Differentiated Instruction and Students’ Literary Competence: An Experimental Study

janelleangilan@gmail.com Abstract Purpose: This study aims to determine the effects of Differentiated Instruction on Catigbian National High School Grade 10 students’ literary competence. Approach/Methodology/Design: To attain that purpose, the researcher adopted the experimental design involving two groups of participants. The experimental group was exposed to Differentiated Instruction while the control group was exposed to the traditional method of teaching. The researcher used the Cognitive Domain Test to assess the students’ intelligence and researcher-made questions to measure their literary competence. The results were statistically analyzed using the T-test means for independent samples Findings: The findings of the study revealed that there were statistically significant differences between the mean scores achieved by the experimental group and those attained by the control group in the literary test. It is concluded that the use of DI is effective considering the higher scores of the experimental group compared to the control group. Practical Implication: The study will contribute to the effectiveness of teaching literature by integrating Differentiated Instruction; hence, it will develop students’ literary competence. In addition, additional research is ought to be conducted to explore the effect of the use of Differentiated Instruction on the different language skills. Originality/value: This study innovates by experimenting with the effect of integrating Differentiated Instruction in teaching literature in Catigbian National High School, Bohol. Moreover, an action plan is proposed to enhance students’ literary competence.


Introduction
The famous showman P.T. Barnum says, "Literature is one of the most interesting and significant expressions of humanity" ( Baroda, 2016). As such, literature is a product of life and about life. It includes compositions that tell stories, dramatize situations, express emotions, analyze and advocate ideas. Baronda (2016) in his book, 21 st Century Literature from the Philippines and Around the World, notes that much information concerning man as well as all the other related aspects and dimensions of his entirety can be best obtained through reading literature. Hence, in the K-12 Curriculum, much emphasis is given to the teaching and learning of literature.
One of the Program Standards in the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum is to let the learner Thus, to be effective, Paduraru (2010) asserts that the learners of literature should master certain skills and strategies which allow them to convert the words on the page of a literary work into literary meanings. This ability is known as literary competence. It is an important concept for the teaching of literature since it sets up a clear definition of what the reader must possess in reading a literary work. This allows the reader to know certain conventions about how a literary text should be read and understood. This competence is developed when the reader is keen not only on the structure of the text but also on the actions involved in responding to it.
However, not all students have the same interest and appreciation in literature so their competency is affected. Poor reading habits, poor vocabulary, and lack of interest to read are some factors that make it difficult for learners to understand the meaning of what they read. Literary competence difficulty aggravates when students are presented with stories. For average students, a literature class could sometimes be boring. These problems escalate when they are exposed to the traditional method of teaching. Additionally, the students are forced to learn in the one-size-fits-all curriculum. Now, teachers have difficulties in teaching different kinds of students with different intellectual capacities, talent or skills, interests, and learning styles especially in a heterogeneous grouping of students.
The focus on the teaching of literature in the classroom has been a point of discussion among critics and teachers of literature (Clandfield, 2000). It has been observed that the method of teaching literature is the traditional lecture mode of giving information rather than teaching skill. Literature would have become more meaningful to the students if they understand it. Developing literary competence among the students needs an urgent solution and the right teaching strategy could be the answer. The researcher proposes that teachers create lessons for all students based upon their readiness, interests, and background knowledge. Differentiated Instruction (DI) by Tomlison and Allan may address this problem. According to Tomlinson (2009), DI as a philosophy of teaching is based on the premise that students learn best when their teachers accommodate the differences in their readiness levels, interests, and learning profiles. Hence it is the researcher's utmost desire to find out whether Differentiated Instruction can enhance students' literary competence over the typical non-Differentiated Instruction which will be conducted in Catigbian National High School specifically the Grade 10 students.

