Examining Grade 6 Teachers’ Knowledge and Understanding of Differentiated Instruction in O.R. Tambo Inland District in South Africa
Nondumiso Mnyamana 
, Samson Matope & Clever Ndebele
Issue: Vol.5 No.5 Issue Article 3 pp.593-610
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2024553 | Published online 3rd May, 2024
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
It is essential to ensure differentiation in curriculum delivery to give all learners access to learning while also meeting the diversity of learner needs in the classroom in line with the Republic of South Africa’s inclusive education policy. This mixed methods study sought to examine grade 6 teachers’ knowledge and understanding of differentiated instruction to respond to the diverse needs of learners in OR Tambo Education District in the Eastern Cape. Data was collected from three randomly selected primary schools using interviews, questionnaires, and classroom observation tools. Four grade 6 teachers for mathematics and reading-to-learn were selected from each school (N 12). Key findings revealed that teachers lacked knowledge and understanding of differentiated instruction, and how it should be implemented in the classroom. This implies that all teachers should be trained or in-serviced (during and after training respectively) on how to respond to learners’ diverse needs during teaching and learning. This study contributes to knowledge in the field of inclusive education. The results of this study may influence universities to design teacher education programmes, methods, and/or interventions, which will enhance responses to learner diversity through differentiated instruction. This study could help researchers uncover the critical areas of differentiated instruction, its importance and its application in the classroom, its benefits for teachers and learners, and its impact on student learning.
Keywords: Curriculum Delivery, Differentiated Instruction, Learner Diversity, Pedagogical Knowledge.
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Nondumiso Mnyamana is a Master of Education graduate of Walter Sisulu University. She is an academic who worked for Pearson Marang Education Trust as a curriculum facilitator and trainer for teachers in primary and secondary schools in the Eastern Cape Province. Nondumiso’s research interests focuses on curriculum differentiation and instructional differentiation as a teaching strategy in multi-diverse classrooms. Her passion is on how teachers vary their instructional strategies to cater for learners from diverse backgrounds. She is currently a Regional Curriculum Development Manager at Pearson Marang Education Trust for the Eastern Cape Province.
Dr. Samson Matope is an Academic Developer working as Teaching Development Specialist in the Academic Staff Development Unit, Walter Sisulu University, South Africa. He is passionate about academic staff development in higher education and published 5 articles in local and international journals, also chaired sessions at academic conferences. He has supervised more than 20 postgraduate Honors and Masters students. He has presented and published on curriculum transformation, academics staff development and student engagement in higher education at national conferences. He is currently involved in the institutional research niche area on curriculum development and sustainable development in higher education. Dr Matope is a member of the Siyaphumelela project at Walter Sisulu University.
Prof Clever Ndebele is currently the Director, Learning and Teaching at Walter Sisulu University. He has extensive experience in higher education studies with more than ten years of experience at senior management level. He has participated in several NRF research projects on academic staff development in collaboration with other universities and has also been involved in Teaching Development Grant National Collaboration projects (namely PGDHE for educational development practitioners and PGDHE for Academics). He is also a member of the CHE National Standards and Reviews Committee and the CHE Peer Advisory Group on Reconceptualising Teaching and Learning (RELATE). Prof Ndebele currently oversees academic staff development and student academic support and coordinates the University Capacity Development Programme, the New Generation of Academics, the National Siyaphumelela Student Success Project and the Future Professors Programme at Walter Sisulu University.
Mnyamana, Nondumiso, Samson Matope & Clever Ndebele. “Examining Grade 6 Teachers’ Knowledge and Understanding of Differentiated Instruction in O.R. Tambo Inland District in South Africa,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 5, no.5 (2024): 593-610. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2024553
© 2024 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
