One Size May Not Fit All, But the Right Teaching Strategies Might: The Effects of Differentiated Instruction on the Motivation of Talented and Gifted Students

The purpose of this study was to discover and successfully implement multiple strategies for differentiation that would engage and motivate Talented and Gifted (TAG) learners. Six TAG students from a third grade general education classroom setting participated in this study. Differentiation strategies of a learning style inventory, a project choice board based on learning styles, and Math Exemplars were used to increase the engagement and motivation of TAG students. Student and parent interviews, surveys, and observations were used to determine the effectiveness of this study. Findings indicated that there was a slight increase of student engagement and motivation with the use of a project choice board and Math Exemplars for both general education and Talented and Gifted students. Educators need to plan curriculum that allows student choice and utilizes authentic tasks in order engage and motivate students. (Contains 5 tables.) Appended are: (1) Student Inventory; (2) Student Interview; (3) Parent Interview; (4) Learning Styles Inventory; and (5) Tic-Tac-Toe Choices. [Master's Thesis, Portland State University.]