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Version 1.2 – Updated June 2023

Differentiation

Overview

  • Influence: Differentiation
  • Domain: Student Learning Strategies
  • Sub-Domain: Student-focused interventions
  • Potential to Accelerate Student Achievement: Potential to accelerate
  • Influence Definition: Differentiation refers to a wide variety of teaching techniques and lesson adaptations that educators use to instruct and meet the individual needs of a diverse group of students. It can involve different activities, different groups of students, recognition of multiple pathways and varying time to complete the tasks.

Evidence

  • Number of meta-analyses: 4
  • Number of studies: 102
  • Number of students: 9,579
  • Number of effects: 197
  • Weighted mean effect size: 0.51
  • Robustness index: 3

Meta-Analyses

Meta-Analyses
Journal Title Author First Author's Country Article Name Year Published Variable Number of Studies Number of Students Number of Effects Effect Size
MathEd Database Kim Korea A meta-analysis on the effects of differentiated instruction in mathematics. 2018 Differentiation 49 0 80 0.68
Frontiers in Psychology Smale-Jacobse, Meijer, Helms-Lorenz, & Maulana Netherlands Differentiated instruction in secondary education: A systematic review of research evidence. 2019 Differentiation 14 0 14 0.74
Review of Educational Research Puzio, Colby, & Algeo-Nichols USA Differentiated Literacy Instruction: Boondoggle or Best Practice? 2020 Differentiation in literacy 18 9,579 25 0.13
Educational Research Review Deunk, Smale-Jacobse, de Boer, Doolard, & Bosker Netherlands Effective differentiation practices: A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on the cognitive effects of differentiation practices in primary education. 2018 Differentiation 21 0 78 0.30
TOTAL/AVERAGE 102 9,579 197 0.46
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