A Framework for Examining the Relationship and Classifying Instructional Strategies, Methods, and Techniques

Globally, educators and researchers use different terms to describe instructors’ approaches when presenting instructional material in formal and informal settings. Terms commonly used to describe instructional approaches include teaching/instructional strategy, teaching/instructional method, and teaching/instructional technique. Although practicing educators and researchers use these words interchangeably, they have different meanings, leading to confusion regarding the relationship between these approaches and their proper usage when describing instructional practices. The research-to-practice gap in all fields exacerbates the issue, as practitioners and researchers may use different terms. As a result, there is a need for consistency in the terms used to describe instructional approaches across all fields and a shared understanding of the correct meaning of the terms and the relation between the terms. Practitioners and researchers need a resource that includes the correct terms and provides information on instructional approaches for classroom application and research purposes. This paper presents a framework consisting of the definitions, the relationship, and the taxonomy for the terms: instructional strategies, methods, and techniques. This framework can help educators and researchers locate information about instructional approaches for classroom application and can serve as a catalog presenting the most common instructional strategies, instructional methods, and instructional techniques used in formal instruction.