Published in 1983, this second edition builds on the success of the first edition which provided the first sociological account of classroom life. In the seven years between editions great activity and interest in classroom studies ensued, the author therefore revised and expanded her text to accommodate further material.

In this book the reader is taken into a variety of classrooms, shown the methods and techniques of classroom observation and encouraged to get behind the deceptively familiar façade. Attention is paid to the context of the classroom, to teacher and pupil careers, and to the curriculum. At the heart of the book is an emphasis on understanding how the participants make sense of classroom life.