Navigating Differentiated Learning in Inclusive English Classrooms: Teachers' Challenges and Adaptive Strategies under Indonesia's National Curriculum

Abstract

Differentiated learning is an important pedagogical principle of Indonesia’s National Curriculum, which places emphasis on learner-centred education and responsiveness to students’ diverse educational needs. In inclusive English classrooms, teachers need to respond to differences in readiness, learning profiles, language competence, and special educational needs while also meeting curriculum expectations. This study examined the problems English teachers faced when implementing differentiated learning and the adaptive strategies they used in response. A qualitative case study was conducted with five English teachers in a public junior high school in Surabaya, Indonesia. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and non-participant classroom observations and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis. Four interrelated themes emerged: teachers’ conceptual understanding of differentiated learning; challenges arising from learner diversity, limited instructional time, and inadequate resources; adaptive instructional strategies; and the importance of collaborative institutional support. The findings suggest that differentiated learning is best understood as a form of responsive pedagogical decision-making in which teachers adjust instruction to learner variation within particular classroom conditions. The study provides empirical evidence from an Indonesian inclusive English classroom context and offers implications for teacher professional development, curriculum implementation, and institutional support.