Styles of documentation in German early childhood education

Abstract

The pedagogical documentation of educational processes in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) centres is an important concern of early childhood education. Its purpose is to make learning visible and to stimulate discussion between educators and parents. In the academic discourse, however, pedagogical documentation is subject to differing interpretations: while some authors see it as a practice that supports the learning processes of children, along the lines of a ‘pedagogy of listening’, others regard it as a tool for the assessment of skill development. Against this background, the present article examines how these different understandings of documentation are implemented in pedagogical practice in German ECEC centres. On the basis of an empirical investigation with 40 case studies, it can be shown that pedagogical documentation is primarily seen as an assessment tool in Germany. Four types of facility could be identified, each representing a particular style of documentation; for example, specific motivations, functions and practices of implementation can be distinguished.

Keywords:

• pedagogical documentation
• education
• participation
• attitudes

Acknowledgements

This study would not have been possible without the willingness of educators in the ECEC centres to discuss their work and share their views. Sincere thanks go to all those involved for their openness and their time.

Additional information

Funding

The research was funded by the Hesse State Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts and ‘Putting research into practice’, a joint initiative of the Universities of Applied Sciences in the state of Hesse.