INSTRUCTIONAL MANAGEMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT (PATH ANALYSIS).

Abstract

The ultimate goal of education is to facilitate student learning and achievement. Instructional management offers one means of evaluating the impact of various teaching behaviors on student learning. Environmental variables also interact with instructional management variables to influence teacher behavior and student learning. It was the purpose of this study to evaluate the influence of instructional management and environmental variables on student achievement utilizing a causal model. Subjects included 430 elementary and junior high school students in grades four through eight. Multiple regression was utilized in establishing the path coefficients and standard errors of the explanatory variables effect on student achievement. Results of this study suggest that teacher education, teacher knowledge, student grade, classroom complexity and classroom mobility account for a large proportion of the total variance in the path model. Master's level teachers significantly affect both the teacher's knowledge of the instructional content mastered by the student and the student's achievement. The grade level of the student significantly affects the student's achievement. The teacher's knowledge affects student achievement at the p < .001 level.