Exploring the Contribution of Pedagogical Documentation to the Development and Learning of Young Children from Teacher Perspective

Abstract

This study examined, from the perspectives of teachers, how well the pedagogical documentation—as a teaching, learning and assessment method and tool— contributed to the development and learning of young children in early childhood education programs. Being part of a larger phenomenological research initiative, this study used semi-structured teacher interviews. The data for this
research was collected using a purposive sampling technique and the sample included 22 teachers working in nine early childhood institutions in a metropolitan city. Three main themes emerged from this study: contribution to ‘individual’ ‘interpersonal’ and ‘learning processes.’ Feeling valued, taking responsibility, express themselves, listening, active involvement in learning process, motivation and interest for learning, self-evaluation and learning awareness were the categories under these themes. The results of this study highlighted that physical and social learning environments should be arranged, in-class and out-of-class interactions should be supported as well as through pre-service and in-service trainings teachers need to be trained about pedagogical documentation principles and practices in order to implement it in early childhood classrooms effectively.