TEACHERS’ PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES IN DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION FOR DIVERSE SPECIAL LEARNING NEEDS: A QUANTITATIVE STUDY IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL
Keywords:
Special Education, Differentiated Instruction, Diverse Special Learning Needs, Descriptive Method, Inclusive Instructional Plan, Minglanilla 2, Municipality of Minglanilla, CebuAbstract
Inclusive education ensures equitable access to quality education for all learners. This study assessed teachers’ profiles, differentiated instruction best practices, and challenges in teaching learners with diverse special learning needs in public elementary schools in Minglanilla 2, Cebu, during SY 2025–2026. It also examined the relationships between teachers’ profiles and best practices, and between best practices and challenges, as the basis for a proposed inclusive instructional plan. Using a descriptive-correlational design, the study involved 50 teachers and an adapted questionnaire from Roy et al. (2013). Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, weighted mean, and Pearson product-moment correlation (r). The respondents were predominantly middle-aged female teachers, mostly specializing in General Education, with graduate studies and several years of teaching experience. Teachers often practiced differentiated instruction, particularly through scaffolding tools, multisensory materials, and assessment-based lesson adaptations. However, they encountered considerable challenges, especially inadequate resources and assistive technologies, large class sizes, and varied learner readiness. Only participation in related seminars and training had a significant positive relationship with differentiated instruction best practices. Moreover, a significant negative relationship existed between differentiated instruction best practices and challenges encountered, indicating that more frequent implementation was associated with fewer reported challenges. These findings served as the basis for a proposed Inclusive Instructional Plan.
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