Tobin's book has been around for a number of years now. Nevertheless, it continues to set the standard in the creation of video ethnography. Graduate students across the nation use this book for its brilliant methodology and for his insightful readings of culture.

Tobin et al compare preschools in Japan, the US and China in a fascinating cross-cultural study. What makes this study so compelling is that you hear not only the authors' interpretations of what they see, but also the opinions of the teachers, administrators and the parents OF ALL THREE CULTURES. By having parents, teachers and administrators watch video tapes of the preschools in the non-native country, you get an eye-opening assesment of what each preschool is trying to do in its culture and how it compares with what other preschools accomplish. I have my daughter enrolled in a Japanese preschool, and the opnions and analysis on what Japanese preschools are like is dead-on, as is the analysis of the American preschool.

The real eye-opener for those readers not familiar with preschools in Japan is how chaotic, loosely-structured, and easy-going they are. The 30-1 child-teacher ratio makes chaos inevitable, but it forces the kids to learn how to deal with each other, rather than an authority figure. Contrasted to the American pre-school style, where the teacher runs the show, enforces the rules and molds the kids to act in a manner that the teacher/school has decided is appropriate, Japanese kids actually get more practice resolving conflicts and taking responsibility for problem-solving.

This is actually one study that is fun to read, too! Highly recommended.