UCLA

Opportunities to learn (OTL) in the classroom have implications for academic comprehension, performance, and outcomes for diverse learners. OTL is defined as the set of conditions in schools that promote learning. This research study explored two conditions that have been theorized as influential for students’ OTL by: (1) capturing the nuances of students’ learning through cognitively-challenging instruction, and (2) educators’ perceptions of administrators’ support. The purpose of this research study was to explore the relationship between educators’ perceptions of administrators’ support and cognitively-challenging instruction, and the role of classroom SES. Five public school districts, 151 schools, and 369 fourth to ninth grade classrooms were sampled. A simple moderation model was tested using multiple linear regression analysis. Results revealed that there is no relationship between educators’ perceptions of administrators’ support and cognitively-challenging instruction nor that classroom SES, as measured here, moderated the relationship. Arguably, these findings are likely a result of the secondary data available for these analyses rather than of the conceptual underpinnings of this form of OTL. In practice, an OTL framing can still help administrators and educators reflect on key demographic compositions when developing and implementing instruction and curriculum in classrooms. Additionally, by using this cognitively-challenging instruction scale researchers could reflect on the “process” rather than just the “outcomes” for students’ cognitive development for learning.