📄 Abstract
This generic qualitative study was conducted to explore the differentiated instructional strategies employed by public elementary teachers in teaching Makabansa under the MATATAG Curriculum. Specifically, it examined the strategies teachers utilized, the challenges they encountered, the coping mechanisms they adopted, and their insights and reflections on implementing differentiated instruction. Ten (10) public elementary teachers from the Division of Davao Del Norte, were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that teachers employed various strategies, including differentiated learning activities, integration of information and communication technology (ICT) tools, multilingual instructional approaches, localized instructional materials, differentiated assessment and feedback, strategic instructional planning, and learner-centered practices that enhanced student engagement and confidence. Despite these practices, participants encountered several challenges, including time constraints and intensive lesson preparation, limited instructional resources, difficulties in aligning Makabansa competencies with learners' varying readiness levels, complexities in the daily implementation of differentiated activities, classroom management concerns, and learner diversity. To address these challenges, the teachers employed creative approaches such as effective utilization of instructional strategies and classroom practices, integration of ICT and digital resources, and provision of instructional support and collaborative practices. The insights and reflections shared by the participants emphasize that flexible and learner-centered instruction promotes effective, engaging, and inclusive learning, differentiated assessment positively impact students’ academic performance, teachers’ responsiveness and reflectiveness are essential in differentiated instruction, the role of differentiated instruction in meeting Makabansa curriculum goals, and strengthening support systems in differentiated Makabansa instruction. The results of this study are significant to elementary teachers, learners, parents, school administrators, DepEd officials, and future researchers, as they provide meaningful insights into the strategies employed by elementary teachers in differentiating Makabansa instruction. These findings may contribute to the improvement of support system in school, development of effective policies, and future research related to elementary education.
🏷️ Keywords
📚 How to Cite:
Apple Dean A. Paguya, Christy Joy R. Decrepito , THE ART AND AGONY OF DIFFERENTIATION: STRATEGIES OF ELEMENTARY TEACHERS IN TEACHING MAKABANSA , Volume 12 , Issue 7, July 2026, EPRA International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (IJMR) , Pages: 1053 - 1076 , DOI: https://doi.org/10.36713/epra31111