DEEP – Differentiated Instruction

DEEP Differentiated Instruction: Enabling Equity-based, Digitally Supported, Differentiated Instruction in Swiss Primary School Classrooms 

Duration of study: 2024 - 2028

The heterogeneity of primary school students is seen as a major cause of inequity. DEEP Differentiated Instruction aims to clarify the conditions for differentiated instruction in elementary school with the help of digital tools.   

At the University of Zurich (UZH), DEEP Differentiated Instruction focuses on measuring four different groups of characteristics, based on the theory of personalized learning (Bernacki et al., 2021). 

As part of a research consortium, together with the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) and the Zurich University of Teacher Education (PHZH), the perspectives of all those involved in the teaching-learning process are being examined. The resulting sub-projects are dedicated to 

1. the students' perspective using ethnographic methods and participatory research at the FHNW,
2. the teachers' perspective using focus groups and expert interviews at the PHZH,
3. the perspective of the suitability and adaptability of the learning material through experimental studies at the UZH,

to draw theoretical and practical conclusions.

DEEP Differentiated Instruction integrates initial study results into further investigations and thus provides an empirical basis for the design and use of digital teaching materials. The findings strengthen the understanding of equal opportunities in the digital world.

Bernacki, M. L., Greene, M. J., Lobczowski, N. G. (2021). A Systematic Review of Research on Personalized Learning: Personalized by Whom, to What, How, and for What Purpose(s)? Educational Psychology Review, 33, 1678.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09615-8