Social aspects of instructional management

James K. Duncan The Ohio State University M ost teachers whether beginning or experienced have difficulty in managing instructional situations. For the beginner, the instructional situation is so very complex that he or she often can neither conceptualize it nor deal with it constructively, (Applegate et.al., 1977). Some experienced teachers have developed routine, but often unimaginative, rigid or oppressive, ways of managing instructional situations. Although these routine strategies may be sufficient to maintain the teacher's "control", they may curtail students' educational opportunities and sacrifice productive learning to effective management. In view of the great diversity in the nature of instructional situations and the instructional man-