Quality in differentiation of instruction with respect to development of pupils' giftedness - self-evaluation of teachers

Abstract

The article deals with differentiation of instruction in context of inclusive education on the level of lower-secondary schools (ISCED 2) in the Czech Republic. The aim is to evaluate the quality in differentiation of instruction with respect to development of pupils' giftedness and to compare the quality according to chosen teachers' characteristics. 609 teachers took part in the study. They evaluated their quality of differentiation in a questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis showed 2 factors covering the original 9 items, first of them is focused on curriculum differentiation, the second one is aimed at the differentiation of teaching methods. They together explain 45 % of total variance and their overall internal consistency is satisfactory (Cronbach's alpha = 0,77). The findings show, that teachers are more able to differentiate curriculum, than to differentiate didactic approaches in a heterogeneous classroom. Women cope with differentiation better than men. Teachers working predominantly in humanities cope with differentiation better than those who work mainly in natural sciences. Expert teachers have better results than beginners. Certificated teachers show the same level of quality in comparison to the uncertificated ones.