Should you conduct your classroom observations live or with video?

What is it about?

People who conduct classroom observations are often faced with the choice of whether to do their observations live or through the use of a video. Each has some possible benefits in terms of logistics and quality of the data. In this article, we explore, empirically, differences in live and video scores using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS; Pianta, La Paro, & Hamre, 2008) in preschool classrooms.

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Why is it important?

Classroom observations, particularly using the CLASS measure, are quickly becoming a critical component of determining preschool program quality. However, little research to date has been available to date to guide decision making around whether to use live or video methods of observation. This study compares the scores from live codes and video codes (based on videos taken at the same time as the live codes).