Differentiated Instruction in Language Education: Enhancing Reading Comprehension and Engagement among Diverse Learners

Abstract

Language classrooms comprise learners with diverse levels of English proficiency, learning readiness, needs, and engagement, creating challenges for conventional one-size-fits-all instruction. This study examined the effect of differentiated instruction on students’ reading comprehension and behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement and explored differences in reading gains across initial proficiency levels. A quantitative quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control group design was employed with 60 English language learners, consisting of 30 students in an experimental group and 30 students in a control group. The experimental group received differentiated reading instruction through adapted content, flexible learning processes, graduated task complexity, instructional scaffolding, and formative assessment, whereas the control group received conventional reading instruction. Data were collected using a reading comprehension test and a learner engagement questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent- and paired-samples t-tests, ANCOVA, and effect-size analysis. The findings showed that the experimental group achieved a greater improvement in reading comprehension, with a mean gain of 16.76 points compared with 7.64 points in the control group and a large effect size (d = 1.31). Overall learner engagement increased by 0.91 points in the experimental group compared with 0.35 points in the control group, producing a large effect (d = 1.46). Improvements occurred across behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement. Lower-proficiency learners demonstrated the largest reading gain of 19.90 points. The findings indicate that differentiated instruction can effectively enhance reading comprehension and learner engagement while supporting more inclusive and responsive language education for students with diverse learning needs.