Observation Tool Research Articles

Current teachers' perceptions and students' perspectives regarding activities modalities, instructional settings during primary school physical education classes in China: a cross-sectional observational study.

This study set out to understand the association between teaching practices, teacher confidence, competence, self-efficacy, and the resulting student outcomes. Data regarding teaching behaviours were collected via video recording and then evaluated using the MASTER Observation Tool. The information about demographics, self-reported teaching confidence, competence, self-efficacy, and student outcomes was collected using questionnaires. The association between teacher characteristics, and teacher and/or student outcome variables were tested using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). A total of ten primary schools were involved, including 597 children (age range: 10-12 years, grade 4-6) and 16 grade 4-6 PE teachers (with 16 PE classes). Most of the Physical Education (PE) lesson time was spent in training-form activities (60.2% ± 9.1), followed by instructional time (33.1% ± 8.6%), reflection (3.4% ± 2.3%), and warm-up (2.9% ± 2.0 %). It was observed that teaching behaviours and student outcomes were significantly better in urban than rural areas. Smaller class sizes (21-30 children) were found to have more positive feedback than larger ones (41-50 children). PE teachers with more than 10 years of teaching experience reported more teaching competence and self-efficacy than teachers with less than 10 years of experience. PE teachers with class sizes of 21-30 children enjoyed significantly better scores in self-efficacy than classes with 41-50 children. They also scored more highly in confidence and competence than classes with 41-50 and 51-60 pupils. The current study confirmed that teachers dedicated a large proportion of lesson time to PE delivering training-form activities, followed by instructional time. Teaching behaviour and student outcomes were associated with location and class size, but not gender. The study contributes to our understanding of PE instruction in Chinese primary schools and offers preliminary evidence to improve future PE teaching strategies in the country.

Person-Centred Pain Measurement in the ICU: A Multicentre Clinimetric Comparison Study of Pain Behaviour Observation Scales in Critically Ill Adult Patients with Burns

Pain in critically ill adults with burns should be assessed using structured pain behavioural observation measures. This study tested the clinimetric qualities and usability of the behaviour pain scale (BPS) and the critical-care pain observation tool (CPOT) in this population. This prospective observational cohort study included 132 nurses who rated pain behaviour in 75 patients. The majority of nurses indicated that BPS and CPOT reflect background and procedural pain-specific features (63–72 and 87–80%, respectively). All BPS and CPOT items loaded on one latent variable (≥0.70), except for compliance ventilator and vocalisation for CPOT (0.69 and 0.64, respectively). Internal consistency also met the criterion of ≥0.70 in ventilated and non-ventilated patients for both scales, except for non-ventilated patients observed by BPS (0.67). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) of total scores were sufficient (≥0.70), but decreased when patients had facial burns. In general, the scales were fast to administer and easy to understand. Cut-off scores for BPS and CPOT were 4 and 1, respectively. In conclusion, both scales seem valid, reliable, and useful for the measurement of acute pain in ICU patients with burns, including patients with facial burns. Cut-off scores associated with BPS and CPOT for the burn population allow professionals to connect total scores to person-centred treatment protocols.

Pain in Dementia: An Empirical Test of a Common Assumption

Numerous, and often largely overlapping, observational pain assessment tools have been developed specifically to assess pain in older adults with dementia under the assumption that a specialized approach is necessary to evaluate pain in this population. However, this assumption has never been tested empirically. As an empirical test of this implicit assumption, our goal was to compare existing tools for people living with dementia (with respect to psychometric properties), not only against each other, but also against a tool developed for a different population with cognitive impairments. Videos of older adults with severe dementia recorded in long-term care settings were coded for pain behaviors in the laboratory. Trained coders coded pain behaviors in video segments of older adults with dementia during a quiet baseline condition as well as during a physical examination (designed to identify painful areas), using various observational pain assessment tools. An observational measure of agitation was employed to facilitate the assessment of discriminant validity. Consistent with our expectations, all pain tools (including the tool developed for younger people with cognitive impairments) successfully differentiated between painful and nonpainful states, with large effect sizes. This was the first study to compare tools specifically developed to assess pain in people living with dementia to a tool developed for a different population. Given that all tools under study showed satisfactory psychometric properties when tested on persons with dementia, this study suggests that the assumption that different tools are necessary for different populations with cognitive impairments cannot be taken for granted. PerspectiveThis article challenges an implicitly held assumption that specialized tools are needed to assess pain in different populations with cognitive impairments. Given commonalities in pain expression across populations, further research is needed to determine whether population-specific tools are needed.

