Teachers of foreign languages must differentiate their instruction and address the diverse needs of all learners, as this is the only way to ensure equal opportunities for success for everyone. At present, relatively little is known about how teachers of English as a Foreign Language working in Slovenian public education perceive the concept of differentiation, to what extent they implement it in practice, and what challenges they face in doing so.
This master’s thesis explored the views and practices of primary school English teachers regarding the use of differentiation in English language teaching. The study involved ten teachers from three primary schools in Ljubljana who taught English in the 4th and 5th grades during the 2024/25 school year. The research examined their attitudes toward differentiation, the frequency and methods of its implementation, the strategies most commonly used, and the factors influencing their selection. It also explored how confident the teachers felt in their ability to differentiate effectively and how they coped with the challenges and difficulties they encountered. The findings revealed that differentiation in English language teaching is essential yet remains inconsistently and incompletely implemented in practice. More experienced teachers viewed it as an integral part of quality teaching, whereas novice teachers often expressed uncertainty and a lack of professional support. The study highlights that teachers require more professional guidance, high-quality and targeted training, access to appropriate teaching materials, and greater opportunities for collaboration and exchange of experience, as the competencies for effective implementation of differentiation, in their view, develop primarily through practice.
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