Differentiated Instruction: A Survey of Novice Teachers’ Understanding and Barrier to Implementation

Gifted and talented students have different interests and preferred learning styles. Scholarly investigations have demonstrated that teaching gifted and talented students must address their needs as well as nurture their talents. Meeting the needs of gifted students in diverse classrooms has become a major problem for teachers. Differentiated instruction is one of the methods of instruction used with gifted children in programs. The idea that coping with all students equally is no longer effective, especially among gifted students. This emphasizes the importance of suitable teaching approaches, which include differentiated instruction (DI) as a fundamental solution, although challenging. Thus, this research aims to evaluate the level of understanding and the barriers faced by novice teachers in the implementation of differentiated instruction. This study was conducted at a boarding school located in Malaysia. The data were collected using a quantitative approach. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software. The research revealed that novice teachers generally have knowledge and implement differentiated instruction during class. However, the amount of time taken for preparation becomes the major barrier to the implementation of differentiated instruction. The study also highlighted the need for professional development courses to support the implementation of differentiated instruction for gifted students.