| The motivation for the research reported here was that change in instructional practices has been resistant to the many reform efforts. The purpose was to explore the implication of a current reform, outcome-based education (OBE), on instruction by answering the question: To what extent does practice in OBE classrooms evidence site-specific and theoretical conceptions of instruction?; Two teachers and one principal at each of three schools in three different OBE districts were interviewed about instruction. Teachers were observed using a running record and scored with the Scoring Model for Authentic Instruction developed by Fred Newmann and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin.; The first part of the research question considered site-specific conceptualizations of instruction and their enactment at the classroom level. Conceptualizations were determined through interviews, observations, and district and building documents. Data showed that teachers were committed to local conceptions of instruction. At Adams Junior High, the focus was on success using multiple methods. At Buchanan Elementary School, orientation centered on achievement of outcomes. At Carter Junior High, emphasis was on mastery of outcomes with instruction and measurement tightly aligned. At all three sites, teachers controlled the instructional process to keep students involved so that students would be successful at achieving outcomes.; The second part of the research question considered instruction in terms of the reform model, authentic instruction. Results showed that some dimensions posited by the authentic instruction model were present in all lessons. Scores across teachers' instructional techniques (i.e., direct instruction or group lessons) showed Social Support for Learning as highest scoring and Connectedness to the World Beyond the Classroom as lowest. Since connectedness to the world is a critical feature of authenticity, the lessons were judged to be generally lacking in authenticity.; The overall conclusion was that when students and teachers are held accountable for the achievement of outcomes, that achievement takes priority over other competing instructional goals. In this study, rhetoric to the contrary, teachers purportedly using OBE methods were working harder than ever using what they knew best (traditional instruction) to teach outcomes as largely decontextualized school tasks. |
