive EFL classrooms. Within the context of this study, four questions are raised: (1) Are teachers aware of students’ diversity, and what are their attitudes towards it? (2) Do teachers differentiate their instruction to arrive at inclusive EFL classrooms, and to what extent? (3) What are the obstacles faced by teachers when implementing differentiation in the EFL classroom? (4) Have teachers eceived any kind of TEFL training course, and if so, how efficient is such training in developing their abilities to differentiate instruction in the EFL classroom? To reach the aims of the study and answer the research uestions, a questionnaire is administered to eighty third-year students of English, and another questionnaire is administered to sixteen EFL teachers. Both samples are taken from the Department of Foreign Languages, Mila University Center. The major findings reveal that differentiated instruction is applied in the EFL classroom, yet not by all teachers, and not to a full extent. Other results are further discussed. Ultimately, the research work imparts an assortment of implications and recommendations.