The theory of "reasoned action" is applied to the teaching-learning process. This theory asserts that people use the information available to them in a reasonable manner to arrive at their decisions and that a person's behavior follows logically and systematically from whatever information he has available. To illustrate application of the theory to instructional situations, data is used from teachers in two settings: (1) nurses teaching hospitalized patients; and (2) clinical instructors teaching nursing students. Results indicate that teacher reports of beliefs and attitudes are closely related to their stated behavioral intentions but only weakly related to independent observations of behavior. Because some intentions are more closely related to attitude and others to the subjective norm, the study of teacher intentions can be informative for teaching improvement programs. (Author/JD)