EFL Students’ Perceptions of Differentiated Learning in English Language Learning

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-388-7_2How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Merdeka Curriculum; Differentiated Learning; Students’ Perception

Abstract

Differentiated learning is an educational approach that seeks to accommodate the different needs of students by adapting teaching materials, methods, assessments, and learning environments to create personalized learning experiences. It aims to support all students in reaching their full potential by considering their unique learning styles, interests, and abilities. In the context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), differentiated learning is essential due to the different levels of language proficiency among students. In Indonesia, the importance of differentiated learning was highlighted in the “Merdeka Curriculum” made by the Indonesian Ministry of Education. The new curriculum promotes a flexible and student-centered approach that allows teachers to adapt their instructional strategies to the different needs, interests, and abilities of students, thus fostering a more effective learning environment. This study aims to understand how students perceive the implementation of differentiated learning in their English classes under the Merdeka Curriculum framework. This study explores the perceptions of differentiated learning among 66 ninth-grade students at SMP Negeri 14 Malang using a quantitative research design with a 19-statement questionnaire. The findings show that the implementation of differentiated methods, materials, and assessments is becoming an important aspect of the success of differentiated learning strategies in English language learning. Students learn more effectively when they are allowed to engage with the materials that suit their learning styles and interests. In addition, from the findings, the research indicates that differentiated activity and differentiated learning environments play an important role in enhancing students’ comfort and engagement in the English learning process. Students’ also enjoy learning when they are given the freedom to learn based on their interests. In conclusion, implementing differentiating content, process, product, and learning environments are effective and engaging learning strategies for students.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Siti Salma Aulia
AU  - Devinta Puspita Ratri
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/03/27
TI  - EFL Students’ Perceptions of Differentiated Learning in English Language Learning
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Advances in Humanities, Education and Language (ICEL 2024)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 4
EP  - 16
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-388-7_2
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-388-7_2
ID  - Aulia2025
ER  -