A qualitative–reconstructive investigation of teaching quality through documentary video analysis

This paper introduces documentary video analysis (DVA) as a qualitative–reconstructive method for analyzing complex classroom interactions. While DVA is primarily employed to describe instructional phenomena and practices, its absence in identifying aspects of teaching quality constitutes a notable research gap. By incorporating an existing typology related to cognitively activating interactions developed through DVA, this paper aims to reconstruct two Norwegian classroom sessions – one on mathematics and one on Norwegian language arts (L1) – and evaluate them against this typology from a theoretical–normative quality perspective. The findings reveal that DVA can identify various elements, including teachers’ confidence in students’ abilities, as crucial for cognitively activating instructional interactions. This research underscores DVA’s potential to contribute to the discourse on teaching quality, offering insights into the dynamics of teaching and learning environments.