Exploring the views of Pakistani ESL teachers about differentiated instruction in English language teaching

Differentiated Instruction (DI), a pedagogical strategy that addresses students’ diverse learning needs and abilities is a recognized effective teaching method in English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching. However, there is limited research on how ESL teachers perceive and use DI in their classrooms in the Pakistani context. In this mixed-method study, undergraduate-level Pakistani ESL teachers were surveyed about their perceptions and practices of DI. This study investigated the teaching strategy known as DI in their ESL classrooms. The researcher used an adapted questionnaire to gather data from 84 ESL teachers. Five ESL teachers participated in a semi-structured interview. The interview focused on how ESL teachers perceived and practiced DI, and the difficulties they faced. The findings demonstrated that teachers' perceptions about teaching are generally consistent with this paradigm although it appears that they do not fully implement DI. These findings are consistent with previous research that revealed teachers did not implement DI to its fullest capacity. Moreover, teachers also experience several obstacles including managing large class numbers, dealing with heavy workloads, facing limited time, achieving high expectations from administration, and addressing concerns related to student assessment. There is a critical need for administrative collaboration and professional development to properly adopt DI.