Developmentally Appropriate Programs and Differentiated Teaching and Learning in Preschool Education: A Research Study

The social and cultural pluralism of modern reality has highlighted the different manifestations of student potential in terms of readiness, interests, experiences, culture, needs and learning capabilities, making the traditional, one-dimensional way of teaching and learning inadequate. Based on this logic, it seems that Differentiated Teaching and Learning constitutes a modern teaching perspective, which, through the utilization of Developmentally Appropriate Programs, is capable of responding to the complexity of the multi-level activation of the psycho-spiritual potential of each student, in the acquisition of skills, in their active involvement in the teaching process and in the development of motivation for the construction of new knowledge. The purpose of this research is to determine the degree of enhancement of the quality of the teaching provided, through the implementation of an annual educational intervention program with the implementation of Developmentally Appropriate Programs within the framework of Differentiated Teaching and Learning in kindergartens. The research was implemented in the academic year 2023-2024 in four (N:4) kindergartens in the Epirus region, of which two constituted the experimental groups and two the control groups. A structured questionnaire with open and closed-ended questions was used to collect the research data. The findings of the research highlighted the importance of utilizing Developmentally Appropriate Programs within the framework of Differentiated Teaching and Learning in providing high-quality education in preschool.