Child Care Center Staff Readiness to Change in an Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Program.

The childcare center (CCC) setting has the potential to be a strong foundation that supports the introduction of sustainable healthy lifestyle behaviors to prevent childhood obesity. It is important to assess barriers and facilitators to healthy weight development initiatives via program evaluation, including measuring CCC staff readiness to change. The overall goal of this study was to assess the readiness level over 1 school year among CCC staff who participated in "Healthy Caregivers-Healthy Children" (HC2), a cluster randomized controlled trial that evaluated the effectiveness of a childhood obesity prevention program from 2015 to 2018 in 24 low-income, racially/ethnically diverse centers. A secondary outcome was to assess how a CCC's stage of readiness to change was associated with CCC nutrition and physical activity environment, measured via the Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation (EPAO) tool. Mixed-models analysis with the CCC as the random effect assessed the impact of readiness to change over time on EPAO outcomes. Eighty-eight CCC teachers and support staff completed the HC2 readiness to change survey in August 2015 and 68 in August 2016. Only teachers and staff randomized to the treatment arm of the trial were included. Readiness to change and the EPAO. Results showed the majority of CCC staff in advanced stages of readiness to change at both time points. For every increase in readiness to change stage over 1 year (eg, precontemplation to contemplation), there was a 0.28 increase in EPAO nutrition scores (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.04-0.53; P = .02) and a 0.52 increase in PA score (95% CI, 0.09-0.95; P = .02). This analysis highlights the importance between CCC staff readiness to change and the CCC environment to support healthy weight development. Future similar efforts can include consistent support for CCC staff who may not be ready for change to support successful outcomes.

Assessing Team Performance: A Mixed-Methods Analysis Using Interprofessional in situ Simulation.

Optimizing the performance of emergency department (ED) teams impacts patient care, but the utility of current, team-based performance assessment tools to comprehensively measure this impact is underexplored. In this study we aimed to 1) evaluate ED team performance using current team-based assessment tools during an interprofessional in situ simulation and 2) identify characteristics of effective ED teams. This mixed-methods study employed case study methodology based on a constructivist paradigm. Sixty-three eligible nurses, technicians, pharmacists, and postgraduate year 2-4 emergency medicine residents at a tertiary academic ED participated in a 10-minute in situ simulation of a critically ill patient. Participants self-rated performance using the Team Performance Observation Tool (TPOT) 2.0 and completed a brief demographic form. Two raters independently reviewed simulation videos and rated performance using the TPOT 2.0, Team Emergency Assessment Measure (TEAM), and Ottawa Crisis Resource Management Global Rating Scale (Ottawa GRS). Following simulations, we conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups with in situ participants. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. Eighteen team-based simulations took place between January-April 2021. Raters' scores were on the upper end of the tools for the TPOT 2.0 (R1 4.90, SD 0.17; R2 4.53, SD 0.27, IRR [inter-rater reliability] 0.47), TEAM (R1 3.89, SD 0.19; R2 3.58, SD 0.39, IRR 0.73), and Ottawa GRS (R1 6.6, SD 0.56; R2 6.2, SD 0.54, IRR 0.68). We identified six themes from our interview data: team member entrustment; interdependent energy; leadership tone; optimal communication; strategic staffing; and simulation empowering team performance. Current team performance assessment tools insufficiently discriminate among high performing teams in the ED. Emergency department-specific assessments that capture features of entrustability, interdependent energy, and leadership tone may offer a more comprehensive way to assess an individual's contribution to a team's performance.

Social challenges, autism spectrum disorder, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in youth with neurofibromatosis type I

