Capturing and measuring instructional patterns by using standardized observation manuals has become increasingly popular in classroom research. While researchers argue that a common vocabulary of teaching is necessary for the field of classroom research to move forward, instructional features vary across classrooms and contexts, which poses…

Observations seem particularly susceptible to rater error due to the level of subjectivity involved in assessment. Thus, the present paper aims to investigate: (1) inter-rater agreement (IRA) using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System -- Secondary version (CLASS-S) and (2) the CLASS-S factor structure in a Norwegian context. Inter-rater…

This study investigates the physical literacy environment of preschools in three Nordic countries. The environments were assessed using an observation protocol in a total of 131 classrooms with children aged between one and seven in Sweden, Norway and Finland. The results showed that children's books were common and accessible in all three…

The purpose of this study is to provide insight into short-term professionalization of teachers regarding teaching socioscientific issues (SSI). The study aimed to capture the development of science teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for SSI teaching by enacting specially designed SSI curriculum materials. The study also explores…

Systematic observation in educational research highlights a wide diversity of aspects of classroom interactions, yet frequency of score cycles is crucial when analysing dimensions of classroom teaching. The aim of this study is to focus on differences in quality of teaching and loss of instructional time using Classroom Assessment Scoring…

Research suggests that student development as writers requires a supportive environment in which they receive sustained opportunities to write. However, writing researchers in general know relatively little about the actual writing opportunities embedded in students' language arts lessons and how students' production of texts in class is framed.…

The authors examined naturally occurring reading comprehension strategies instruction (RCSI) across four consecutive lessons in 47 Norwegian language arts classrooms at the lower secondary level via video observations (n = 178). Although numerous studies have examined the effectiveness of RCSI for improving reading outcomes, few studies have…

The aim of this paper is to discuss the role of coding and observation manuals in classroom studies. While observation manuals have been a part of the methodological toolkit for measuring various aspects of instruction for decades, the field has also been suffering from "paradigm wars," fragmentation and local production of instruments.…

In the study that forms the basis of this article, I have shed light on various aspects of how the intuitive actions of the teacher appear in the classroom, and also drawn attention to the tacit aspect of this kind of actions. Furthermore, I have discussed how these can be seen as a significant part of the teacher's intuitive action competency.…

This article explores the nature of teachers' involvement in child-managed play. We approached this didactic issue through analysis of interactional situations in a kindergarten and an after-school programme and by drawing on relational theory and the concept of "pedagogical tact". Qualitative material was gathered from observations and…

This qualitative study examines a reading comprehension strategy use in English as a second language in upper-secondary schools one year after teachers participated in a professional development course. The data comprises observations, teacher narratives, and student interviews. A key finding is that the teachers used a repertoire of strategies…

There are indications that teachers' feedback practice is related to beliefs they hold about pupils' learning and the purpose of feedback. This article presents changes in beliefs and practices of three teachers in lower secondary school taking part in an intervention to improve formative classroom feedback. Data includes interviews, observations…

Collaboration between participants with different roles, but equal status, is the aim in action research. In this project we experienced problems establishing equality between the participants. The research question discussed in this paper is: "How did the researcher experience that the use of narratives affected the level of equality between…

This paper demonstrates the need for taking a design perspective on teaching and learning in the study of the uptake and use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in education. It argues for the identification and scrutiny of designs for teaching and learning at the institutional level to overcome the contradictions that often arise…

This article explores how individualized teaching methods, such as the use of work plans, create new student strategies in Norwegian lower secondary classrooms. Work plans, which are frequently set up as instructional tools in Norwegian classrooms, outline different types of tasks and requirements that the students are supposed to do during a…