Early Childhood Educators' Perceptions of the use of documentation in emergent programs: issues, benefits, barriers and questions
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Date
2012-09-10
Authors
Harrietha, Lisa
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Abstract
This study was developed to determine early childhood educator’s perceptions of
the use pedagogical documentation in emergent curriculum programs. In this qualitative
study, 16 educators were asked a series of questions regarding emergent programming,
documentation use, and reflective practice. The questions were developed utilizing
major themes found in a literature review and from questions developed from my own
struggles and successes in using emergent processes. They were designed to discover
how long educators were using the approach, what types of documentation was used, and
their perceptions of the benefits and difficulties associated with the documentation
process.
Twelve of the participants answered questions via face-to-face interviews, while
four completed an on-line survey. All data was coded and analysed for themes and major
findings. The results showed that participants felt there was not enough time to complete
documentation effectively, and that most were not formally trained in the approach. The
majority of participants had questions about documentation. The documentation process
was found to be a highly collaborative approach which could be used to enhance program
planning, parent/teacher relationships, and children’s learning. The participants in this
study did not view professional development as an important aspect of documentation.
Findings were consisted with results from past research and literature except for those
related to professional development. Results showed that although there are a number of
benefits to using the documentation process in emergent curriculum programs, there are a
number of barriers that may interfere with achieving those benefits.
The need for formal training in college and university classes was evident from
the data. It is also recommended that directors of child care centres support their staff in
the documentation process by allowing for more paid time outside the classroom for
programming and documentation, and ensuring that the centres’ have materials needed
for documentation on hand. Directors should also be clear with their expectations as to
how much activity should be documented. If educators receive further education in
emergent curriculum practices and directors provide support and guidance to enhance the
process, the use of pedagogical documentation might be strengthened, leading to an
enhancement of early childhood programs.
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Keywords
Early Childhood Educators , pedagogical documentation , emergent curriculum