Navigating Fairness and Flexibility: A Case Study of Differentiated EFL Speaking in Public High School
Keywords:
Differentiated learning, EFL speaking, public senior high school, teacher challenges, qualitative case studyAbstract
Speaking remains one of the most challenging skills in heterogeneous EFL classrooms, where students differ in readiness, confidence, and opportunities to participate. Addressing this issue, the present study investigates how differentiated learning is implemented in EFL speaking instruction and what challenges teachers encounter in its classroom enactment, with a particular focus on lived instructional practice rather than learning outcomes alone. This study employed a qualitative case study in a public senior high school in Makassar, Indonesia, involving two English teachers as participants. Data were collected through 16 classroom observations and in-depth semi-structured interviews and were analyzed using Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña’s interactive qualitative data analysis model. The findings show that differentiated learning was enacted most visibly through process differentiation and psychologically supportive learning environments, while content differentiation was mainly realized through simplification and scaffolding, and product differentiation remained limited and occasional. The study also found that teachers faced persistent challenges related to students’ perceptions of fairness, time fragmentation, workload, and technical or resource constraints. These findings suggest that differentiated learning for EFL speaking is pedagogically promising, but its sustainable implementation requires teacher readiness, institutional support, and school-level conditions that enable flexible and equitable instruction.
References
Al-Shaboul, Y., Al-Azaizeh, M., & Al-Dosari, N. (2021). Differentiated instruction between application and constraints: Teachers’ perspective. European Journal of Educational Research, 10(1), 127–143. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.10.1.127
Alvarez, C. L., Tamayo, M. R., & Coutinho dos Santos, J. (2024). Factors influencing the development of speaking skills among Ecuadorian EFL learners: Teachers’ perspectives. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 14(2), 319–331. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v14i2.74889
Awaru, A. O. T., Ahmad, M. R. S., & Sadriani, A. (2023). Obstacles to implementation of differentiation learning in sociology subjects. Technium Social Sciences Journal, 50, 509–514. https://doi.org/10.47577/tssj.v50i1.9933
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE.
Dewi, M. N. K., Mulyati, T., & Wageyono. (2025). The English teachers’ and students’ perception on the differentiated instruction. LUNAR: Journal of Language and Art, 9(2), 46–54. https://doi.org/10.36526/ln.v9i2.6095
Efendi, U. P., Wibowo, S. E., Sartono, E. K. E., & Lena, M. S. (2024). The effectiveness of differentiated instruction in elementary school subject: Teachers’ perceptions. Jurnal Pendidikan Progresif, 14(3), 1784–1799. https://doi.org/10.23960/jpp.v14.i3.2024121
Fitriah, I., & Widiyono, A. (2023). Analisis kesulitan pembelajaran berdiferensiasi pada materi bagian tubuh tumbuhan di sekolah dasar. Indo-MathEdu Intellectuals Journal, 4(2), 961–974. https://doi.org/10.54373/imeij.v4i2.302
Hasanah, O. N., & Sukartono. (2024). Penerapan pembelajaran berdiferensiasi dalam Kurikulum Merdeka pada mata pelajaran IPAS di sekolah dasar. ELSE (Elementary School Education Journal): Jurnal Pendidikan dan Pembelajaran Sekolah Dasar, 8(1), 204–213. https://doi.org/10.30651/else.v8i1.20798
Kurniawati, K. L. (2024). An analysis of factors influencing students’ speaking skill in Triatma Mulya University. Journal of Educational Study, 4(2), 161–167. https://jurnal.stkipahsingaraja.ac.id/index.php/joes/article/view/1050
Langelaan, B. N., Gaikhorst, L., Smets, W., & Oostdam, R. J. (2024). Differentiating instruction: Understanding the key elements for successful teacher preparation and development. Teaching and Teacher Education, 140, 104464. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104464
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. SAGE.
Meliyani, Y., Masrupi, M., & Utomo, D. W. (2022). An exploration of Indonesian EFL learners’ speaking anxiety. Linguists: Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching, 8(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.29300/ling.v8i1.5070
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2020). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (4th ed.). SAGE.
