Assessing children’s psychosocial well-being: Norwegian early childhood education and care teachers’ challenges when completing a global screening tool

The study investigates challenges and dilemmas that can arise through the use of standardised screening tools in kindergarten, with a particular focus on the international tool UPSI-5 that indicates psychosocial well-being of five-year-olds. The research questions are: 1) In what ways do Norwegian kindergarten teachers find it challenging to complete a global screening tool for children’s psychosocial well-being? and 2) How do they respond to these challenges?

The study shows that the kindergarten teachers’ assessments are inextricably linked to the local kindergarten context, as well as the values, ideas and norms that are prevalent in the kindergarten environment. The results point to the importance of assessing variations in the cultural context and kindergarten tradition when standardised and universal systems for measuring and assessing children are used in kindergarten.

The researchers conducted individual semi-structured interviews with a total of 31 kindergarten teachers who had completed the UPSI-5 screening tool. The informants were from twelve randomly selected kindergartens in Central Norway. All participants had at least a bachelor’s degree within the field of early childhood education, and most were women. The analyses are based in particular on 19 of the interviews where the kindergarten teachers expressed challenges and critical reflections on UPSI-5.

Franck, K., Seland, M., Rimul, J., Sivertsen, A. H., & Kernan, M. (2022). Assessing children’s psychosocial well-being: Norwegian early childhood education and care teachers’ challenges when completing a global screening tool. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 14639491221133454.