Literature Review
The integration of literary works such as prose, poetry, and drama in the English classes has been practiced since the enhanced curriculum for K to 12 was implemented. In the English as a Second Language (ESL) context, literature has been used as a resource "for providing an authentic experience of the target language" (Almonte, 2015). However, reading a literary work is different from reading other types of discourse such as newspaper articles, an academic journal, or textbooks in which the readers are exposed to certain information without any symbolism or rhythmical choice of words.
Culler (1997) asserts that reading prose, poetry, and drama requires literary competence. He defines literary competence as a set of conventions for reading literary texts. The definition implies that literary texts cannot be read by just anyone. A reader has to learn a set of conventions related to the reading of such texts. Such conventions have to be learned; they are not acquired instinctively. For example, a critical reader of literature follows the storyline or plot, identifying the character and setting and understanding how they are related to the plot. A critical reader also interprets symbols and figurative language, feeling the mood the author creates and understanding the tone of the author's language. The reader finds out from whose point of view the story is told, and all this result in total engagement in the learning process.
The researcher recognizes that her learners in Catigbian National High School do not learn in the same way. Hence, the present study is anchored on the theory of Multiple Intelligences. The multiple intelligences, introduced by Howard Gardner in the 1980s, are tools for learning and problem-solving. Gardner (1983) defines intelligence as" the existence of one or more basic information processing operations or mechanism which can deal with specific kinds of input. He further adds, "each intelligence must be thought of as its system with its own rules, each operating according to its procedures." Gardner's multiple intelligence theory is based on the belief that all of the human intelligence should be recognized and nurtured as well as all combinations of these. With this approach, there are nine intelligence categories: naturalist (Nature smart), musical (Sound smart), logical-mathematical ((Number/ reasoning smart), existential (Life smart), interpersonal (People smart), bodily-kinaesthetic ( Body smart), linguistic ( Word smart), intra-personal ( Self-smart) and spatial ( Picture smart).
Many educators are attracted to the Multiple Intelligence theory and there is a good reason. More students are successful when viewed through the lens of multiple intelligences as teachers offer them different pathways from which to learn (Barete 2003). Gardner posits that although some individuals may prefer one intelligence category, the intelligence complements each other when they are side by side (Gardner, 1983). This theory addresses the uniqueness of the learner. The emphasis here is not as much on the IQ of the students, but the specific inclination and talents they possess.
Including all nine in understanding the story seems to be a gigantic task for the teachers, but varying activities throughout the lesson makes it enjoyable that would result in learning. For instance, one may not be able to understand stories simply by reading them. Activities like story analysis through acting it out or drawing symbolism may yield a better understanding. Moreover, literary competency in the understanding of a story would become more exciting if it is presented to students in various ways according to their readiness and interests.
To provide the students with their unique way to respond to texts, the researcher uses Louise Rosenblatt's Reader Response Theory. The term "response" is not to be confused with behaviorist connotations of the term; rather it refers to readers' complex engagement with literary texts. Using this perspective, scholars from literary backgrounds examined the nature of reading literature. Some common aspects of this theory are that they view reading as a constructive process and value the reader's subjectivity. Advocates do not believe that meaning solely resides in the text; rather the reader actively constructs meaning using prior knowledge and experience. Furthermore, the meaning of a literary work cannot exist until it is "performed by the reader"(Bhlool 2013) Until then literary meaning is potential. It becomes actual when readers realize its potential through their acts of reading, responding, and interpreting as mentioned by Diyami (1998) in the book Literature Reading Fiction, Poetry, Drama and the Essay.
Reader-response respects not only the intellectual acts of analysis and comprehension that readers perform but also their subjective responses and their emotional apprehension of literary works. Furthermore, reading is also a creative process. Reader-response critics believe that no text provides self-contained meaning; literary texts do not exist independently of the reader's interpretations. Rosenblatt (1938) stressed the aesthetic response in reading. Accordingly, aesthetic responses focus more on the five senses and emotions happening in the text. Thus, the reader makes his interpretation. The teacher's role now is to create a path to facilitate the student's exploration of the literary piece by mentoring, guiding, and adapting lessons.
Differentiated instruction may take place. For instance, in a literature class, the students may have journal writing, peer writing groups, acting out parts of the line, and many others. With these possible responses to literature, the teacher bears in mind that no two individuals necessarily read a text in the same way. Students make their interpretations of the text. With DI, students make personal connections with the text and help them become better critical thinkers and readers. Every encounter with literature is different for every student. The meaning, background and interpretations of the text are all drawn from individual experiences and events. It sees the learning experience as social and collaborative. With this, the teacher is a facilitator of information while students take the primary role of expanding their knowledge by making sense of their ability to learn differently. Thus, differentiation of instruction would mean looking for innovative ways to teach literature and develop among students their competence.
RA 10533 or the K-12 Educational program aims at producing a "holistically developed Filipino with functional literacy." This means that, by the end of Grade 10, the student is expected to have the following characteristics; critical and reflective thinking, communicative competence, love of literature, and ability to cope in a fast-changing world. Further, the learner must demonstrate literary and communicative competence through his/ her understanding of the different genres of literature and other text types for a deeper appreciation of Philippines culture and those of other countries. In fact under the Curriculum Guide, much emphasis is given in teaching Literature. Cruz (2009) in his article English in High School mentioned that to achieve those standards, the new curriculum is designed to be learner-centered, rather than teacher-centered or teaching-centered. It focuses on the human being that is the learner, not on the technology of learning. It is the outcome-rather than input-based.
Indeed, no simple formula exists that details what to do with each group of students. Differentiated instruction can truly occur if the teacher possesses a deep knowledge of the reading process, an understanding of the strengths and needs of her students, and the ability to teach responsively. Differentiated instruction is regarded as an effective teaching tool to meet the diverse academic needs of the learner (Tomlinson, 2004). Research demonstrates that when students are in responsive classrooms where they are viewed as individuals and their learning is supported, their attitudes and academic success improves ( Ryan& Cooper, 2007). (2013). It is an experimental study at Gaza schools. He contended that using differentiated instruction enables students with disabilities to overcome their disability, meets the needs of diverse students with a variety of learning styles, stimulates creativity and helps students understand ideas at higher levels of thinking than teaching through rote memorization alone. The results of the study indicated that students in the experimental group were more aware of reading comprehension skills. In addition, the students who studied reading through differentiated instruction became more successful in answering the reading comprehension questions. Simmons (2015) and Effectiveness of Differentiated Instruction in Teaching English by Olicia ( 2015), in their studies, found out that differentiated instruction is an effective way to provide students with meaningful and tailored lessons. Research shows that when instruction is individualized for student's strengths and needs, they are more likely to make progress.

