Teachers Rituals, Organized Sacrilege: The Classroom Institution in Southern Africa. Research Reports Series.

Findings of a study that examined whether individual teacher attributes or organizational conditions influence classroom pedagogical practices in southern Africa are presented in this document. Methodology involved observation and administration of a questionnaire to 244 secondary teachers in Botswana. Findings indicate that teacher behaviors in southern Africa were quite uniform and simple. Moderate variation in technical complexity among teachers was observed, including; (1) the range of frequency in utilizing textbooks and other basic tools; (2) time spent on academic tasks; and (3) the complexity of questions that teachers ask students. This variation can be explained both by factors emanating from the institutional environment, such as curricular traditions, and by formal rules and materials that are manipulated by state actors, such as textbook supply. Sharp variation in ethnic and gender characteristics of teachers were not significantly related to pedagogical behaviors, which suggests that the classroom institution acts to moderate individual differences among young teachers. Five tables are included. (Contains 40 references.) (LMI)