The Impact of Differentiated Instruction on Tenth-Grade Students' Academic Achievement in Biology: A Quasi-Experimental Study in Jordan

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study investigated the impact of Differentiated Instruction (DI) on the academic achievement of tenth-grade biology students in Jordan. A total of 84 students were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=42) that received DI strategies tailored to diverse learning needs, and a control group (n=42) that followed traditional lecture-based methods. A teacher-trained 20-hour DI program was implemented over an 8-week intervention. Data were collected using a 40-item biology achievement test (Cronbach's α = 0.87). Pre- and post-test results revealed a statistically significant improvement in the academic achievement of the experimental group compared to the control group (p < .001), with substantial effect sizes (Cohen's d > 2.4). An independent samples t-test confirmed no significant gender-based differences in achievement within the experimental group (t(82) = 0.295, p = 0.769). The findings suggest that DI is a highly effective and equitable pedagogical approach for enhancing learning outcomes in biology education. The study recommends integrating DI into science teacher training programs and curricula to cater to student diversity.