Instructional Correlates of Students' Academic Responses: Comparisons Between at-Risk and Control Students

Abstract

This paper describes instructional arrangements in first grade classrooms and assesses their effects on academic responses of students at risk for failure. A parallel set of analyses of not-at-risk controls provides a basis for comparison. Time-sampled, in-class observations focused on multiple components of instruction (subject matter, tasks assigned, group size, and teachers' behavior) and students' response (active/academic, task management, and inappropriate). The associations of instructional structure with type of student response were considered significant if replicated across two samples. Relative to base- rates (unconditional probabilities) six specific arrangements were shown to be significantly associated with either accelerated or decelerated rates (conditional probabilities) of at-risk and control students' active, academic, or inappropriate responses. The pattern of results indicated that while only one instructional arrangement was associated with increased inappropriate behavior for both groups, only two infrequently occurring arrangements in- creased academic responding. Implications with respect to both research and practice are discussed.