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Table 5 Characteristics of physics GTAs’ instructional practices in each cluster

From: Characterizing science graduate teaching assistants’ instructional practices in reformed laboratories and tutorials

Cluster

Instructional style

Behaviors that occurred significantly different from other clusters (median fraction)

A (35 sessions)

The group-work facilitators

GTAs:

spent most time talking to students one-on-one (0.82)

initiated more one-on-one interactionsa (0.25)

spent less time writing in real timea (0.05)

spent least time lecturing (0.10)

Students:

asked fewer questions with whole class listening (0.00)

B (23 sessions)

The waiters

GTAs:

spent more time waiting (0.38)

spent least time talking to students one-on-one (0.44)

initiated fewer one-on-one interactionsa (0.10)

asked fewer questions in one-on-one interactions (0.05)

provided less verbal feedback (0.01)

Students:

asked fewer questions in one-on-one interactions (0.40)

C (12 sessions)

The whole-class facilitators

GTAs:

asked more questions in front of whole class (0.07)

spent more time writing in real timea (0.18)

had highest fraction of lecturing (0.27)

Students:

asked more questions with whole class listening (0.04)

  1. aOnly one pair of clusters are distinguishable; the third cluster is not distinguishable from the other two