Evaluation of a Video-Based Training to Foster the Professional Vision of Classroom Management in Elementary Classrooms

Efficient classroom management could be proven to be important for an appropriate learning environment. An essential prerequisite for classroom management skills is to notice and to interpret classroom management relevant situations as well as to suggest alternatives for acting in the classroom. This intervention study investigates the impact of guided video analysis in pre-service teacher education on such professional vision of classroom management behavior. In courses with a total of 60 hours, students analyzed video clips in partner work with regard to the classroom management facets Withitness, Organizational Structuring and Group Focus. 120 pre-service teachers participated in the quasi-experimental study with pre-post design. Analysis of Covariance revealed significant effects of group as expected, indicating a small effect size for Organizational Structuring and a moderate effect size for Group Focus. No significant effects were found for Withitness. Number of semesters and experience in the analysis of classroom videos or classroom management did not reveal significant effects on professional vision of classroom management.