Creating space for equity in early childhood educator’s participation in documentation, assessment and evaluation

ABSTRACT

Documentation, assessment and evaluation processes in early learning contexts should include participation and contribution from all educators. This helps to ensure diversity of knowledge, perspective and background that can create more inclusive and equitable early learning curricula. This article presents findings from a collective case-study undertaken with educators and pre-school aged children at three early learning services. The educators took part in practitioner inquiry projects focusing on technology integration in play-based learning. The study found a significant inequity in educator contribution to documentation, assessment and evaluation throughout the practitioner inquiry projects. Access to professional learning content, self-reported confidence and lack of allocated time were identified as key factors that impacted educator contribution to documentation and assessment, particularly in reflective journaling. A hierarchy of contribution was also evident in group meetings. Practitioner inquiry was identified as an effective way to promote more equitable contribution and democratic dialogue. The importance of creating a culture of equity of contribution was also identified.

KEYWORDS:

• Early childhood
• reflective journaling
• practitioner inquiry
• technology
• documentation
• planning and assessment

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The term curriculum is used in alignment with the Early Years Learning Framework, which defines it as all events and experiences that children have throughout the day including resources, features of the environment, planned and unplanned experiences, the educator’s pedagogical practices, and the child’s interactions with others (DEEWR 2009).