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Abstract
The paper is part of a broader study which investigates the relation between differential patterns of achievement in the sciences at the secondary school level and social class, and in which a relation was found between the high level of conceptual demand of modern science courses and the underachievement of the working‐class pupils. This relation is mediated by a number of sociological factors, the teacher being one of them. This study describes the assessment we made of teachers’ pedagogic practice and its influence on pupils’ achievement. The evidence obtained shows that teachers differ greatly in the level of conceptual demand they make of their pupils and in their ability to enable pupils to attain that level. Both of these competencies of the teacher are strongly related to the social context of the school where he/she teaches.