Mujiono, M., & Fatimah, S. (2025). Evaluating the impact of differentiated instruction on English language proficiency in EFL classrooms: A meta-analytic perspective. Jurnal Pendidikan Progresif, 15(4), 2328–2347. https://doi.org/10.23960/jpp.v15i4.pp2328-2347
Mulyani, H., Auliya, S., & Darmayanti, M. (2024). Pembelajaran berdiferensiasi di sekolah dasar: Tinjauan literatur sistematis dan analisis bibliometrik. Metodik Didaktik: Jurnal Pendidikan Ke-SD-An, 20(1), 15–25. https://doi.org/10.17509/md.v20i1.66579
Mustika, D. B., Darmayanti, I. A. M., & Wisudariani, N. M. R. (2024). Penerapan model pembelajaran berdiferensiasi untuk meningkatkan keterampilan berbicara siswa dalam pembelajaran teks anekdot. Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra Indonesia Undiksha, 14(1), 27–34. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpbsi.v14i1.76561
Nadia, C., Adlika, N. M., & Anasi, P. T. (2024). Kendala penerapan pembelajaran diferensiasi dalam implementasi Kurikulum Merdeka pada mata pelajaran geografi. Edukatif: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan, 6(5), 5600–5612. https://doi.org/10.31004/edukatif.v6i5.7375
Ningsih, R., & Pusparini, R. (2024). Differentiated learning in teaching speaking: Challenges and solutions. ELTIN Journal: Journal of English Language Teaching in Indonesia, 12(2), 281–288. https://e-journal.stkipsiliwangi.ac.id/index.php/eltin/article/view/4857
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods (4th ed.). SAGE.
Pitura, J., & Chang, H. (2023). Tools for scaffolding the development of L2 speaking in English-medium higher education: Lessons from Poland and Australia. Theory and Practice of Second Language Acquisition, 9(2), 1–35. https://doi.org/10.31261/TAPSLA.12816
Rahmadani, R. D. P., Astutik, Y., & Rahayu, E. M. (2024). Psychological factors on students’ speaking skill problems at junior high school. Tell: Teaching of English Language and Literature Journal, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.30651/tell.v12i1.21940
Sada, S. H., Astuti, E. W., & Astutik, I. (2024). Meningkatkan kemampuan berbicara siswa kelas XI PM 1 dengan strategi pembelajaran berdiferensiasi. Pubmedia Jurnal Penelitian Tindakan Kelas Indonesia, 1(2), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.47134/ptk.v1i2.58
Saputri, L. A., Anwar, K., & Maruf, N. (2023). Exploring the impact of differentiated instruction on students’ perception, engagement, motivation in EFL high school education. Tell-Us Journal, 9(3), 623–644. https://doi.org/10.22202/tus.2023.v9i3.7380
Simbolon, B. R., Hidayat, Hartiningsih, Hoerudin, C. W., Imran, & Aina, M. (2023). E-learning: Succeeding amid the pandemic period, forgotten in the post-pandemic era. Al-Ishlah: Jurnal Pendidikan, 15(1), 903–910. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v15i1.3094
Smets, W., De Neve, D., & Struyven, K. (2022). Responding to students’ learning needs: How secondary education teachers learn to implement differentiated instruction. Educational Action Research, 30(2), 243–260. https://doi.org/10.1080/09650792.2020.1848604
Song, Y. (2025). The impact of differentiated instruction on student engagement and academic achievement in Chinese secondary school English language classrooms. Uniglobal Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 4(2), 168–175. https://doi.org/10.53797/ujssh.v4i2.20.2025
Suwastini, N. K. A., Rinawati, N. K. A., Jayantini, I. G. A. S. R., & Dantes, G. R. (2021). Differentiated instruction across EFL classrooms: A conceptual review. Tell-Us Journal, 7(1), 14–41. https://doi.org/10.22202/tus.2021.v7i1.4719
Tomlinson, C. A. (2014). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners (2nd ed.). ASCD.
Ulviani, M. (2024). Pembelajaran terdiferensiasi untuk meningkatkan keterampilan berbicara siswa SMA. Ranah: Jurnal Kajian Bahasa, 13(2), 502–510. https://doi.org/10.26499/rnh.v13i2.7796
Umayrah, A., & Wahyudin, D. (2024). Analisis kesulitan guru sekolah dasar dalam penerapan pembelajaran berdiferensiasi berdasarkan gaya belajar siswa pada Kurikulum Merdeka. Edukatif: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan, 6(3), 1956–1967. https://doi.org/10.31004/edukatif.v6i3.6599
Yuliati, C., Wulan, S., & Hapidin. (2024). Implementasi pembelajaran berdiferensiasi dalam meningkatkan motivasi dan kemandirian anak. Murhum: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 5(1), 969–980. https://doi.org/10.37985/murhum.v5i1.567
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 La Sunra, Fitra Ramadhan, Fitri Radhiyani
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
a. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License - Share Alike that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
b. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
c. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
USER RIGHTS
All articles published Open Access will be immediately and permanently free for everyone to read and download. We are continuously working with our author communities to select the best choice of license options, currently being defined for this journal as follows: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike (CC BY-SA)
