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On the representativeness of behavior observation samples in classrooms
Jeffrey H Tiger1, Sarah J Miller, Joanna Lomas Mevers
1UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
|October 12, 2013
Summary
Observational samples may not accurately represent student behavior, especially when behavior is highly variable. Even longer observations can fail to capture true daily behavior levels.
Area of Science:
- Educational Psychology
- Behavioral Analysis
Background:
- School consultants often use brief observational samples to assess student behavior.
- The representativeness of these samples for overall daily performance is frequently unclear.
Observation:
- This study analyzed problem behavior in 3 students over 4 school days using 10-minute duration recordings.
- Various observation lengths (10, 20, 30, 60 minutes) were compared to the true daily mean.
Findings:
- Brief observations were representative when behavior had low variability.
- Even 60-minute observations inaccurately reflected daily behavior levels when variability was high.
Implications:
- Results question the accuracy of typical observational sampling methods in schools.
- Further research is needed to develop more reliable methods for behavioral assessment.
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