One of the researches reviewed is The Effect of Differentiated Instruction Strategy on English Reading Comprehension Skills by Bhlool
When differentiated instruction is integrated, students are likely to make growth. The results from these studies show that when students are provided with the opportunity for differentiated instruction they are likely to make growth in terms of reading level. The results also show that when the student is engaged in literacy and has a personal, emotional connection to it, they are more likely to make growth.
In Bohol, Barrete (2013) in her study on Reinforcing Reading Skills through Creative Dramatics performed an experiment, and the results of the study revealed that Creative Dramatics is effective in enhancing reading skills especially in literary appreciation skills, a sub skill in reading comprehension and projection, a sub skill in oral reading. It has to be remembered that Creative Dramatics is one of the examples of developing interpersonal skills as part of multiple intelligences among the learners.
Cañon (2015) in her study that bears more or less the same variable as this present research yielded also the same result as Barrett's. Accordingly, the quality of instruction in the classroom with a diverse group of students who learn poetry in manifold ways and different rates can be enhanced using differentiated instruction. The use of differentiated instruction puts more of the learning responsibility on the students. It also provides students some choice in learning activities, which leads to greater student motivation and increased student achievement.
Despite those studies indicating successful differentiated instruction, Layton (2016) in her article, The Pros and Cons of Differentiated Instruction cited that differentiated instruction is unsubstantiated in any empirical fashion by multiple sources in educational research. These sources include Mike Schmoker (2016) of Education Week, who states that in an interview with an architect of DI, she conceded, "There is no solid research or solid evidence" in support of DI. In Education Research, Geake (2016) states, " the evidence consistently shows that modifying a teacher approach to cater for differences in learning styles does not result in any improvement in learning outcomes", and that implementing learning styles does not reflect how our brains learn, nor the individual differences. Scardino ( 2011) in his study on differentiated instruction revealed that it is not effective for students based on his data collection and analysis. Time and practice are needed to develop effective understanding and management to design and implement differentiated instruction effectively. The project's results indicated that differentiated instruction did not have a positive effect on student's overall understanding of concepts or cognitive level of understanding.
The article entitled, Differentiated Instruction: Easier in Theory than in Practice( 2011) indicated that differentiated instruction is no substitute for upward-pushing leveled classes. Besides, it is time-consuming for teachers that they often are unable to do it. Faber (2016) in her study also found out that no significant positive effects were found out. Her findings showed that students in low-ability groups profited less from differentiated instruction than students in average or highability groups. Nevertheless, the findings, data collection, and data-analysis procedures of this study contribute to the study of classroom observation and the measurement of differentiated instruction.
While there is certainly some debate about the pros and cons of differentiated instruction, the concept has merit. Therefore, this study in an experimental design investigates whether differentiated instruction enhances students' literary competence. This experimentation would be useful for further research on differentiated instruction in the Philippines and abroad.

