The Benefits and Barriers of Visual Data for Play-Based Kindergarten Assessment

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable Session 3:05 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Assessing Quality in Early Learning Programs (Table 1)

Abstract

This paper explores the use of visual data (VD), which is information captured through photos/videos, as an integrative play-based assessment tool. Data were collected through a survey completed by 95 Canadian kindergarten educators. Analysis revealed four benefits of VD for assessment: collection, evaluation, reflection, and communication. The most significant barrier to accessing these benefits was the time required to translate VD into meaningful assessment information. This barrier correlated to structural issues within associated learning management systems (apps), specifically, a lack of adequate features to integrate assessment and organize VD within the same platform. When addressing these issues in software development, an analysis of identified benefits and best practices of VD can provide a structure for practical frameworks to be created.

Authors

• Allison McCann, University of Toronto

• Angela Pyle, University of Toronto - OISE