An Unclear Task? The Perspectives of Swedish Preschool and Special Needs Teachers on their Role in Assessing and Documenting Child Development.

The study investigates how kindergarten teachers and special needs teachers in Sweden perceive their own role and each other's role in kindergarten documentation and assessment practice. The study looks at the possible consequences of this perception, and the actions based on it, for children with special needs.

The results show that the roles of kindergarten teachers and special needs teachers regarding assessment and documentation, as described in the curriculum, are contradictory and challenging. Both occupational groups regarded assessing an individual child’s knowledge development by observing and documenting the group of children as problematic, and there was a wish for further training in assessment methods.

The data material consists of individual semi-structured interviews with seven special needs teachers and seven kindergarten teachers from different kindergartens and municipalities in Sweden.

Erlandsson, M., Gustavsson, C. & Karlsudd, P. I. (2021). "An Unclear Task? The Perspectives of Swedish Preschool and Special Needs Teachers on their Role in Assessing and Documenting Child Development". Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development, 32(2):30-50.