An Exploration of Differentiated Instruction in Teaching English to Improve Students’ English Literacy at Vocational Schools in Jeneponto District

This study aims to examine the impact of differentiated instruction on improving English literacy among vocational high school students in Jeneponto Regency, identify the most effective differentiation strategies, and explore the challenges teachers face in its implementation. The research employed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data (pre-tests and posttests) and qualitative data (observations and questionnaires). The number of participants was 150 students from varied vocational schools. Using purposive sampling, two classes were taken as the samples (XI TKJT1 and XI TKJ2). The samples comprised 30 students in the quasi-experimental class and 30 in the control class. The findings showed that differentiated instruction significantly improved students’ literacy, with a significance value of 0.020 and an R Square of 0.179. In the quasi-experimental class,there were significant score increases in reading skill (from 73.50 to 91.83) and writing skill (from 70.17 to 85.37), while in the control class,there was a bit of improvement in reading skill (from 58.70 to 72.17) and writing skill (from 54.43 to 69.57). The product differentiation emerged as the most effective strategy, allowing students to express their understanding through various media based on their strengths. The challenges faced by teachers included time constraints, limited resources, and a lack of conceptual understanding. Proposed solutions involved professional training, adaptive classroom management, providing varied learning resources, and utilizing educational technology. Teacher-student collaboration in designing learning activities also enhanced the effectiveness of this strategy.