A complex research and development process is required to study instructional processes and student outcomes effectively. In order to study the instructional process it is essential to select or develop instruments that can describe a total event. Understanding the classroom process necessitates having a record of the environment, the materials, the interactions, and activities of the teacher and children. The first step in studying instructional process is to examine and specify the critical components of the classroom or the teaching program being studied. The next step is to identify or develop an observation instrument to record these critical components reliably. It is especially important to select appropriate statistical procedures since observation data often form J-shaped curves that defy analysis using conventional parametric procedures. (MV)