‘It’s an impossible job’: pre-service primary teachers’ beliefs and attitudes towards differentiation within Scottish ITE

Differentiation is a major challenge within education. To explore the beliefs and attitudes of Pre-Service Teachers (PSTs) towards differentiation, an interpretivist methodology was deployed with PSTs working through a Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) within Scotland. Unstructured focus group interviews were conducted and elements of grounded theory and thematic analysis were used for data analysis. From the data, PSTs shared a willingness to differentiate to work towards making teaching and learning accessible for all. However, the three most significant negative themes generated demonstrate tensions PSTs encounter with differentiation: the role of 'ability'; pressure and stress; and conflicting messages.