Exploring the use of a rating scale to support professional learning in early years pre-school staff: the experience of one local authority in Wales

ABSTRACT

The aim of the study was to explore the use of a rating scale as a tool for driving professional learning for pre-school ECEC staff. A rating scale was used as a measure of children’s learning experiences in pre-school provision, which then guided the content of a professional learning programme. The programme was therefore targeted towards provision for children’s conceptual and higher order thinking as this learning experience was weak in all the participating settings. We establish whether such an approach had value, that is, whether it led to sustainable transformation of professional practice and explore the tensions that became apparent. While there appears to have been some transformation of practice, the use of a rating scale as a stimulus created opportunities for performativity that are critically discussed. We consider tensions that are related to the construction of the child and the implications for professional learning.

KEYWORDS:

• Conceptual thinking
• professional learning
• early years
• science
• rating scale

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.