The impact of labelling students with learning difficulties on teacher self-efficacy in differentiated instruction

Abstract

Differentiated instruction (DI) is a pedagogical framework to which all students can be engaged in their learning and achieve academically in their schooling. While DI is for all students, there is little research in DI for students with learning difficulties, in senior-secondary schools in Australia. This research formed part of a larger study, which recruited 12 participants across two Australian states, to investigate how teachers in senior-secondary schooling, differentiate for students with learning difficulties. Findings indicated that when students had labelled learning difficulties as recognised by other professionals, teachers expressed being able to differentiate more easily with greater self-efficacy, as compared with differentiating for students who teachers themselves considered were experiencing difficulties in their learning but had no label assigned to them. Teachers voiced that learning difficulties was a broad concept, with each teacher defining learning difficulties differently. This suggests that with the broad nature of learning difficulties, teachers may struggle to differentiate accordingly, leading to lower self-efficacy beliefs. While labelled learning difficulties provide guidance for differentiating, this may also see teachers differentiating based on preconceived ideas and for students with special needs, rather than individual students' current understanding. Implications for future practice are discussed.