Developing conceptions of classroom environments: Some light on the T in classroom studies of ATI

Classrooms can be described in terms of the recurrent activity structures teachers use. Activity structures such as reading circle or seatwork have different functions and possess rules and norms to guide the behavior of individuals in the structure. A taxonomy and description of eleven activity structures was derived from observations of over 1200 activity structures in elementary classrooms. Each structure was coded for duration, number of students, the teachers role, student attention, etc. The activity structures perspective allows for a more precise description of classrooms than has previously been possible. This is important for ATI research, which has suffered from a lack of precision in specifying environments or treatments. The usefulness of this perspective for ATI research is described. Hypotheses about aptitudes that may foster or hinder achievement in different activity structures are suggested.