Do differentiated processes according to language level in English classes in the first year of TTO raise pupils' interest?

Abstract

In order to enroll in bilingual education in the Netherlands, pupils usually partake in an assessment for motivation and language level. Nevertheless, this assessment cannot be conducted in English, since the level of most pupils is not sufficient enough. Therefore teachers of first year students at the bilingual department at RSG Broklede expressed concerns regarding the differences in language level. Using Tomlinson’s (1999; 2001) model for differentiation, we investigated what influence differentiated processes have on pupils’ situational interest (Schiefele, 1991; Woolfolk, 2013). The interpretation of quotes from two focus group interviews leads to conclude that pupils’ situational interest has been raised by the activities. However, both lower and higher language ability pupils raised the issues of more differentiated content throughout the curriculum.