Research Environment
The study was conducted at Catigbian National High School. It is a public, secondary educational institution in Poblacion, Catigbian, Philippines. It is an interior town of Bohol located 35 kilometers north of the capital city, Tagbilaran. Catigbian is situated north of Balilihan, south of Sagbayan and Tubigon, east of San Isidro, and west of Bataan ( See Appendix G). Catigbian National High School (CNHS) was formerly known as Jacinto Borja Memorial Comprehensive High School. Presently, the school has 16 sections for the Junior High School and six sections for Senior High School specializing in TVL-Bread and Pastry, TVL Tailoring and GAS. It was conducted last School Year 2019-2020.

Research Instruments
The researcher utilized two sets of main instruments to determine the effect of differentiated instruction on the literary competence of Grade 10 students. These were the cognitive domain test and literary test.

A.Cognitive Domain Test
This is a ten-minute test made by Howard Gardner to assess the intelligence of a particular person. This resulted in identifying what interest is dominant in the person who took the test.

B. Literary Test
It is a test composed of 48 questions about the stories in the First Quarter based on the DepEd Curriculum Guide. The stories that were included in the study are The Flight of Icarus, Gorgon's Head and Orpheus. Part I of the test is multiple choice while part II is an essay type of question. The scores obtained determined their literary competence. To identify the range, the highest score minus the lowest score was done. The literary competence was the following: Needs Improvement (0-9); Fairly Satisfactory (10-19); Satisfactory (20-29); Very Satisfactory (30-39); and Outstanding (40-48) based on the qualitative description from Department of Education (DepEd). To ensure the validity of the test, a table of the specification was prepared. Then, pilot test questionnaires were given to the sections who were not chosen as respondents. Pilot testing was used to gather evidence of construct validity. Item Analysis and Factor Analysis were used in selecting the final items. Each item was analyzed using the UL index method.
The acceptable difficulty index ranges from 0.21-0.80 while the acceptable discrimination index ranges from 0.21-1.00. Items that fell in the acceptable difficulty and discrimination indices were accepted. Items with acceptable difficulty index but with unacceptable discrimination index were revised. Likewise, items with acceptable discrimination index but unacceptable difficulty index were also revised.

