Video Interviewing for Standardized Achievement Assessments with Children

Abstract

We describe the design, execution, and results of a pilot study with a convenience sample (N = 32 children aged 5-17 years in 15 families) to evaluate the operational feasibility of video interviewing as a mode to administer standardized assessments of math, reading, and vocabulary skills to children aged 5-17 years in the United States. We review the videoconferencing interface from the perspective of the test examiner and examinee, describe protocols to provide cellular-enabled electronic tablets for examinees’ use at home, summarize the fieldwork experience, and describe lessons learned. We conclude that video interviewing is a viable alternative to in person administration from an operational standpoint and can be useful when efforts to reach study participants in-person are cost-prohibitive or ineffective.