The tensions measuring instructional practices

This study explores the challenges of measuring instructional practices in the context of an ongoing research project on student resistance to active learning. We will discuss how our research team handled the issue when our survey data did not match previous constructed theoretical frameworks. Survey data was collected in two phases: the first phase included four courses with 179 students, and the second phase included 18 courses with 961 students. Survey data was studied using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, but results for the first and second phases of data collection conflicted, and students' reports of instructional practices did not readily map into our existing frameworks. We present a new framework for instructional practices that is still emerging. Researchers should take care to note the potential tensions when applying theoretical and lab-based frameworks to real classrooms.