An observation instrument to assess teacher-child interaction in early elementary education: Development and psychometric properties of the CCIS-E

This paper presents the adaptation process of the Child-Caregiver Interaction Scale for childcare to early elementary education (CCIS-E) and its psychometric properties using data from an RCT involving 53 teacher-child dyads. Teachers were observed with the CCIS-E, alongside measures of teacher sensitivity, and child-reported relationship quality. Three CCIS-E domains were distinguished: Student Support, Classroom Management, and Cognitive Activation. Findings indicate good internal consistency for the Total score and Student Support, while internal consistency was moderate for Classroom Management and unsatisfactory for Cognitive Activation. Modest test-retest reliability was found, indicating further research is needed to improve the CCIS-E's validity and reliability. • We adapted the Caregiver-Child Interaction Scale for childcare to the school context • Coders found this CCIS-E useful for capturing teacher-classroom interactions • For Student Support and Total scores psychometric qualities were adequate • Student Support and Classroom Management were well represented and valid • For Cognitive Activation items are present but did not form a coherent scale