In recent years there has been growing attention on the importance of assessment in early childhood education, especially in relation to supporting children’s learning. This paper is a section taken from a Master’s dissertation that aimed to investigate early childhood educators’ perspectives and practices regarding assessment in the early years. Particularly, the paper focuses on the approaches and strategies early childhood educators utilised in doing assessment within their settings, and the sources of support and challenges they associate with it. Adopting a qualitative design, in-depth interviews were conducted with eight educators from different settings in Ireland, and thematic analysis was used to identify emergent themes. Findings highlight the view of assessment as a process and a product, as well as the practice of ongoing, continuous assessment. Furthermore, data suggests that collaboration plays a role in assessment practice, particularly collaborating with colleagues and parents. Through the lens of the Child’s Rights Perspective, responses also reveal that there are mixed and ambivalent views towards children’s active participation and collaboration in the assessment process. The study also suggests that time, structural factors such as use of tools, routines, and adult-child ratios, and qualifications and training of educators contribute to the ease in which assessment is carried out. Delving into educators’ perspectives and practices on early years’ assessment can offer insight on what actually happens in settings and the thoughts and attitudes that direct them. Moreover, it can shed light on different issues educators are faced with, allowing a glimpse of the dynamics present between children and adults in early years’ settings. The researcher hopes that the findings of the study can direct future research investigating issues surrounding assessment practice, as well as children’s agency in assessment.
Keywords: early years' assessment, educator perspectives, assessment practices, child's rights perspective
