Self-Assessment as an Assessment Tool to Empower Student Voice in Early Childhood Education

Chua Jer Lin (MCT903, Aug 2024)

Introduction

As with educational reforms, there are changes in the preschool landscape, moving towards a play-based curriculum which focuses on purposeful play opportunities in the classroom (Mokhtar et al., 2021). As a result, more formative assessment tools have been utilized within the classrooms. In most cases, early educators relied on pedagogical documentation methods as atool in assessing children’s learning and development. Pedagogical documentation for the purpose of assessment includes children’s work samples, photographs, developmental reports and anecdotal/running records of observations (Chng et al., 2022). Using documentation, early educators and other stakeholders can form a mutual understanding of the pedagogy or curriculum that the children are engaged in (Rintakorpi, 2016; Chng et al., 2022).

The underlying assessment challenge of using pedagogical documentation within the Singapore’s preschool sector draws connections to some guiding questions: Have we been listening to the children’s voices? Are they provided with reflective practices for them to take a step back and celebrate how far they have progressed? Pedagogical documentations are carefully crafted with photographs and write-ups by early educators akin to sculpted reports, rarely including children’s voices and thought processes or examples of messy play activities in action. Chng et al. (2022) emphasize that the documentation is merely a form of a report to parents about the children’s learning from a teacher’s perspective, fulfilling the goal of showcasing the children’s work to ensure accountability for the children’s learning. This article taps on the potential of using self-assessment as an assessment tool within pedagogical documentation to further support young children voice in co-constructing their learning together with early educators, acknowledging their ability as communicators and empowering them to be an active participant of their learning during formative years (Tay-Lim & Lim, 2013). Specifically, this paper will draw on the existing scant literature to introduce ways early childhood students can be engaged in self-assessment practices. To that end, the paper outlines assessment in Singaporean preschool contexts, followed by a definition of self-assessment, student voice in self-assessment, and ways of engaging students in self-assessment practices. The paper ends with limitations and a brief conclusion.

Assessment in Preschool Context in Singapore

The preschool curriculum drives for learning through play, especially through purposeful play, which has been promoted as a vital approach for learning with preschoolers (Mokhtar et al., 2021). The curriculum differs from the structured, formal curriculum present in Primary or Secondary education, yet the skills that young students could learn from engaging in self-assessment connects with a key iTeach Principle – “Children as constructors of knowledge” (MOE, 2022, p.72), encouraging children to play an active role in learning and exploring the world around them. Some important skills that children can foster include self-regulation, developing a sense of agency as a learner, and confidence in their ability to learn and think (DeLuca et al., 2020; Fletcher, 2022; Wong, 2017).

In recent years, Ministry of Education (MOE) has proposed moving away from high-stakes examinations and towards assessment for learning (AfL) (Wong, 2016), where self-assessment and other formative assessments are slowly making an impact in the curriculum, especially within formal schooling. By introducing and providing opportunities for children to engage in self-assessment earlier, it would help children during the eventual transition with better support and through the continuity of learning.

What is Self-Assessment?

Self-assessment can be defined as a form of assessment or a reflective process where learners engage in reflection between the requirements of a task and their current learning abilities (Fletcher, 2022). Self-assessment encompasses a diverse range of techniques, resources and ways which learners can describe and assess their own learning process and individual works (Panadero et al., 2016). Through self-assessment, students would be able to engage in critical thinking and analysis to identify their own areas of strengths as well as areas of improvements when reflecting on their learning experiences or products.

Radović et al. (2023) further supports the definition of self-assessment as a mechanism to improve students’ learning by prompting teachers to provide individualized, specific, and timely feedback regarding a student’s performance and encouraging repeated refinements of self-assessment skills. The iterative process of refining self-assessment skills in learners is crucial to encourage children in taking ownership of their own learning and stepping into their roles as active participants through their educational journey as growing learners.

Research highlights that self-assessment contributes significantly to a student’s holistic development in many areas including communication, knowledge application, metacognition and self-regulation, all of which are essential for learners at all stages of life (DeLuca, 2020; Radovié, 2023; Wong, 2017; Yan et al., 2019). Tai et al. (2018) further highlights that effective self-assessment practices would improve students’ evaluative judgement – defined as having the ability to contribute to decision-making about the quality of work – which leads to better academic results and understanding of standards. Undeniably, learners would be able to engage in meaningful self-assessment through a supportive learning environment and with the crucial tools that provides them with opportunities for accurate representation of their progress. Self-assessment could provide that platform as a foundation for young learners to develop confidence in being active participants in their own learning.

