The Importance of Differentiated Instruction in Developing EFL Students’ Writing Performance: The Case of First-Year Students of English at Batna2 University

Abstract

Due to the difficulties facing English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students when they write in English, they end up producing pieces of writing that are neither consistent nor comprehensive. To account for the reasons behind these problems, we hypothesized that teaching writing skills based on EFL students’ varied skills might develop their writing performance. This study aims to investigate the importance of differentiated instruction in developing EFL students’ writing performance. To achieve this aim, a descriptive method was adopted using a questionnaire administered to forty (40) first-year EFL students of English at Batna-2 University. As far as the students are aware of the reasons behind writing problems, the results indicate positive views to some adaptive instructional thoughts: providing different learning materials, grouping students depending on their preferences, and giving them different activities to choose what best suits them. Thus, the findings assert that these students call for an alternative teaching strategy through the strategies and techniques suggested hoping to find them in the writing course.