Abstract:

Differentiated instruction is at the heart of ministerial recommendations as a priority for action to promote school engagement and academic success for all students. Similarly, many researchers put differentiated instruction forward as a promising avenue, especially with at risk students (Archambault et al., 2015. Paré, 2011; Rousseau, Lafortune & Bélanger, 2006). However, few researchers have considered at risk students’ point of view when analyzing the impact of differentiated practices on school engagement. This presentation puts into perspective the effects of the differentiated practices reported by 104 in service teachers in Quebec, Canada, in relation to the discourse of 126 at risk students as regards to the impact of these practices on their school engagement. For our analysis, two types of data were triangulated: data retrieved from a questionnaire on differentiated instruction which were distributed to teachers and data obtained through 18 focus groups conducted with the students of 22 teachers who answered the questionnaire and declared working in an elementary school located in a disadvantaged area. Our results indicate that a consensus exists among the teachers and students surveyed regarding the positive effects of certain types of differentiated practices (eg. responding to students' specific needs, individualized support, etc.) on school engagement. On the other hand, the infrequent and limited use of flexible teaching (eg. enable students to choose among a variety of methods and resources to achieve the same task, use of flexible grouping, etc.) and differentiated formative assessment (eg. use of diversified forms of assessment, frequent returns on assessments allowing self-adjustment by students, etc.) by the teachers of our sample contrasted with the level of appreciation expressed by students in relation to such practices. These results underscore the need to further investigate the use and the impact of these differentiated practices on at risk students’ school engagement in order to guide teachers in their choice of differentiated practices.

Keywords:

Differenciated instruction, at risk students, elementary school, Quebec, Canada.