Objective Youth with neurofibromatosis type I (NF1) demonstrate high rates of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which often have overlapping behaviors. Diagnostic clarity is important to guide services. This study evaluated ASD classification in NF1 using various methods and whether those with ADHD suspicion have more social challenges associated with ASD. Method 34 youth with NF1 (M age = 10.5 ± 1.6 years), completed ASD assessments that combined direct observation and informant ratings to yield a Clinician Best Estimate (CBE) classification. Caregivers rated ASD-related social challenges using the Social Responsiveness Scale- 2nd Edition (SRS-2). Results ASD classification varied depending on the method, ranging from 32% using low-threshold SRS-2 cut-scores (T ≥ 60) to under 6% when combining cut scores for diagnostic observational tools and stringent SRS-2 cut-scores (T ≥ 70). 14.7% had a CBE ASD classification. 44% were judged to have autism traits associated with a non-ASD diagnosis. The 52.9% with a suspicion of ADHD had higher SRS-2 scores than those without ADHD, F (7, 26) = 3.45, p < .05, Wilk’s lambda = 0.518, partial eta squared = 0.482. Conclusions Findings highlight the importance of rigorous diagnostic methodology when evaluating ASD in NF1 to inform the selection of targeted interventions for socialization challenges in NF1.

Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (AtLAST) science: Resolving the hot and ionized Universe through the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect

An omnipresent feature of the multi-phase “cosmic web” — the large-scale filamentary backbone of the Universe — is that warm/hot (≳ 105 K) ionized gas pervades it. This gas constitutes a relevant contribution to the overall universal matter budget across multiple scales, from the several tens of Mpc-scale intergalactic filaments, to the Mpc intracluster medium (ICM), all the way down to the circumgalactic medium (CGM) surrounding individual galaxies, on scales from ∼ 1 kpc up to their respective virial radii (∼ 100 kpc). The study of the hot baryonic component of cosmic matter density represents a powerful means for constraining the intertwined evolution of galactic populations and large-scale cosmological structures, for tracing the matter assembly in the Universe and its thermal history. To this end, the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect provides the ideal observational tool for measurements out to the beginnings of structure formation. The SZ effect is caused by the scattering of the photons from the cosmic microwave background off the hot electrons embedded within cosmic structures, and provides a redshift-independent perspective on the thermal and kinematic properties of the warm/hot gas. Still, current and next-generation (sub)millimeter facilities have been providing only a partial view of the SZ Universe due to any combination of: limited angular resolution, spectral coverage, field of view, spatial dynamic range, sensitivity, or all of the above. In this paper, we motivate the development of a wide-field, broad-band, multi-chroic continuum instrument for the Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (AtLAST) by identifying the scientific drivers that will deepen our understanding of the complex thermal evolution of cosmic structures. On a technical side, this will necessarily require efficient multi-wavelength mapping of the SZ signal with an unprecedented spatial dynamic range (from arcsecond to degree scales) and we employ detailed theoretical forecasts to determine the key instrumental constraints for achieving our goals.

Visualization of crack generation of vulcanized butadiene rubber under uniaxial elongation by atomic force microscopy nanomechanics

Crack resistance performance by oxidation must be considered in rubber product development because cracks are the starting point for fracture. When rubber is stretched extensively, mechanical stresses can break apart its molecular chains, generating radicals and promoting mechanochemical oxidation. This reaction is one of the causes of cracking. However, it is not fully understood how cracks are formed in vulcanized rubber with an inhomogeneous crosslinking structure. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) nanomechanics has been utilized to observe vulcanized butadiene rubber in an elongated state. It was shown that crack generation is related to mechanochemical oxidation, and that the cracks could be clearly visualized as stress-concentrated regions at the nanoscale. Additionally, crack formation is accelerated with increasing elongation of the rubber. This demonstrates that AFM nanomechanics is an effective tool for observation of the generation of cracks associated with mechanochemical oxidation in rubber materials.

Exploring the behavioral indicators of resilience in professional academy youth soccer

The capacity to demonstrate resilience is important for performance and development outcomes in youth soccer. A key feature of resilience is the demonstration of positive behavioral responses to pressures or setbacks, yet little research exists on the specific behaviors that characterize resilience in the youth soccer literature. This study aimed to explore the behavioral indicators of resilience through focus groups and interviews with 60 participants from six professional soccer academies and one National Soccer Governing Body. The data was collected in two phases, the first involved a discussion of the observable behaviors associated with resilience in youth soccer. In the second phase, participants reflected on examples of resilience behaviors alongside video clips. These acted as a stimulus to contextualize the behaviors arising from the first phase. Content analysis was used to analyze the data and 36 behaviors were identified across six themes: (a) teammate support-focused (e.g., verbal support following mistakes), (b) emotion-focused (e.g., displaying emotional regulation), (c) effort-focused (e.g., physical efforts to overcome challenge), (d) rebound (e.g., positive reactions to a mistake), (e) robust (e.g., showing composure when under pressure), and (f) learning-focused (e.g., willingness to accept feedback). The results offer an insight into a multifaceted range of resilience behaviors in the context of youth soccer. With this knowledge, practitioners can make informed decisions around player development by assessing specific behavioral metrics related to resilience, players can engage in structured self-reflection practices pertaining to resilience development, and researchers can work toward the development of validated observational tools for resilience assessment.

