Field Systems Analysis: Prioritizing Patterns in Time and Context Among Observable Variables

Abstract

Many research paradigms are currently competing for acceptance in teacher effectiveness research, all striving to lend greater insight into the subtle intricacies of expert instruction. One alternative, called field systems analysis, is presented from conceptual and technical perspectives in providing an alternative to traditional behavior-analytic approaches. This method primarily focuses upon the temporal relationships among organismic behaviors and context-specific setting elements in classroom settings, providing a more exhaustive, and hence more accurate, description of what actually occurs in particular gymnasium settings. The methodology includes (a) verbal description, (b) inductive category system construction, (c) alternative forms of data presentation, and (d) alternative dimensions of data interpretation. Selected results of an exemplary study with one teacher are provided to demonstrate the nature and benefits of the paradigm. Several contiguous relationships among instructional behaviors were apparent, with insight gained into the conditional relationships in time among encouraging, instructional, feedback, and interpersonal teacher behaviors.