THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING ON EFL ACHIEVEMENT: A META-ANALYSIS
(1) English Education Department, Universitas PGRI Kanjuruhan Malang, Indonesia
(2) English Education Department, Universitas PGRI Kanjuruhan Malang, Indonesia
(3) English Education Department, Universitas PGRI Kanjuruhan Malang, Indonesia
(*) Corresponding Author
Abstract
The present meta-analysis explored the effects of differentiated learning on EFL learners' achievements, examining the impact of various moderating factors․ The study synthesized eight experimental studies (2014–2025), adhering to PRISMA guidelines, and found that differentiated Instruction had a large, statistically significant effect on English achievement (Hedges' g = 1․92)․ Overall effect sizes were evaluated, and moderator analyses were applied to assess variation by educational level, language-learning target, and geographical region․ The study revealed that learners at the primary level demonstrated greater gains in English achievement than their secondary-level peers, suggesting age-related responsiveness to differentiated instruction․ The study showed that those who learned reading and writing skills improved more than those who learned general English language learning․ The findings indicate that differentiated learning can be aligned with learners' needs and characteristics to make the teaching–learning procedure more personalized and interactive․ This study, therefore, favors more research into finding how best differentiated learning can be implemented in different educational domains․
Keywords
References
Am, Muh. A., Hadi, S., Istiyono, E., & Retnawati, H. (2023). Does differentiated Instruction affect learning outcomes? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Pedagogical Research, 7(5), 18–33. https://doi.org/10.33902/JPR.202322021
Borenstein, M., Higgins, J. P. T., Hedges, L. V., & Rothstein, H. R. (2017). Basics of meta‐analysis: I2 is not an absolute measure of heterogeneity. Research Synthesis Methods, 8(1), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.1002/jrsm.1230
Dapa, A. N. (2020). Differentiated learning model for students with reading difficulties. JTP - Jurnal Teknologi Pendidikan, 22(2), 82–87. Link Google
Hatmanto, E. D., & Rahmawati, F. (2023). Unleashing the potential: Exploring attitudes and overcoming challenges in implementing differentiated Instruction in the Philippines' English language classrooms. E3S Web of Conferences, 425, 2001. https://www.e3s-conferences.org/articles/e3sconf/pdf/2023/62/e3sconf_ictced2023_02001.pdf
Ibrahim Magableh, I. S., & Abdullah, A. (2020). Effectiveness of differentiated Instruction on primary school students' English reading comprehension achievement. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 19(3), 20–35. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.3.2
Inostroza, M. J., Perez-Villalobos, C., & Tabalí, P. (2024). Chilean Primary Learners’ Motivation and Attitude towards English as a Foreign Language. Education Sciences, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14030262
Jiao, C., Ganapathy, M., & Chang, H. (2023). A comparative study of language learning strategies used by high and low EFL college achievers. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 12(2), 655–669. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v12-i2/17002
Khan, I., Ayub, S., & Khan, M. S. (2024). Impact of differentiated Instruction on students' autonomy levels in English writing. Kurdish Studies, 12(5), 507–513. Link
Komang Arie Suwastini, N. (2021). Differentiated instruction for EFL Classroom. TELL-US Journal, 7(1), 14–41. https://doi.org/10.22202/tus.2021.v7i1.4719
Kótay-Nagy, A. (2023). Differentiated Instruction in the EFL classroom: An interview study on hungarian primary and secondary school EFL teachers' views and self-reported practices. Journal of Adult Learning, Knowledge and Innovation, 6(1), 33–46. https://doi.org/10.1556/2059.2023.00076
Kupchyk, L., & Litvinchuk, A. (2020). Differentiated Instruction in English learning, teaching and assessment in non-language universities. Advanced Education, 7(15), 89–96. https://doi.org/10.20535/2410-8286.168585
Kusasi, M. (2024). The extent of differentiated instruction implementation in junior high school English subjects. Journal of Language, Literature, and English Teaching (JULIET), 5(2), 99–110. https://doi.org/10.31629/juliet.v5i2.7056
Labordo, D. C. (2024). Assessing the influence of differentiated instruction on enhancing reading comprehension skills among learners: A quasi-experimental study. New English Teacher, 18(2), 13–28. Link
Magableh, I. S. I., & Abdullah, A. (2020). On the effectiveness of differentiated Instruction in the enhancement of Jordanian students' overall achievement. International Journal of Instruction, 13(2), 533–548. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1249110.pdf
Maruf, N. (2023). The interplay of teachers' beliefs, attitudes, and the implementation of differentiated Instruction in Indonesian EFL contexts. English Review: Journal of English Education, 11(2), 357–364. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7251
Matsuri, M., Atmojo, I. R. W., Saputri, D. Y., & Kholifah, C. N. (2024). Analysis of elementary school students’ learning readiness in the implementation of differentiated learning. Mimbar Sekolah Dasar, 11(4), 757–772. https://doi.org/10.53400/mimbar-sd.v11i4.78857