Research Procedure
Gathering of Data: The researcher personally conducted the classes and examination for both experimental and control groups with permission obtained from the school principal of Catigbian National High School. First, the researcher administered the Cognitive Domain Test, from the Guidance Office to both sections to have a comparison of the multiple intelligences profile. The researcher sought help from the designated Guidance Counselor to interpret the result. The result of the said test was used to determine the groupings of students who received the Differentiated Instruction. These are the following multiple intelligences groupings revealed during the said test: Verbal; Visual; Bodily; Musical and Intrapersonal. The said students were not inclined to Logical, Interpersonal, Naturalist and Existentialist based on the test. During the conduct of the classes, the same selections were taught and the same groupings were used for the control and experimental groups. Only that the experimental group was exposed to Differentiated Instruction and the control group to pure lecture.
The Lesson Guide was prepared by the researcher for both experimental and control groups. It was intended for three weeks. It included skills targeted and a time frame and the development of the lesson. Both sections had the same stories like The Flight of Icarus, The Gorgon's Head and Orpheus. These lessons were provided by the Curriculum Guide given by the Department of Education. The presentation of the lesson differed based on the group who was taught. The teacher introduced and discussed the stories to the controlled group and let them answer through oral recitation and written output such as describing the setting as depicted in the selection; creating a timeline of events in the story; creating a diagram that shows the relationship of all the characters in the myth and answering questions related to the story.
The students in the experimental group, however, opted for responses that suited their intelligence like role-playing, dance interpretation, poster making, dramatic reading, song interpretation, journal writing, essay writing, and many others. Moreover, the students in the experimental group were given chances to give their understanding of the stories using their inclinations. For example, students classified under Body Smart performed drama presentation, interpretative dance and role play. Students who belong to Art Smart drew a poster and create a greeting card. Students who were classified under Music Smart composed a song and sang it. Students who fall under Verbal Smart had an interpretative reading, public speaking and advertisement. The Intrapersonal group had a reaction paper, narrative essay and letter writing. These were the sample varied activities for Differentiated Instruction. After the experiment that lasted for three weeks, only one test was given to both the control and experimental group. The said items in the test underwent pilot-testing and item analysis. Finally, results were gathered, tabulated and interpreted.

Statistical Treatment
In treating the data, both control and experimental groups were given tests after the selections were taken up. To find out the difference between the two groups T-test of means for independent samples was used. The Independent Samples T-test compared the mean scores of two groups on a given variable. It was used because two separate groups are compared.

Definition of Terms
Control Group: This refers to the group of students taught using the traditional method. In the same way, the selection is done by drawing a number assigned to the control group.
Differentiated Instruction: It refers to teaching in various ways like dance drama, song interpretation, journal writing, etc. It means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs. It is done when students work differently for the product according to their intelligence.
Experimental Group: This refers to the group of students taught using differentiated instruction. The selection of the group is done by drawing a number as to which section will belong to the experimental group.
Literary Competence: This refers to the overall result after the teaching of literature. This is indicated based on the scores obtained by the students. It covers the competencies of identifying the elements of the story, determining the tone, mood, technique and purpose of the author, and analyzing the literary devices in the story.

Results and Discussion
This chapter deals with the presentation, analysis, and interpretation of the data. The data are presented and analyzed following the order of the research questions presented in Chapter I. This chapter also shows the significant difference in the literary competence of the control group which was not exposed to Differentiated Instruction and the experimental group which was exposed to DI. Source: Author Table 1 shows the multiple intelligence profile of the control and experimental group based on the result of their Cognitive Domain Test. There were 37 students in the control group and 37 students in the experimental group. The six (6) students of the control group and nine (9) students of the experimental group are equivalent to 24 percent who have skills in singing, playing a musical instrument and composing music are classified as Musical Smart. Eight of the total participants in the experimental group are inclined to interpretative reading, public speaking and advertising, thus, Verbal Smart while there were eight (8) in the control group or 22 percent. The nine (9) students of the control group and the eight (8) students of the experimental group fall under Bodily Smart who have the talent in playing a scenario, roleplaying and dancing. On the other hand, 14 percent of the control group and 16 percent from the experimental group prefer to work alone than as part of a group, formulate and analyze their ideas and write their thoughts in a journal belonging to the Intrapersonal Smart. Finally, there were nine (9) students or 24 percent, and 6 students or 16 percent were identified as Visual Smart.
The result explains that both the control and experimental groups are composed of diverse and unique individuals. They do not have the same interests and same abilities. Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory holds true in the sample and that all of the human intelligence should be recognized and nurtured. Teachers may find it difficult to teach different kinds of students with different intellectual capacities, talents or skills, interests and learning styles especially in heterogeneous groupings of learners but this situation calls for teachers to create lessons based upon their learners' readiness, interests and background knowledge. So, the emphasis is not as much on the IQ of the students but the specific inclinations and talents they possess. This would also help teachers in addressing the uniqueness of each student.

