Characterization of Behavior Classes of College Teachers Based on the Teacher Behavior Checklist

Abstract

The Teacher Behavior Checklist (TBC) is an instrument that presents 28 teachers’ qualities and examples of corresponding actions. The objective of this study was to characterize the professional behaviors of college teachers based on information available in the TBC items. The procedure adopted was based on the Programming of Conditions for the Development of Behaviors (PCDC). It involved three steps: (a) classification of the 28 qualities of the TBC as adjectives or verbs and linguistic adjustment of verbs for the wording to express a behavior class. We grouped these classes into general behavioral classes identified in PCDC studies on teaching performance; (b) the examples of actions of the 28 TBC items also underwent linguistic adjustment and were grouped into the general classes of step 1; (c) the behavior classes were organized into three components: actions, antecedent, and consequent events. The TBC items were analyzed as behaviors and described functionally. Of the 85 behavior classes in the TBC, we found 107 classes of actions and grouped them into five general classes, in addition to 27 antecedent and 26 consequent events. Studies like this give greater clarity and precision to the description of the professional behaviors of college teachers.