Measuring children’s engagement in early childhood education and care settings: A scoping literature review

The study explores how children’s engagement in Swedish kindergartens is defined and measured in quantitative studies. The researchers wanted to map existing measurement instruments and theoretical frameworks used to understand children’s engagement in these settings. In addition, the study aimed to identify gaps and variations in the conceptualisation and operationalisation of engagement to support the development of more precise and valid methods. The research questions are:

1. How is child engagement in kindergartens and preschool environments conceptualised in quantitative empirical studies?
2. What type of measurement instruments for child engagement have been used in studies aimed at kindergartens and preschool environments?
3. What are the characteristics of the identified measurement instruments for child engagement?

The study uncovered major variations in how children’s engagement is defined and measured. While most studies used observations as a method, a minority utilised teacher assessments or questionnaires. Approximately two-thirds of the studies lacked explicit definitions of engagement. The results highlight that behavioural aspects are most prominent, while emotional and cognitive aspects are often underrepresented. The study encourages the development of new measurement tools and self-reporting techniques for children.

Through an extensive literature search in databases such as ERIC, PsycINFO, Scopus and the Web of Science, 5965 articles were evaluated. Of these, 286 studies were included after a systematic screening process based on criteria such as target group, setting and quantitative method. The data collection included analyses of definitions, theoretical frameworks and validated measurement instruments used in the studies.

Ritoša, A., Åström, F., Björck, E., Borglund, L., Karlsson, E., McHugh, E., & Nylander, E. (2023). Measuring children’s engagement in early childhood education and care settings: A scoping literature review. Educational psychology review, 35(4), 99.