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Version 1.1 – Updated August 2021

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 a diverse group of student. It can involved different activities to different groups of students, recognition of multiple pathways and time to complete the tasks

Evidence

  • Number of meta-analyses: 4
  • Number of studies: 102
  • Number of students: 9,579
  • Number of effects: 197
  • Effect size: 0.46

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

Confidence

The Confidence is the average of these four measures, each divided into five approximately equal groups and assigned a value from 1 to 5 based on the following criteria:

  • Number of Meta-analyses
    • 1 = 1
    • 2 = 2–3
    • 3 = 4–6
    • 4 = 7–9
    • 5 = 10+
  • Number of Studies
    • 1 = 1–10
    • 2 = 11–50
    • 3 = 51–200
    • 4 = 201–400
    • 5 = 400+
  • Number of Students
    • 1 = 1–2,500
    • 2 = 2,501–10,000
    • 3 = 10,000–20,000
    • 4 = 20,000–100,000
    • 5 = 100,001+
  • Number of Effects
    • 1 = 1–100
    • 2 = 101–300
    • 3 = 301–600
    • 4 = 601–1,200
    • 5 = 1,200+
Confidences
Number of Meta-Analyses Number of Studies Number of Students Number of Effects Overall Confidence
Confidence Factor 3 3 2 2 3
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