Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to investigate how teachers assess students’ portfolio in
the kindergarten classrooms. Qualitative approach was used to study how kindergarten
learners are assessed and how assessment results are being used by all concerned.
Observation, document analysis and semi-structured interview guide were used to
collected data and get answers to the research questions for result analysis. In this study,
two kindergarten (International and public) pre-schools were purposefully selected (to
assess or analyse whether equitable educational assessment was used or not), and two
well experienced teachers who were teaching and assessing students’ portfolio
participated or interviewed. This was done to reflect overall development of each
student in the kindergarten school over time. The results and findings in this study were
presented by making comparisons between the two selected kindergarten schools on
portfolio assessment (for learning). Thus, it was indicated that the International
kindergarten school has a well organised assessment of portfolio of students’ than in
the public. The public kindergarten school doesn’t meet the minimum quality standards
(set out clear expectations for what knowledge and skills early childhood learners
should have), and it was indicated that International kindergarten schools differ from
the public for making appropriate selection of instructional contents as compared to the
public. From this study, it is recommended that the regional government needs to
formulate criteria for assessment in regional level for kindergarten, update or upgrade
especially, public kindergarten schools and focus on some irregular practices used in
international kindergarten schools so as to have at least nearly the same footsteps in
early years education.