The Observed Construction of Teaching: Four Contexts

The purpose of this study was to discern, through observation, the different ways in which child care teachers constructed "teaching" in a program that included children with disabilities. Eleven teachers in a single high-quality child care program were repeatedly observed and videotaped in their interactions with 63 children. Qualitative methods used in interpreting the tapes included narrative notes, cross-researcher descriptions and discussions, data reduction into categories of teaching behavior, construction of explanatory effects matrices, and development of confirming and disconfirming tables. Four "contexts" were found to affect or contain teaching: environmental, planning, approach, and interaction. These contexts should be considered in policy development, management, personnel preparation, and teaching.