Technology and Teaming in the Elementary School

A central hypothesis from current organizations theory-that complex technologies generate more complex organizational structures-is tested with longitudinal data on elementary schools. The issue is whether the use of more highly differentiated instructional materials affects the development of more complex collaborative arrangements among teachers. Two sets of longitudinal data from a San Francisco Bay Area study are used: the first is based on reports by principals from a stratified random sample of 83 schools; while the second is based on teachers' reports from 16 of these schools. The hypothesis is confirmed in both sets of data with multivariate analyses that take into account the effects on teacher collaboration of a number of classroom, school, and district characteristics. Beyond instructional differentiation, the only other factor found consistently to affect the level of teacher collaboration is the extent to which a school has open-space classroom arrangements.