Stability and variability of teaching behavior: A case study

The main focus of this case study of a fifth grade teacher observed in 21 lessons is on variability; not the variability of a particular teacher in regard to the average teaching pattern, but the intra-individual variability. The analyses are related to two hypotheses: (1) The teacher's pattern of behavior remains stable whatever he or she is teaching; and (2) The teacher varies his or her behavior according to what is being taught. The data are consistent with the first hypothesis, but not the second one. Although the absolute frequencies of each behavioral category vary a lot across lessons, the content does not appear as a sufficiently explanatory factor. By a factorial analysis of correspondences, the author identified two major kinds of lessons and formulated a new explanatory hypothesis in which teacher planning plays a crucial role.