Children’s voices through self-assessment

The Code of Ethics Handbook for Early Childhood Professionals by the Association for Early Childhood Educators (Singapore) states that early childhood professionals need to recognise that “every child is unique and has the right to express his/her ideas, thoughts and opinions” (2015) under Section 3 (1.2). The shift towards recognizing children as active participants in assessments aligns with key practices in early childhood, encouraging more opportunities for children to be contributors in their own learning.

Indeed, supporting children’s voices might be a challenging and difficult task (Sudarsan et al., 2022). However, children’s voices within assessment practices are essential to foster an inclusive and positive learning environment, where children are comfortable with expressing their views, thoughts and opinions (Tay-Lim, 2013). The active participation of children provides opportunities for educators to gain better insights into the child’s development.

Listening to the children’s voices has often been viewed as interlinked with the notion of involving children in “planning, assessment and decision-making” within early childhood to improve the standards of curriculum (Rintakorpi & Reunamo, 2017, p. 1612). Self-assessment would support the push for children’s voices, as children would feel more ownership of their learning within a developmentally appropriate environment, being more comfortable in critically reflecting about their work through multiple means and eventually build agency as learners (Warash & Workman, 2016, Fletcher, 2022). There would be room for growth and development, developing children’s socio-emotional skills by encouraging children to be more resilient and confident in their abilities.

How can children be engaged in self-assessment during early childhood education?

Opportunities for self-assessment

Opportunities for self-assessment should not be limited to only, for example, a written checklist or only within a structured activity. Warash and Workman (2016) suggests that children could also reflect on their play activities, where children are provided the opportunity to engage in planning their play through play journals. Leong and Bodrova (2012) support the idea of children planning their play through multiple means such as verbal prompts or role discussions with their peers. After carrying out their daily play plans, children could engage in reflective writing opportunities or verbal sharing sessions to think about the details of their plan, which also promote the children’s literacy development (Leong & Bodrova, 2012; Warash & Workman, 2016).

Strategies in the classroom

Some other strategies could include using verbal check-ins such as modifying exit cards, where early educators prepare three prompting questions to ask children and assist the children in writing down their answers or encouraging them to engage in inventive spelling. Early educators can involve children in simple self-assessment activities such as colouring the emotion that best describes how they are feeling and further extend the activity by encouraging children to engage in simple writing activities using guiding questions or prompts (e.g “Why do you feel that way?”/ “This is because…”).

Early educators could also embed self-assessment within play activities, such as prompting children to share verbally about the structure that they are building out of blocks or Legos, encouraging them to think about different skills or concepts using a visual checklist (e.g. “Did I use different types of blocks to build my structure?” or “Did I work with a friend today?”). Early educators can set up work-in-progress corners to prompt children to reflect on their structures and return to work on them when there are opportunities for free play.

Introducing rubrics

A key strategy in self-assessment is introducing the use of rubrics. In a study by Wong (2016), it was noted that students received instruction and guidance on the self-assessment rubrics. Having a rubric system in the classroom allows children to engage in self-assessment and critiquing their progress (Warash & Workman, 2016). Communicating a clear understanding of the assessment rubrics and metrics to children would allow them to have a better understanding of what is being measured and encourage them to work towards being active learners (Bulter, 2018).

The presence of rubrics coupled with effective instructional support from teachers indicates the opportunities for developing communication skills with children (Radović et al., 2023). Research has highlighted the impact of feedback and dialogue between teachers and children that improve student learning outcomes and motivation (Warash & Workman, 2016). In the early years setting, the development of communication skills may be visible by how children could become more vocal in sharing their thoughts, feelings and needs with their teachers. They might be participating actively in communicating with their peers about their thoughts during cooperative play or sharing with their teachers some areas where they might need further assistance with. These displays of communication are not limited with spoken communication, but also through non-verbal forms such as drawings, body language or movements.

Conclusion

Research has shown and proven self-assessment to contribute significantly to children’s holistic development, such as academics, communication and developing their abilities as independent learners. Reiterating the point mentioned above, this reflects the principles of iTeach listed within the NEL Framework, where children are recognised as constructors of knowledge (Ministry of Education, 2022). With opportunities, children would be able draw connections in learning and engage in practices such as reflecting or observing. Self-assessment could empower children to adopt an active role in their learning, reflecting on their own progress and constructing new knowledge or meaning making from these learning experiences.

There are ongoing debates that challenge how applicable self-assessment can be, and whether it is a sustainable assessment tool to assess children’s learning. Undoubtedly, incorporating self-assessment in the classroom resembles a longitudinal project that requires early educators to continually revise and revisit the process over an extended period, providing additional support for children with diverse needs. Yet, if children can recognise their ability to take charge of their learning with clarity about the learning objectives or standards through the development of age-appropriate and child-centered practices, the benefits would be substantial.

References

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