Source: Author
It is reflected that for the experimental group majority of the students passed the satisfactory level, in which 3 percent got a score of 40-48 (Outstanding); 41 percent got 30-39 (Very Satisfactory); 51 percent got 20-29 (Satisfactory), and 5 percent got 10-19 (Fairly Satisfactory). Nobody in the experimental group got 0-9 (Needs Improvement). On the other hand, none of the respondents in the control group belonged to Outstanding who should get 40-48. Only five (5) students or 14 percent of them had a score of 30-39 which is described as Very Satisfactory. Almost half of the respondents or 54 percent got a score of 20-29 (Satisfactory). The control group recorded 12 students or 32 percent who are in the Fairly Satisfactory Competence. This is far greater than the two (2) students or 5 percent in the experimental group. None of the respondents got a score of 0-9 (Needs Improvement).
The result explained that the students who are exposed to Differentiated Instruction showed better literary competence than those who are exposed to lecture discussion only. This validates the Reader-Response Theory by Louise Rosenblatt that respects not only the intellectual acts of analysis and comprehension that readers perform but also their subjective responses and their emotional apprehension of literary works. Thus, Differentiated Instruction then takes place. With DI, students make personal connections with the text and help them become better critical thinkers and readers. Differentiation of Instruction means looking for innovative ways to teach literature and develop among students their literary competence. Simmons (2015) in his research emphasized that when students in literature class have a personal, emotional and connection to it, they are more likely to make progress. It also allows the students to learn better and meaningfully a literary piece. Thus, as this present research implies, literary competence is improved through Differentiated Instruction. Source: Author Table 3 shows the gap between the literary competence of students who were exposed to the conventional method of teaching and those who were exposed to DI. The experimental group had a mean score of 28. 7568 while the control group had a mean score of 22. 00. The mean on the literary competence of students has a big difference of 6. 7568. Therefore, students exposed to Differentiated Instruction had better literary competence. This result is supported by the p-value which is lesser than .05, then it is statistically significant. So, the null hypothesis was rejected.
The table indicates that the students in the experimental group benefited from the Differentiated Instruction used by the teacher as it increased their literary competence. This result is similar to the findings of Olicia (2015). She concluded that DI is effective as manifested by the higher scores of the experimental group compared to the control group. Furthermore, Cañon (2015) said that Differentiated Instruction provides students some choice in learning activities, which leads to greater student motivation and increased student achievement.
To synthesize the findings of this research, it is evident that students who were exposed to DI learned better than those who were exposed to the traditional method. This research also demonstrates that when students are in responsive classrooms where they are viewed as individuals and "their learning is supported, … academic success improves" (Ryan and Cooper, 2007). The results also support Tomlinson (2004) who claimed that addressing student differences and interest enhance their motivation and make them committed and positive towards learning.

Findings
Based on the analysis of the data, the results of the study indicate that students in both experimental and control groups were composed of unique individuals with various talents and intelligence such as Bodily-Kinaesthetic, Linguistic, Musical, Intrapersonal and Spatial.
The study also reveals that the students taught with the Differentiated Instruction achieved better literary competence after they were given the test compared to those students taught traditionally. There is a significant difference in the literary competence between the control and experimental groups. The null hypothesis was rejected.

Conclusion and Suggestion
Based on the analyses of the findings, this study concludes that the use of DI is effective considering the higher scores of the experimental group compared to the control group. Students from the control group learned from the traditional method of teaching. However, students' literary competence improved better when they were exposed to varied ways of their interest and inclinations. Additionally, DI presents an effective means to address learner's variance of interests and capabilities, avoiding the pitfalls of the one-size-fits-all curriculum.

Recommendations and Limitations
Based on the findings obtained from the study, the researcher came up with the following recommendations: