Interval recording data sheet
Choose the interval length, session length, number of behaviors and peer spacing, then print for a clipboard. The preview shows each printed page.
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What is interval recording?
Interval recording divides an observation into equal intervals and scores each one for whether the behavior occurred. The result is the percentage of intervals scored.
- Partial interval
- Scored if the behavior occurs at any point during the interval.
- Whole interval
- Scored only if the behavior continues for the entire interval.
- Momentary time sampling
- Scored if the behavior is occurring at the moment the interval ends.
Which method should I use?
The usual guidance is partial interval for behavior you want to reduce and whole interval for behavior you want to increase. Partial interval overstates the share of the session a behavior takes up; whole interval understates it. Momentary time sampling with short intervals usually comes closest to the true share, but it can miss brief or rare behavior.2,3,4
How long should each interval be?
Every method gets less accurate as intervals get longer. Use the shortest interval you can keep up with on paper. Published classroom observation codes mostly use 10 or 15 seconds.1,3
How often should I watch a peer?
Every fifth interval is a common peer-comparison setup. At 10-second intervals, every sixth puts all the peer boxes in one column, which is easier to follow on paper.5
How do I keep time without an app?
Use a phone or watch with a repeating vibration alert, set to your interval length.
- Powell, J., Martindale, A., & Kulp, S. (1975). An evaluation of time-sample measures of behavior. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 8(4), 463–469. doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1975.8-463
- Powell, J., Martindale, B., Kulp, S., Martindale, A., & Bauman, R. (1977). Taking a closer look: Time sampling and measurement error. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 10(2), 325–332. doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1977.10-325
- Hintze, J. M., Volpe, R. J., & Shapiro, E. S. (2002). Best practices in the systematic direct observation of student behavior. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology IV (pp. 993–1006). National Association of School Psychologists.
- Rapp, J. T., Colby-Dirksen, A. M., Michalski, D. N., Carroll, R. A., & Lindenberg, A. M. (2008). Detecting changes in simulated events using partial-interval recording and momentary time sampling. Behavioral Interventions, 23(4), 237–269. doi.org/10.1002/bin.269
- Radley, K. C., Dart, E. H., Schrieber, S. R., & Davis, J. L. (2021). The accuracy of peer comparison observations: A simulated analysis. Behavioral Disorders, 46(2), 120–129. doi.org/10.1177/0198742920944845
A sheet can't keep the time.
Sightline keeps time and records each mark from a keystroke while you watch the student. Recording every method is free; student and peer percentages come with Starter, and every trial starts with 21 days of Pro.