Multidimensional Profiling of Students as a Basis for Planning Adaptive and Differentiated Science Learning
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: The understanding of teachers about student profiles is essential, so that learning experiences by which diverse levels of readiness and learning needs are responded to can be designed. This study was aimed at describing the profiles of junior high school students as a basis for the design of deep, adaptive, and differentiated science learning. A descriptive quantitative approach was used, and 32 eighth-grade students of Class VIII G at SMP Negeri 7 Semarang were involved. The data were collected through diagnostic tests, classroom observations, and interviews, so that the initial abilities, learning preferences, interests, learning barriers, and support needs of the students could be identified. From the findings, it was shown that 43.75% of the students were classified as proficient, 37.50% as intermediate, and 18.75% as requiring additional guidance. For the learning preferences, a visual preference was shown by 46.875% of the students, a kinesthetic preference by 28.125%, and an auditory preference by 25.00%. In the main finding, the heterogeneity of the abilities, preferences, interests, barriers, and support needs of the students within a single classroom is highlighted. By these profiles, the need for differentiated task complexity, readiness-based scaffolding, flexible grouping, formative assessment, and multimodal representations is indicated. Based on these findings, differentiated and multimodal Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is recommended as a potential instructional framework, by which deeper, more adaptive, and more responsive science learning that accommodates diverse student needs can be promoted.
Institution: Universitas Ivet
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7224257357