Natural Rates of Teacher Approval and Disapproval in British Secondary School Classrooms

S ummary . A sample of 130 secondary school teachers was systematically observed teaching mixed classes varying in age from 11 to 16 years. The OPTIC schedule was employed to record teachers' rates of approving and disapproving responses and the amount of time pupils spent on‐task. Although rates of approval were generally higher than disapproval rates, most of the approval was directed at academic pupil behaviours whereas most of the disapproval was for inappropriate social behaviour. Mean on‐task behaviour of classes at 80 per cent was higher than that observed in a similar sample of primary classes.