INTERACTION PATTERNS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH OUTCOMES IN AUSTRALIAN SCIENCE EDUCATION PROJECT CLASSROOMS

Reported is a study designed to describe the nature of teacher-pupil-materials interactions occurring in classrooms using Australian Science Education Project (ASEP) materials and to investigate relationships between these interaction patterns, changes in student achievement and attitudes toward science in classes taught by teachers whose educational values, experience, and training differed. A Teacher Opinion Scale and a Teaching Practices Questionnaire were administered to a random sample of 68 teachers, 73 students undertaking the post-graduate diploma in education, and 16 ASEP members. Classroom interaction was analyzed using an instrument developed by the investigators, a Scheme for Analysing Behaviour in Individualised Classrooms (SABIC). Sixty-three videotaped lessons were analyzed. Correlations were computed between interaction measures and various outcome measures. Classrooms using ASEP materials were found to be inquiry oriented, with active student involvement. Among other findings was that of a strong negative relationship between teacher-materials interaction and student achievement, indicating that if the teacher is ill-prepared, essential materials are not readily available, and the teacher is unable to quickly pinpoint student difficulties and deal with them, class achievement suffers. (Author/PEB