Study of classroom practice and classroom contexts amongst senior high school biology teachers in Harare, Zimbabwe

Thirty‐three senior high‐school biology teachers in Harare, Zimbabwe, participated in the study. Self‐report data on school contexts was used to cluster the teachers according to their own perceptions of the contextual circumstances in their schools. The clustering differentiated self‐perceived better and poorer resourced schools. In theory lessons, teachers from the self‐perceived better resourced schools were observed to use less individual organization, less written exercises, more whole class organization, and more listening to the teacher than to the teachers in the poorer schools. In practical lessons teachers in the better self‐perceived better resourced schools were observed to use less whole class organization, less small group organization, more individual organization, less listening to teacher, less teacher explanation, less teacher questioning, and to conduct more practical. An interpretation of these findings is made in terms of the fit between a teacher's classroom practice and their self‐perceived classroom context. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 87: 207–223, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/sce.10056