Differentiated Instruction in Problem-Based and Direct Instruction: The Moderating Role of Mathematical Disposition on Students’ Mathematical Communication Skills

This study examines the effects of instructional models, specifically problem-based learning (PBL) and direct instruction (DI), on students’ mathematical communication skills with mathematical disposition as the moderating variable. Both models incorporated differentiated instruction. A quasi-experimental 2 × 2 factorial design was conducted with 75 Grade XI students from a public high school in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. The research instrument used a mathematical communication test and a disposition questionnaire. Based on the results of two-way ANOVA and t-test, a significant interaction was found between learning models and mathematical disposition. Students taught with PBL had higher mathematical communication scores than those taught using DI. Regarding mathematical disposition, students with high dispositions had higher mean scores when taught using the PBL approach, whereas their low-disposition counterparts achieved higher scores under the DI approach. Thus, this study underscores the importance of considering students’ mathematical dispositions in maximizing the efficacy of instructional models on students’ mathematical communication skills. It also offers practical insights into how differentiated instruction within these models can accommodate students’ diverse needs.