Dokumentation og evaluering mellem forvaltning og pædagogik.

This purpose of this study is to examine the importance of documentation and evaluation in the daycare centre area.

Evaluation and documentation occur at daycare centres within two extremes. The one extreme is the evaluation and documentation (e.g. academic exchanges) that are overlooked and intertwined in the daily routines, while the other extreme includes the more noticeable and delimited form of documentation and evaluation that can typically to be linked to the pedagogical teaching framework. The latter
form of documentation shows - e.g. in the form of photographs or video footage - to a large extent 'happy and competent children' rather than the many minor confrontations, frustrations and defeats of everyday life, as well as attempts to circumvent all these. In this way the more organising and goal-oriented aspects in particular are conceptualised as well as verbalised, while many other issues are not being conceptualised. Moreover, it is almost always the children who are being documented, and very rarely the children who document or contribute to the documentation.
The study highlights the fact that both documentation as well as evaluation cannot be seen as neutral tools, but as tools that favour certain notions of pedagogical practices. The basis of the documentation and evaluation is therefore not immaterial. However, daycare centres experience documentation and evaluation as neutral tools, except at a few daycare centres where the staff emphasise that they use ‘storytelling' deliberately to create new perceptions and practices. In this case, documentation and evaluation tools are regarded as targeted tools for change: away from the neutral view.
Documentation and evaluation are used by the majority of those interviewed to profile their work. Some institutions use documentation and evaluation to create new perceptions and practices. The staff feel that when they work on documentation “it takes away time that should be used to work with children”. However, documentation and evaluation are also regarded as something good and positive that can help to profile the pedagogical work, and thus lead to a greater societal recognition of pedagogical professionalism and the profession. It can also result in increased professional awareness and reflection in the individual child carer.

The project was conducted in the period 1 June 2007 to 31 October 2008 and includes a qualitative study of nine daycare centres in three Danish municipalities. The data were collected through focus group interviews and one-to-one interviews with managers and staff at daycare centres in three municipalities. Furthermore, observations and policy analyses were carried out in the field.

Andersen, P. Ø., Hjort, K.; Schmidt, L. S. K. (2008). Dokumentation og evaluering mellem forvaltning og pædagogik. København: Københavns Universitet.