Organizational Factors and Instructional Decision-Making: A Cognitive Perspective

Given the limited adoption of research-based teaching methods at the postsecondary level, research is necessary that examines why faculty choose to teach the way they do. In this article, I draw on insights from research on teacher cognition and naturalistic decision-making research to identify how perceptions of organizational factors influence instructional decision-making. Results indicate that respondents perceive structural and socio-cultural factors as constraining and affording practice by exerting normative pressures on teaching decisions, imposing logistical constraints, and encouraging autonomy. The relationship between these factors and teaching practice was moderated by factors such as status and other individual characteristics.