How effective are the differentiated instructional practices of my teacher? A study into the effects of differentiated instruction on students' socio‐emotional variables

Abstract In consideration of the substantial increase in students' learning demands, teachers are urged to address student heterogeneity in their daily teaching practice by means of differentiated instruction (DI). The practice of DI, as a vehicle to achieve inclusive education, not only aims to support all students' academic learning but also foster their social and emotional development. However, current research in the field of DI has mostly been limited to an examination of its effects on students' achievement outcomes. Consequently, the potential impact of DI on students' socio‐emotional outcomes has, up until now, received very little attention. In order to address this gap in research, the current study sought to investigate the effects of DI on students' emotional well‐being, social inclusion and academic self‐concept. Survey participants in this study included 602 lower secondary school students from 25 inclusive and regular classes in secondary schools in Mexico. Following multilevel analyses, the results have indicated that students' rating of their teachers' DI practice was not positively associated with their emotional well‐being, social inclusion and academic self‐concept. A further t‐test for dependent samples demonstrated that students perceive their teachers' DI practice to be quite seldom. Implications and further lines of research are discussed.