With more and more non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students learning in Hong Kong mainstream classrooms, differentiated instruction has been called for application in Chinese language education to consider the diverse learning needs of all students. However, factors influencing Chinese language teachers' use of differentiated instruction remain unclear. This study aimed to examine the influence of teacher-student relationships and teachers' work motivation on differentiated instruction, as well as the mediating role of work motivation in the relationships between teacher-student relationships and differentiated instruction. Two hundred and ninety Chinese language teachers from Hong Kong primary schools participated in the survey. The results showed that after controlling for demographic factors (i.e., gender, length of service, years of teaching NCS students, and in-service training), both dimensions of the teacher-student relationships (i.e., closeness and conflict) positively predicted differentiated instruction. Autonomous motivation positively predicted differentiated instruction, while controlled motivation did not significantly predict differentiated instruction. Furthermore, autonomous motivation partially mediated the positive effect of closeness on differentiated instruction. Contributions, implications, and limitations are discussed. Copyright © 2024 Springer.

This article reports a longitudinal case study examining how teachers were empowered to develop their professional capacity to cater for learner diversity through implementing differentiated instruction. Data were collected from multiple sources including lesson co-planning meetings, teacher interviews and lesson observations in a primary school in Hong Kong. The findings suggested a three-stage journey towards teacher empowerment mediated by both external and internal factors. The findings also highlighted the potential interplay of teacher empowerment, teacher professional development and its sustainability, shedding light on a sustainable model for teacher professional development. Copyright © 2024 Springer.

Differentiated instruction has been advocated for embracing learner diversity, but it has been found that differentiated instruction implementation is difficult and teachers often feel unprepared. This qualitative case study explored the professional development of two English language teachers in two participating schools of a school-university collaboration project on diversity management in Hong Kong. Based on the data collected from co-planning meetings, lesson observations, semi-structured interviews, focus groups and artefacts, the study showed that research-informed teaching and teaching-informed research were both indispensable to differentiated instruction infrastructure building; school cultures and teacher efficacies both affected teachers’ attitudes towards researcher-practitioner collaboration modes for professional development. Teachers whose efficacy and professional learning community remained at a developing stage tended to rely on an expert-guided collaboration mode. Yet, those whose efficacy and professional learning community had advanced would prefer a more self-redirected learning mode. These findings shed light on bridging the researcher-practitioner divide in teacher education. Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

Differentiated instruction (DI) has been introduced as a viable approach for accommodating the diverse learning needs of students in the same classroom. Despite the significant advantages attributed to this approach, it can still be a challenge for teachers to incorporate DI into practice. This study examined the lived experiences and perceptions of teachers regarding the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on their differentiation practices. Purposive sampling was used, and 40 in-service primary and secondary school teachers in Hong Kong were recruited. Hybrid thematic analysis was implemented to examine data from the semi-structured interviews carried out in both face-to-face and online formats. Drawing on the five-dimensional model of differentiation as a conceptual framework, the findings were organized into five thematic areas: (1) teaching arrangements, (2) learning environment, (3) teaching methods, (4) support materials, and (5) assessment. The perceptions of teachers, both positive and negative, regarding the impact of the pandemic on DI were categorized into sub-themes. The results indicated that while the pandemic brought about considerable obstacles for educators in practicing DI, it also opened up opportunities for new approaches to meeting the diverse needs of students. © 2023 by the authors.

本文敍述本地一所中學如何透過全面地改革課程、教材、教學法及評估,推進融合教育發展的一段歷程。該校副校長以局內人的身份,闡述學校如何打破教師「各自為政」的文化,培育着重分享協作的團隊,以照顧不斷增加有學習困難學生的需要。This paper chronicles the comprehensive restructuring in curriculum, learning materials, instructional practices, and assessment in a local secondary school moving towards inclusive provision. It is written from the insider’s perspective of the school’s Vice Principal who recounts how the school moved away from practices of teaching in isolation and embraced a culture based on sharing and collaboration among teachers to accommodate the needs of an increasing number of students with learning difficulties.
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