The Belief of Mandarin Foreign Language Educators in Differentiated Instruction Based on Student Characteristics

• Published in: International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning
• Main Author: Chua N.A.; Embong A.M.; Kadhim K.A.; Ismail R.; Ismail I.L.M.; Soon G.Y.; Baharuddi S.-A.; Nasir M.A.M.M.; Salaebing M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: International Information and Engineering Technology Association 2024
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85189677620&doi=10.18280%2fijsdp.190220&partnerID=40&md5=af9da239d74d20db0f7b1cf3f46236b3

This study aims to investigate Mandarin university educators' perceptions of implementing Differentiated Instruction (DI) and the role of genders in relation to students' characteristics. The high dropout rates among students learning Mandarin have raised concerns, and this study seeks to address this issue by providing insights into how educators can adjust their curriculum, instructional methods, learning materials, and activities to meet the individual needs of their students. The study uses a purposive sampling technique to recruit 26 Mandarin University educators who completed the survey questions based on the developed instruments. The data analysis was completed using SPSS ver.25, and the normality of the data was confirmed using Shapiro-Wilks. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to ascertain the belief of the educators with respect to gender differences. This study highlights potential gender differences in Mandarin language educators' use of Differentiated Instruction (DI) and suggests that educators should consider students' characteristics in DI implementation. Tailoring teaching practices to individual students' needs can lead to increase engagement and success. It suggests informing teacher training programs to tailor teaching practices to meet the individual needs of students, leading to better student outcomes. Accurate statistical methods, such as nonparametric tests, were used in the study, which contributes to improving Mandarin language education and may inspire future research in other subject areas within educational contexts. © 2024 The authors.