Problem Solving in High School Biology: Students’ Agentic Response to Differentiation
Every student comes to science class with unique skills and problem-solving abilities; unfortunately, there is limited research on how to differentiate instruction so that equitable progress can be made for every learner. We used a novel pedagogical approach to differentiate for a wide range of prob...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
ICASE
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Science Education International |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.icaseonline.net/journal/index.php/sei/article/view/1274 |
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| Summary: | Every student comes to science class with unique skills and problem-solving abilities; unfortunately, there is limited research on how to differentiate instruction so that equitable progress can be made for every learner. We used a novel pedagogical approach to differentiate for a wide range of problem-solving abilities when students were learning to solve high school biology problems. Eighty-seven students were given tiered problem sets and asked to choose and solve one of the three differentiated problems; each problem was presentedwith an explicitly different level of difficulty. Using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach, we examined which problem students chose to solve, why and how they chose their problem, and how well the student’s choices aligned with their perceived abilities. A majority of students (88%) chose the problem that aligned with their perceived abilities, and the most effective alignment was the problem a little more difficult than they were used to solving. This differentiated approach helped ensure that a wide range of studentabilities received equitable problem-solving experiences regardless of ability. Choice and alignment were important to students’ learning to solve problems. |
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| ISSN: | 2077-2327 |