Differentiated Instruction on Verbal Student Engagement in a Mixed High School Sociology Class
Item
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Title
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Differentiated Instruction on Verbal Student Engagement in a Mixed High School Sociology Class
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Creator
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Cameron Nielsen
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Degree Name
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Master of Arts in Teaching (initial licensure)
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Project Type
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Action Research Project
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Date
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6/15/2025
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Abstract
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Student engagement in class is a pressing issue in schools that educators must consistently address. This is to ensure that students are obtaining the knowledge they need to become active citizens after they finish their schooling. To combat disengagement, this action research project studied the effects of differentiated instruction on student verbal engagement in a mixed high school sociology class. Data gathering methods were borrowed from Sagor (2000), using detailed clipboard notes during small group discussions and pre-set checklist marks during lecture periods. Verbal student engagement was monitored while each differentiated instructional method was being used to see what effect they had on student voice in the classroom. The data was sorted into three main themes: full-class discussion and lecture, small-group discussion and paired work, and independent work. For this class of 29 students, this research found that think-pair-share was the most effective strategy to engage students in conversations with each other and the teacher throughout all three themes. Culturally relevant teaching (CRT) had the second largest impact on student verbal engagement during full-class discussion and lecture, and had the largest impact during independent work. The results of this study support the established understanding that differentiated instruction can increase student engagement (Tomlinson, 2014) while offering the opportunity to compare the effectiveness of those differentiated instructions with one another.
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Keywords
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Think-Pair-Share
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Culture
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Community
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Committee Member
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Amy Bowden
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Kenneth Carano
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N/A
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Rights
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Western Oregon University Library has determined, as of 06/20/2025, this item is in copyright, which is held by the author. Users may use the item in accordance with copyright limitations and exceptions, including fair use. For other uses, please ask permission from the author.
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https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en
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Language
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eng
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Type
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Text
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Identifier
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CameronNielsen_ARP_2025
