The simulated class as a method for studying teacher decision making

摘要

In four experiments, college students acting as teachers allocated group and individual instructional time to a simulated class of six students whose performances followed Thurstone's 1930 learning function. In each experiment, teachers adopted a policy aimed at balancing the achievement means and variances, allocating about 50% of the time to group instruction and the remainder to individual instruction inversely by ability. This policy was fairly robust with respect to variables such as instructional goals (Experiment 1), cumulative dollar feedback about the cost of instruction (Experiment 2), class composition produced by allowing the teacher to remove a student from class prior to an instructional session (Experiment 3), and whether certified classroom teachers or noncertified college students served as subjects (Experiment 4). Along with comparable findings in natural classrooms and extended results with other versions of the simulated class, the current research suggests that simulations can provide teachers with a useful tool for improving instructional decision making.