Video-based measurement of professional vision: Comparison of open and closed formats in the context of instructional support in elementary science education

Professional vision is considered a central situation-specific competence of teachers and a prerequisite for professional teaching. It is typically measured by video-based instruments, which differ in the use of closed rating items or open-ended tasks. Since initial studies indicate low correlations between the two formats, the study aims to verify this finding in the context of instructional support in elementary science education and to identify reasons for potentially low correlations in a mixed-methods approach. For this purpose, open and closed video analyses of n = 98 pre-service teachers were comparatively examined and complemented by (a) the analysis of cognitive processes in n = 16 thinking aloud interviews, (b) n = 25 students' evaluations of the formats and (c) the analysis of correlations with conscientiousness. The results confirm low correlations between open and closed formats and reveal that cognitive processes differ during task processing in the two formats. The open format seems to stimulate the interpretation of events but is also confounded with a conscientious way of working. In contrast to other studies, students perform worse in the closed format and perceive it as more difficult.