Teachers' Accuracy in Self-Reporting about Instructional Practices Using a Focused Self-Report Inventory

Teacher self-reports, although a costeffective and flexible procedure for monitoring classroom instruction, yield what have generally been considered unreliable or "inaccurate" results. Focused teacher self-reports specify the subject matter, the class group, and the time frame for retrospective reporting. This study examined the accuracy of focused teacher self-reports compared with observer and student reports. Nine secondary English teachers and their students in one class reported on four to six weeks of instruction, and trained observers completed one or two weeks of detailed observation reports during the reporting period. Teacher accuracy, as determined by percentage of agreement and kappa coefficients for teachers and observers and for teachers and students, was high, suggesting that focused teacher self-reports can gather reliable data on instructional practices. Also, consistently higher agreement for the second teacher-observer reporting period suggests that teacher selfreporting accuracy is enhanced with repeated use of the same inventory.