The Impact of Differentiated Instruction on High School Students’ Math Learning Self-Efficacy

Abstract

This study primarily examines the effect of differentiated instruction on high school students’ math learning self-efficacy. Differentiated instruction refers to designing teaching content based on students’ varying knowledge foundations and learning abilities to enhance their learning confidence. Grounded in Bandura’s self-efficacy theory, this research analyzes how differentiated instruction strengthens students’ math learning self-efficacy by providing successful experiences, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, and optimizing emotional states. Research findings indicate that students in classes implementing differentiated instruction achieve higher mathematics scores and exhibit greater learning efficacy compared to those in classes without differentiated instruction. Research indicates this model significantly improves classroom engagement, academic performance, and test scores, enabling the learning efficacy of the vast majority of students to be enhanced to a certain degree. However, a low probability of adverse effects on a minimal number of students exists. This has resulted in a decline in learning efficacy rather than an improvement. The study concludes with recommendations for dynamic class adjustments and teacher care, offering research directions for optimizing differentiated instruction practices.