Differentiated instruction in EFL classrooms: teacher beliefs, perceived professional agency, and teacher educator perspectives in Türkiye

Abstract

Differentiated instruction (DI) requires teachers to interpret learner diversity and make adaptive pedagogical decisions within the opportunities and constraints of their professional contexts. This study examined how secondary school English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers and teacher educators in Türkiye understood and experienced DI, with particular attention to teacher beliefs, perceived professional agency, and motivational considerations. This qualitative interpretive phenomenological study involved semi-structured interviews with 14 EFL teachers and six teacher educators. Data were analyzed through an inductive, interpretive form of thematic analysis informed by Braun and Clarke’s six-phase procedure. Both participant groups understood DI as an inclusive and ethically responsive approach addressing differences in learner readiness, interests, language proficiency, learning pace, and support needs. Teachers associated DI with stronger student engagement, motivation, participation, and language development, but reported a persistent mismatch between their pedagogical intentions and their capacity to act on them. Large classes, limited planning time, curriculum rigidity, resource inequalities, and examination pressures constrained adaptive decision-making and weakened perceived professional agency. Teacher educators similarly identified a gap between pre-service teachers’ conceptual knowledge and their ability to respond flexibly to learner diversity in authentic classrooms. The findings conceptualize DI as a contextually negotiated practice shaped by the interaction of teacher beliefs, professional agency, motivational commitment, teacher preparation, and institutional conditions. The study highlights the need for practice-based teacher education, sustained professional learning, and organizational environments that enable psychologically responsive and inclusive EFL instruction.