Pedagogical documentation and systematic quality work in early childhood: Comparing practices in Western Australia and Sweden

Abstract

Pedagogical documentation has been understood as an important way for early childhood educators to provide high-quality learning environments for children. The authors explore the contested nature of quality and its interpretation in two cultural contexts: in Western Australia, where pedagogical documentation is a relatively uncommon practice, and in Sweden, where pedagogical documentation is a relatively common practice. These locations were selected to provide a comparison between educators from these two different cultural and policy contexts. The main purpose of pedagogical documentation within the Swedish preschool system is to gain knowledge of how to systematically improve the quality of the preschool. This contrasts with the demands on Australian early childhood educators to ensure children meet achievement standards in the Foundation Year. Six preschool educators in each country responded to interview questions regarding what enables or hinders their systematic quality work. The participants in both countries were using some form of pedagogical documentation in their professional practice. This article draws on interview data and elaborates on the ways these educators understood the role of pedagogical documentation in what they regarded as systematic quality work. The findings provide insight into the impact of both policy and cultural contexts on individual educators' practices when using pedagogical documentation as a means to promote quality. The results indicate that differences in early childhood education policies between countries may lead to important differences in how pedagogical documentation is used by educators in their practice.

When differences are made into likenesses: the normative documentation and assessment culture of the preschool

“…Internationally, preschool curricula are more measurementand performance-oriented than in Sweden. An example of this is Australia, which, like many other Anglo-Saxon countries, has a clear school-oriented focus when it comes to preschool documentation and assessment practice (Davies 2018;Lee Hammond and Bjervås 2020).…”

Adoption of Pedagogical Documentation in Finnish ECEC Settings

“…There is a considerable body of research indicating that the use of pedagogical documentation by ECEC personnel can promote children's learning, participation, and curiosity, and thus enhance ECEC quality (Alnervik, 2013;Elfström, 2013;Formosinho & Peeters, 2019;Lenz Taguchi, 2000;Rintakorpi, 2018). However, pedagogical documentation does not have an unequivocal meaning and is understood in somewhat different ways, depending on pedagogical tradition, culture, and policy context (Dahlberg & Elfström, 2014;Lee-Hammond & Bjervås, 2020;Rintakorpi, 2018). In this study, we are interested in conceptions of what makes documentation 'pedagogical'.…”

“…In this study, we are interested in conceptions of what makes documentation 'pedagogical'. We can assume, that depending on how professionals on different levels (teachers, leaders, directors) adopt and understand the concept of pedagogical documentation, it will also affect how it is used in practice (Alasuutari & Kelle, 2015;Hostyn et al, 2020;Lee-Hammond & Bjervås, 2020;Rintakorpi, 2016). This, in turn, has consequences for how pedagogy is developed in ECEC groups, centers, and municipalities, which ultimately affect children's everyday life and opportunities for participation, learning, and development.…”

Improving children's sense of belonging through group‐orientated individualisation

“…A difference between the Swedish preschool and preschools in most English‐speaking countries is that the Swedish curriculum for preschool sets goals for education without directly addressing them to the individual child, in contrast to, for example, the Australian Early Years Learning Framework which identifies individualistic goals rather than collective ones (Lee‐Hammond & Bjervås, 2020).…”