The way in which teachers tailor their teaching to the diverse needs of the children in their class can vary, depending on the context in which they teach. Science and technology education (STEM education) offers a unique context: on the one hand, research- and design-oriented activities can provide special opportunities for adaptation. On the other hand, teachers often experience a lack of knowledge and prioritisation of STEM education and may therefore hesitate to differentiate in this area. This thesis demonstrates how primary school teachers differentiate their STEM teaching and whether and how professional development programmes can support teachers in their knowledge, beliefs and behaviour. The findings show that teachers regularly differentiate their STEM teaching. However, they tend to use mainly forms of formative assessment and adjustments that require little preparation. Professional development programmes on differentiation can help teachers develop their beliefs, knowledge and behaviour. Professional development programmes offered in the context of a specific subject are generally more effective than general professional development programmes, but do not yet lead to clear changes in pupils. This also appears to be the case with the professional development programme carried out in this thesis. Further development of formal formative assessment tools for science and technology education may potentially enhance teachers’ differentiation practices and pupils’ learning outcomes.
Rebecca Kahmann (1994) completed a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the University of Twente. She then pursued a Research Master’s in Behavioural Science at Radboud University in Nijmegen, graduating cum laude in 2019. In September 2019, she began her PhD research, funded by the Graduate School of the Behavioural Science Institute. She currently works as a researcher at Erasmus University Rotterdam, where she is investigating the risks and opportunities of educational diversity in primary school teams and conducting a literature review on divergent differentiation.