| The educational system has an increasing population of students with diverse learning needs that must be addressed to ensure all students are academically successful. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether differentiated instruction had a positive effect on the vocabulary and the reading comprehension of struggling 2nd grade students. In constructing a foundation for differentiated instruction, the theories of the zone of proximal development (ZPD) and multiple intelligences (MI) are pertinent to this interactive teaching approach. This preexperimental study focused on whether there was a significant difference in students' reading performance in vocabulary and comprehension after the implementation of differentiated instruction. Archival student data from 3 classrooms for the years 2009 and 2010 were used in this study. Students' scores from pretest and posttest assessments, Student Achievement in Reading (STAR) Reading and Phonological Awareness and Literacy Screening (PALS), were collected, analyzed, and compared. A repeated-measures t statistic was used to evaluate the mean difference between students' scores before and after receiving reading instruction using differentiated instruction. The data revealed positive gains in students' reading performance after the implementation of differentiated instruction. Implications for positive social change include vital information for teachers to become more effective in their instructional methods, providing struggling readers opportunities to gain the essential knowledge and skills that will enable them to become self-sufficient, confident, and competent individuals. |
