The complexity of team teaching models: the relationship with collaboration and shared responsibility

Abstract

The practice of team teaching – how teachers deliver it in the classroom – is described in the literature through various models. These models represent the ways in which team teaching is established in the classroom. It is assumed that some models involve more collaboration and shared responsibility than others. However, empirical evidence regarding the extent of teachers’ collaboration and shared responsibility per model is currently lacking. In this regard, this study investigates how teachers’ self-reported collaboration and shared responsibility differ across these models. To address this research question, a large-scale cross-sectional survey study was conducted among team teachers (n = 555). The CSTT scale was administered to capture the levels of collaboration and shared responsibility experienced by teachers. The results indicate that the relationship between collaboration and shared responsibility on the one hand and the different models on the other hand is much more complex than theoretical definitions suggest.