Mehany, A. A. A. (2019). The effect of using" differentiated instruction" on developing Al-Azhar secondary stage students' writing fluency. In the ALESCO Institute of Arab Research & Studies. Ain Shams University. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED632409.pdf
Melka, Y. G., & Jatta, I. B. (2022). Study the effects of differentiated Instruction on English grammar teaching in Ethiopia. Development of Education, 5(3), 19–31. https://doi.org/10.31483/r-103546
Mohamed, F. T., Olamo, T. G., & Yemiru, M. A. (2025). Effect of differentiated Instruction on primary EFL students' writing performance and perception: The case of grade 7 students in Hawassa City, Ethiopia. Social Sciences and Humanities Open, 11, 101230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2024.101230
Nahdhiah, U., & Suciptaningsih, O. A. (2024). Optimisation of Kurikulum Merdeka through differentiated learning: Effectiveness and implementation strategy. Inovasi Kurikulum, 21(1), 349–360. https://doi.org/10.17509/jik.v21i1.65069
Najjar, N. (2019). The efficiency of differentiation through learning styles and strategies to develop language productive skills. EuroMed J. of Management, 3(2), 109-140. https://doi.org/10.1504/EMJM.2019.104326
Naka, L. (2017). The importance of differentiated Instruction in EFL learning. UBT Knowledge Centre, 119. 70-76. https://knowledgecenter.ubt-uni.net/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1261&context=conference
Ojong, A. S. (2023). Unravelling the efficacy of differentiated Instruction in enhancing second language acquisition: A comprehensive review and future directions. International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Translation, 6(6), 75–82. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2023.6.6.8
Potot, A., Kyamko, L. N., Reponte-Sereño, R. R., & Bustrillo, H. (2023). Differentiated instruction as a strategy in improving reading comprehension. Journal of English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, 5(4), 113–128. https://doi.org/10.32996/jeltal.2023.5.4.12
Purnamaningwulan, R. A. (2024). Evaluating the efficacy of differentiated Instruction in EFL speaking classes: A classroom action research study. Voices of English Language Education Society, 8(1), 186–196. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v8i1.25635
Saleh, A. H. A. E. (2021). The effectiveness of differentiated Instruction in improving Bahraini EFL secondary school students ' reading comprehension skills. REiLA : Journal of Research and Innovation in Language, 3(2), 135–145. https://doi.org/10.31849/reila.v3i2.6816
Sapan, M., & Mede, E. (2022). The effects of differentiated Instruction (DI) on achievement, motivation, and autonomy among English learners. Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 10(1), 127–144. https://doi.org/10.30466/ijltr.2022.121125
Satriani, S., Syamsuddin, A., & Tamanga, N. (2024). Identification of student learning styles in implementing differentiated learning in Thai Islamic schools. European Journal of Education and Pedagogy, 5(1), 31–34. https://doi.org/10.24018/ejedu.2024.5.1.750
Tajik, O., Noor, S., & Golzar, J. (2024). Investigating differentiated Instruction and the contributing factors to cater to EFL students' needs at the collegiate level. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 9(1), 74. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-024-00299-5
Thakur, K. (2014). Differentiated instruction in the inclusive classroom. Res. J. Educational Sci. International Science Congress Association, 2(7), 10–14. https://www.isca.me/EDU_SCI/Archive/v2/i7/2.%20ISCA-RJEduS-2014-025.pdf
Van Aert, R. C. M., Wicherts, J. M., & Van Assen, M. A. L. M. (2019). Publication bias examined in meta-analyses from psychology and medicine: A meta-meta-analysis. In PLoS ONE (Vol. 14, Issue 4). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0215052
Xu, D., & Tsai, S.-B. (2021). A study on the application of an interactive English-teaching mode under complex data analysis. Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing, 2021(1). 2675786. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1155/2021/2675786
Yavuz, A. C. (2020). The effects of differentiated Instruction on Turkish students' L2 achievement, and student and teacher perceptions. Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 6(2), 313–335. https://doi.org/10.32601/ejal.776002
Zhang, J., & Zhang, L. J. (2024). Exploring the profiles of foreign language learners’ writing self-regulation: focusing on individual differences. Reading and Writing. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-024-10568-x
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24127/pj.v14i3.12703
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2025 Authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Published by Universitas Muhammadiyah Metro
Scientific Publication Unit (UPI)
Gd. HI, Lt1 Kampus 1 Universitas Muhammadiyah Metro
Jl. Ki Hajar Dewantara 116 A
Kota Metro Lampung 34145 Indonesia
Email : help.upi@ummetro.ac.id
Phone : +62-725-42445
Fax : +62-725-42454
Mobile : +62-8570914-1060
Certificate of Accreditation (Volume 11 No 1, 2022-Volume 15 No 2, 2026