Leveraging Classroom Observation Tools (COT) for an enhanced instructional supervisory practice

Leveraging Classroom Observation Tools (COT) for an enhanced instructional supervisory practice

Examining the elements of culturally relevant pedagogy captured and missed in a measure of high-quality mathematics instruction

Mathematics instruction is not race or culture neutral. For students who have been historically marginalized in mathematics classrooms, high-quality mathematics instruction, instruction that helps students build conceptual understanding, on its own might not be enough to disrupt inequities. These students might also need instruction that is culturally relevant, with teachers who demonstrate cultural competence, build critical consciousness, and support student learning. Our goal in this study was to understand which components of culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) are captured and which are missed in a typical U.S. framework of high-quality mathematics instruction. To find the overlaps and gaps, we analyzed the mathematics lessons of three elementary teachers through both the lens of CRP and the Mathematics-Scan, a mathematics observation tool. We found the strongest overlap between the two frameworks in the patterns of strengths and weaknesses in the teachers’ lessons. When the teachers were delivering high-quality instruction, they were also often supporting students’ learning or showing cultural competence. When the teachers were delivering lower quality instruction, they were also often missing opportunities to enact CRP. At the same time, key elements of CRP including linguistic support for students, high expectations, critical consciousness, and nuances within cultural competence, were missed by the high-quality instruction framework. High-quality instruction was the foundation for CRP in the teachers’ classrooms, but CRP was more than just high-quality instruction. We conclude with recommendations for increasing the alignment between the frameworks and implications for international educators also grappling with equity in their own frameworks of mathematics instruction.

Fundamental role of nonlocal orders in 1D extended Bose-Hubbard model.

Nonlocal order parameters capture the presence of correlated fluctuations between specific degrees of freedom, in otherwise disordered quantum matter. Here, we provide a further example of their fundamental role, deriving the ground state phase diagram of the filling one extended Bose-Hubbard model, exclusively in terms of their ordering. By means of a density matrix renormalization group numerical analysis, we show that in addition to the (even) parity order characteristic of the Mott insulating phase and the string order nonvanishing in the Haldane insulator, the recently proposed odd parity order completes the picture, becoming nonvanishing at the transition from the normal superfluid to the paired superfluid phase. The above three nonlocal parameters capture all the distinct phases, including the density wave phase, in which the local order is seen as the simultaneous presence of correlated fluctuations in different channels. They provide a unique tool for the experimental observation of the full phase diagram of strongly correlated quantum matter, by means of local density measurements.

Are the content and usability of a new direct observation tool adequate for assessing competency in delivering person-centred care: a think-aloud study with patients and healthcare professionals in Sweden

ObjectiveTo evaluate the content and usability of a new direct observation tool for assessing competency in delivering person-centred care based on the Gothenburg Centre for Person-Centred Care (gPCC) framework.DesignThis is...

Validation of the stochastic inversion algorithm for acoustic travel-time tomography: a large eddy simulation study

Acoustic tomography (AT) is explored as a remote sensing technique to obtain instantaneous snapshots of temperature and velocity fluctuations for wind energy applications. This study integrates Large Eddy Simulation (LES) with the Stochastic Inversion (SI) method to validate the algorithm’s capacity for accurate reconstruction of atmospheric fluctuations. The initial findings demonstrate the efficacy of the method in accurately capturing the predominant flow structures. Normalized L2 error evaluations further inform the algorithm’s precision, with errors accentuated in less sampled peripheral regions. The results underscore the method’s promise as a non-intrusive observational tool, with ongoing development poised to improve its precision and reliability.

