A study of the impact of differentiated instruction for English language learners at the secondary level with a focus on gender

This study was conducted to establish the effectiveness of utilizing differentiated instruction among English Language Learners at the secondary level in an English language arts course. This study addressed the following questions: "What instructional strategies affect English language learners' overall language development? Also, what are effective instructional practices for grammar development? How do the variables of gender performance and learning style preference affect English language learner development?" The purpose of this study was to establish how teacher-centered instructional strategies affect and influence English language learners and their language development in comparison with student-centered instructional strategies. The data analyzed were student responses to a survey conducted in two sections of a high school English Language Development course. The two class sections were exposed to alternating instructional strategies. The survey was conducted as a way to gauge students' attitudes in reference to their own language development as well as assess their learning style preferences. The responses were assessed for the presence of patterns specific to gender. The data also included weekly formal assessments which were analyzed for possible connections between instructional strategies and scores earned. Again, scores were assessed for the presence of gender specific patterns. Results of this study demonstrated that differing instructional strategies do influence English language learners academic language development. Findings also indicated that student-centered instructional strategies had a greater positive influence than teacher-centered instructional strategies in regard to students' performance. Moreover, there was evidence of a correlation between student performance, instructional strategy used, and the student's gender.