Eighteenth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

Teachers have the responsibility of ensuring that learners are included and supported in all learning experiences, so that they benefit and achieve their potential irrespective of their background. However, educational exclusion and marginalisation remain the experience of large numbers of children and young people across the globe, despite legislation and policy that promote access and participation in education. This paper investigates how teachers use differentiation to respond to learner diversity in multi-grade classrooms and explores the challenges they face. Eight multi-grade teachers in four primary schools participated in this study. The data, collected through interviews and observation, were qualitative in nature, consisting of teachers’ verbatim quotes. Data were read, coded, and analysed, and meaning was extracted by means of content analysis. The results showed that participants use differentiation at the level of assessment, but in most cases the content delivered was the same across grades. In addition, the study revealed that a lack of resources and time were considered impediments to enabling full inclusion through differentiation, to cater for learner diversity. The study recommends that teachers’ conception of differentiation be investigated. Furthermore, it is imperative that teacher training be geared at capacitating teachers in multi-grade classrooms to differentiate in respect of the curriculum, in order to respond to learner diversity.