Technology enhanced multidisciplinary cancer conferences in gynecologic oncology.

e13652 Background: Multidisciplinary Cancer Conferences (MCCs) improve quality of care and patient outcomes. The goals of our study were to investigate the impact of an information technology platform, Navify Tumor Board Solution (NTBS) on the (1) efficiency of preparing and conducting MCCs and (2) educational quality of the gynecologic oncology MCCs. Methods: We conducted a prospective, mixed methods study involving participants of the biweekly gynecologic oncology MCC at a comprehensive cancer center. NTBS was introduced to the gynecologic oncology MCC for the preparation and presentation of tumor board cases. Data were collected before and after the introduction of NTBS. We used a validated observational tool to assess the impact of the platform on the quality of case presentation and discussion, as well as decision making (as measured by a composite mean score). We also evaluated compliance of care plans with national guidelines, changes in care plans, and concordance of actual treatment received with MCC recommendations. The survey consisted of five qualitative and two demographic questions. Interviews lasting 10 minutes were recorded using Microsoft Teams. Analyses were conducted using SAS v9.4 (Cary, NC) and Dedoose v9.0.17, (Los Angeles, CA). Results: Pre- and Post-NTBS cohorts consisted of 49 and 60 patients, respectively. When comparing pre- versus post-NTBS cohorts, there was a difference in the mean composite score (50.57 vs 54.11; p=0.016). While there was no statistical difference between cohorts, patient care plans were changed in 13% of the cases and were 92% concordant with treatment received. Additionally, MCC recommendations were 100% compliant with national guidelines. Surveys of 13 MCC participants revealed that post-NTBS, the presentation format was more cohesive, concise, and structured. Common themes from gynecologic oncology fellows’ responses included improvement of case preparation time and simplified process while using NTBS. However, trainees reported limited use of NTBS features, difficulty incorporating graphical, and lack of a comprehensive list of NCCN guidelines. All respondents had educational goals for their participation and reported a high educational value of the MCC. These goals included knowledge acquisition of clinical diagnosis, management of standard of care versus complex situations, sentinel clinical trials underlying NCCN treatment guidelines, primary literature review, management of preparation time and flow of discussion, and preparation for oral boards. Conclusions: NTBS contributed positively to the gynecologic oncology MCC and clinical care for patients. Overall, NTBS had a positive impact on case formatting, preparation time and quality of trainee education. Comprehensive user training in the NTBS features could further enhance its utilization within the MCC.

Wound Treatment Using Aloevera in the Process of Accelerating Wound Healing for Post-Op Patients at the Lompe Ntodea Community Health Center

The high incidence of wounds in Indonesia means that effective and efficient wound care is needed, therefore one good wound treatment is to use Aloevera as a medicine and provide protein nutrition as a nutritional intake for wounds. The aim of this research is to find out how fast the process of wound tissue growth is using Aloevera gel. This research method uses a case study approach on post-operative patients. Wound care procedures were carried out 22 times using aloe vera gel. Wound care techniques used are tissue management inflammation and infection control, moisture balance, epithelial (TIME). The measuring tool in this research used the Bates Jensen Wound Assessment Tool (BWAT) observation tools.

Measuring the gas reservoirs in 108 &lt; M⋆ &lt; 1011 M⊙ galaxies at 1 ≤ z ≤ 3

Context. Understanding the gas content in galaxies, along with its consumption and replenishment, is vital to our grasp of the evolution of the Universe. Numerous studies have addressed this notion, utilizing various observational tools and analytical methods. These include examining low-transition 12CO millimeter rotational lines and exploring the far-infrared and the (sub-)millimeter emission of galaxies. With the capabilities of present-day facilities, much of this research has been centered on relatively bright galaxies. Aims. This study is aimed at exploring the gas reservoirs of a more general type of galaxy population at 1.0 &lt; z &lt; 3.0 that is not restricted to bright (sub-)millimeter objects. We strive to obtain a measurement that will help to constrain our knowledge of the gas content at 1010 − 11 M⊙, with upper limits at ∼108 − 10 M⊙. Methods. We stacked ALMA 1.1 mm data to measure the gas content of a mass-complete sample of galaxies down to ∼108.6 M⊙ at z = 1 (∼109.2 M⊙ at z = 3) extracted from the HST/CANDELS sample in GOODS-S. The selected sample is composed of 5530 predominantly blue (⟨b − i⟩∼0.12 mag, ⟨i − H⟩∼0.81 mag), star-forming main sequence (MS) objects (ΔMS = log SFR−log SFRMS ∼ −0.03 dex). Results. At 1010 − 11 M⊙, our gas fractions (fgas = Mgas/(Mgas + M⋆)), ranging from 0.32 to 0.48 at these redshifts, are in good agreement with other studies based on mass-complete samples down to 1010 M⊙. These values are, however, lower than expected, according to other works more biased to individual detections. At 109 − 10 M⊙, we obtained 3σ upper limits for the fgas values ranging from 0.69 to 0.77. At 108 − 9 M⊙, these upper limits rise to ∼0.97. The upper limits at 109 − 10 M⊙ are on the level of the extrapolations of scaling relations based on mass-complete samples and below those based on individual detections. As such, these results suggest that the gas content of low-mass galaxies is, at most, equivalent to what has been extrapolated from the literature scaling relations based on mass-complete samples down to 1010 M⊙. Overall, the comparison of our results with the literature reflects how the inclusion of bluer, less obscured, and more MS-like objects progressively pushes the gas content down to lower values.

