Teacher Planning, Teacher Behavior, and Student Achievement

This study investigated individual differences in teacher planning and the relationship of teacher planning to teacher behavior and student achievement. Each of 12 experienced teachers taught a social studies lesson to three groups of junior high students (N=8 per group) randomly formed from 288 paid volunteers. Before teaching each group, teachers had 90 minutes to “think aloud” and plan the lesson. Teachers’ planning and teaching were recorded and coded. Students completed achievement and attitude measures after the lesson. Results indicated that generally, the greatest proportion of planning statements concerned the subject matter, but substantial differences occurred. Planning differences were related to teachers’ cognitive styles and abilities. Relationships between teacher planning, teacher behavior, and student outcomes also appeared.