Secondary teachers in Kazakhstan have pursued the realization of the Updated Curriculum since 2016 reform. The updated programme requires teachers to teach innovative content and differentiate it to meet the needs of every learner. The most widely-accepted definition of differentiated instruction (DI) belongs to Tomlinson (2017). DI is a way of teaching to reach diverse learners who have diverse needs and employ a variety of ways to engage them sin learning.  Being aware of the students’ learning needs will prompt teacher’s instructional practices (Heacox, 2012). There is a variety of differentiated instruction models which mainly focus on differentiating the learning content, process and products (Tomlinson, 2000). Interestingly, Kazakhstani teachers tend to associate DI with the levels of task complexity, however, the discussed approach may provide a great variety of tools (Makoelle, 2020). An explanation for that may lie in the methodological recommendations from the National Academy of Education which monitored the implementation of the new curriculum and as a result issued recommendations. They recommend using levelled assignments from simple to advanced. The methodological recommendation state that  Via DI teachers aim to include every learner in the process which makes the education process inclusive and is built on inclusive values. The spread of inclusive education philosophy has become a pushing factor to devise the principles of differentiated instruction and strategies of differentiated learning. Inclusive values are also among universal human values (UN General Assembly, 1948) that guarantee non-discrimination towards human nature. Further on, Booth and Ainscow (2016) underpin the significance of values in achieving school improvement as its driving force and name them “deep-seated beliefs” indicating their profound connection with human actions to create inclusive culture (p.11).  They also conceptualized crucial inclusive values for education such as equity and equality, respect, community and collaboration, sustainability, participation and support. As teachers are more involved in the professional development paths and communities in their schools, they tend to welcome inclusive values and practices in such countries as the USA, Canada, Finland, Australia, India etc

The research explored how Kazakhstani teachers translated inclusive values in science classes to meet learners’ individual needs and constructed the link between values and pedagogy to respond to student diversity. Equity and equality are considered to be change-making values in the development of the inclusive school environment. The principles of equity in inclusive education regard the access to education, provision of quality conditions, such as space and pedagogies to enhance students’ growth and achieve more social justice in the society (UNESCO, 2017). Inclusive schools relate diversity to a wider range of human characteristics than merely ability, which means gender, age, culture, ethnicity, socio-economic background and religion. (Ainscow, 2007). Booth and Ainscow (2016) consider all kinds of support to be well-planned when peers learn from each other. And school support policy should embrace not only interaction among children, but also among teacher community to make sure they plan, teach and reflect collaboratively.

The main research question is: what are teachers’ perceptions towards inclusive values for implementing differentiated instruction in science lessons? Sub-questions:

What are science teachers’ perceptions towards inclusive vales in education?

What are science teachers’ perceptions towards DI?

What DI strategies are used for translating inclusive values in science classes?

What challenges do teachers face in DI implementation?

In this mixed-method study, quantitative data was collected from online survey of science teachers modified from the Differentiated Instruction Survey (Whipple, 2012). The survey aimed at collecting teachers’ perceptions towards inclusive values that enable teachers differentiate instruction in science lessons. The survey was conducted via Qualtrics. This ensured the immediate collection of participants’ responses to a site protected by a firewall. Qualitative data was gained from lesson observations based on the observation protocol “Inclusive Classroom Observation Tool” (Morningstar & Shogren, 2013). The purpose of it was to get more of explanation of the teacher’s perceptions and experiences, reasons and interpretations towards differentiating learning. The Inclusive Classroom Observation Tool (Morningstar & Shogren, 2013) was adapted and utilised for the evidence of classroom practices, including strategies and approaches to ensure participation and support of every student. Pre and post observation, semi-structured interviews provided context-specific data. Interviews enabled for the collection of in-depth rich data to align with the results of the survey and observations and might identify new issues related to the subject of the study. The researcher interviewed the participants after the lesson observations. Semi-structured interviews with three science teachers were manually transcribed, coded and analyzed for major themes.Field notes from lesson observations were manually analyzed. Qualtrics data management was applied to the responses in teacher survey. Data analysis began with the analysis of quantitative data, i.e. questionnaire’s results. Qualtrics data management and statistical analysis were employed for approaching survey responses. They allowed for identifying significant patterns in teachers’ perceptions. The observations of classrooms in a new site yielded valuable data if conducted systematically. Observational schedule was be created. The interviews were manually transcribed followed by the translation into English and further manually coded and analyzed for major themes. Then categories were closely analyzed to answer the main research question. Linear Regression analysis was used to correlate teachers’ perceptions towards inclusive values and teachers’ implementation of DI. The linear regression analysis was carried out to identify the correlation between independent variable X and dependent variable Y. Teachers’ perceptions towards inclusive values was considered the independent variable X while teachers’ implementation of differentiated instruction was considered the dependent variable Y.

Science teachers are aware of the importance of such values as respect for diversity, participation, collaboration, uniqueness, support, encouragement and trust that appear to underlie differentiated instruction to meet the needs of every learner in mixed-ability classes. Two most used strategies for differentiating content were utilizing a variety of assessment tasks and learning materials. Most preferred strategies to differentiate process science teachers said they provide children with choice for learning strategies and grouping students in view of their readiness, interest and preferences. For differentiating by product science teachers opted for connecting the outcome with child interest and providing multiple modes of expression. Another key finding, teachers who place greater importance on inclusive values, tend to implement differentiated instruction more frequently. The results of the interviews with three science teachers partly supported the survey findings that teachers attempt to differentiate their instruction. Observational data exposed certain mismatch between what teachers told and what they experienced when teaching. The research revealed that teachers find value in inclusion and feel it is important to meet the needs of diverse students and they see that differentiated instruction is a suitable approach to translate these values. However, teachers need to increase their competence in differentiated instruction strategies since they maintain traditional teacher-centred instruction formats in the classroom instead of using differentiated instruction to meet all their students’ needs. Challenges from the findings might deter realization of equity and equality, participation and collaboration, respect for diversity and trust in school education. The study implications provided insights into the necessity of PD training and workshops on differentiated instruction for teachers that might be crucial for the local bodies of education and school administrations.This research is relevant for other scholars whose inquiries lie in the field of inclusive education and differentiated instruction to identify their future research topics.

Ainscow, M. (2007). Taking an inclusive turn. Journal of research in special educational needs, 7(1), 3-7. Assembly, U. G. (1948). Universal declaration of human rights. UN General Assembly, 302(2), 14-25. Retrieved November 18, 2021, from Universal Declaration of Human Rights | United Nations Booth, T., & Ainscow, M. (2016). The index for inclusion: A guide to school development led by inclusive values. Index for Inclusion Network. Heacox, D. (2012). Differentiating instruction in the regular classroom: How to reach and teach all learners (Updated anniversary edition). Free Spirit Publishing. Makoelle, T. M. (2020). Schools’ transition toward inclusive education in post-Soviet countries: Selected cases in Kazakhstan. Sage Open. Morningstar, M. E., Shogren, K. A., Lee, H., & Born, K. (2015). Preliminary lessons about supporting participation and learning in inclusive classrooms. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 40(3), 192-210. Tomlinson, C. A. (2000). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners. ASCD. Tomlinson, C. A. (2017). How to differentiate instruction in academically diverse classrooms. ASCD. UNESCO. (2017). A Guide for ensuring inclusion and equity in education; 2017 (inclusiveeducation.ca) Whipple, K. A. (2012). Differentiated instruction: A survey study of teacher understanding and implementation in a southeast Massachusetts school district (Doctoral dissertation, Northeastern University).