Abstract:

This empirical study (PARS-Project) provides insights in a complex programme in biology education with the goal to promote decision making competences in heterogeneous learning groups. Therefore, teaching-learning materials as well as a diagnostic grid (Ternieten & Elster, 2020) is developed. The goal of this presentation is to provide empirical data about the process and the product of material development (six-hours- teaching unit) with a focus on differentiated learning.

The research questions were about:
- Which material and task structure is appropriate to promote student learning in a heterogeneous learning groups?
- Which differentiation options and tools are appropriate?

As research paradigm the Design-Based Research (DBR) approach is used which comprises three cycles. From 2016 to 2021 overall 180 students of the 9th grade participated in the study. Data are generated via written products (60), and interviews with students (36) and teachers (7). The findings are summarized:

1. Material- and task-structure
a. Students assess their own abilities with the help of three questions and then choose something from triple language-differentiated materials, enabling them to work at their level.
b. The level of difficulty of the tasks was diagnosed using the ESNaS model (Walpuski, et al., 2010). The model assesses how much information must be used and related to each other to solve a task. Based on the difficulty levels diagnosed in this way, the tasks were arranged in ascending order of difficulty on the materials.

2. Differentiation options and tools
a. Tip cards as well as the glossary accompany the learning process and are used by the students as needed (Stäudel, 2009).
b. A competence grid was kept by the students to document individual learning progress and thus make it visible (von Saldern, 2012). By making this visible, students should become aware of their learning progress and thus remain motivated.

The possibility for self-assessment (1a) was well accepted by the students and led to the selection of materials with an appropriate level of difficulty in ~75% of the cases. Due to the possibility to change the level of difficulty during the learning process, an unsuitable assessment was not a problem. The development of the level of difficulty over the course (1b) was not perceived by the higher-performing students (according to grades). The degree of difficulty was said to have remained the same. Students who tended to be lower achievers perceived an increase in the level of difficulty over the course. The different perceptions were also reflected in the user behaviour of the tip cards (2a). Thus, the tip cards were mainly used by the higher-performing students. Somewhat unexpectedly, a few of these students did not use the tip cards as an aid, but to check their own work results. The lower performing students rarely used the tip cards. The competence grid (2b) used for the students was perceived as superfluous. The advantage of making one's own learning process visible via the grid was simply not perceived.

To sum up, the findings are interesting for the development of inner differentiated material not only for biology lessons but for other subjects, too. For more details see the doctoral theses (Ternieten, 2022).

Keywords:

Inner differentiation, biology lesson, 9th graders.