Summary. Differences in teaching styles have conventionally been described in terms of ill‐defined dichotomies. The aim of the present study was to provide a more adequate representation of teaching practices by creating a typology based on the self‐reported strategies of primary school teachers. 1,258 third and fourth year teachers completed a questionnaire, and the resultant information was cluster analysed. Twelve teaching styles were extracted. Although the usual poles of informal and formal styles were apparent, most teachers appeared to adopt intermediate styles, incorporating elements of both informal and formal strategies. Evidence regarding the validity of the clusters is presented.

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