The effect of TeamSTEPPS® mobile-based training on perceptions of teamwork and team performance of operating room staff

IntroductionTeamSTEPPS® aims to create an environment where all members feel comfortable to speak about patient safety concerns. The aim of this research was to determine the effect of TeamSTEPPS® mobile-based training on the perceptions of teamwork and team performance of operating room staff. MethodsThis study was a quasi-experimental method with measurements at baseline and after 2 months of intervention. The research samples included 105 OR staff (operating room technologists, anesthesia technologists, and nurses) working in 6 teaching hospitals of Iran University of Medical Sciences in 2022, which were selected by stratified random method and proportional allocation. The research tools included the demographic form, the Persian version of the ‘TeamSTEPPS® Teamwork Perception Questionnaire’ (T-TPQ) and the Persian version of the ‘Team Performance Observation Tool’ (TPOT). The intervention was carried out with sending the link of the TeamSTEPPS® 2.0 course files to participants by mobile messengers so that they could study them during five sessions, with an interval of one week between each session. Data analysis was done by calculating descriptive statistics and paired t-test. ResultsThe results showed that TeamSTEPPS® mobile-based training significantly improved the perception of teamwork (P < 0.011) and team performance of operating room staff (P < 0.001). ConclusionWith the determination of the effect of TeamSTEPPS® mobile-based training on the perception of teamwork and team performance of operating room staff, it is suggested to present this training program to this group.

An Interpolation and Prediction Algorithm for XCO2 Based on Multi-Source Time Series Data

Carbon satellites are an important observation tool for analyzing ground carbon emission. From the perspective of the Earth’s scale, the spatiotemporal sparse characteristics of raw data observed from carbon satellite requires the accurate interpolation of data, and based on only this work, people predict future carbon emission trends and formulate appropriate management and conservation strategies. The existing research work has not fully considered the close correlation between data and seasons, as well as the characteristics accumulated over a long time scale. In this paper, firstly, by employing extreme random forests and auxiliary data, we reconstruct a daily average CO2 dataset at a resolution of 0.25°, and achieve a validated determination coefficient of 0.92. Secondly, introducing technologies such as Time Convolutional Networks (TCN), Channel Attention Mechanism (CAM), and Long Short-Term Memory networks (LSTM), we conduct atmospheric CO2 concentration interpolation and predictions. When conducting predictive analysis for the Yangtze River Delta region, we train the model by using quarterly data from 2016 to 2020; the correlation coefficient in summer is 0.94, and in winter it is 0.91. These experimental data indicate that compared to other algorithms, this algorithm has a significantly better performance.

Construct validity of the Coding Interactive Behaviour instrument for fathers of infants

ABSTRACT Observational instruments are proposed as the best method to assess the quality of parent–child interaction. However, the psychometric properties and theoretical foundations of these observational tools have been questioned. Further, very few studies have focussed on the construct validity of these instruments for father–child interaction quality. In this study, we examined the construct validity of the Coding Interactive Behavior (CIB) measure in a sample of 320 father-infant dyads. A four-factor model, previously found to fit mother–infant interactions, failed to demonstrate an acceptable model fit for our father-infant sample. Instead, a data-driven three-factor model was indicated to be a better fit. This model consists of the composites, ‘Paternal Sensitivity’, ‘Paternal Positive Affect’, and ‘Child Engagement’. Interestingly, while these factors bear similarities to those found in maternal interactions, they manifest distinct characteristics for fathers. Our results emphasize the necessity of refining and validating observational tools specifically for diverse parent–child contexts.