USE OF DEVELOPMENTAL CHECKLIST IN TEACHING AND LEARNING AT EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT LEVEL IN MAUN BOTSWANA

Abstract

Children’s assessment needs considerately selected formal and informal methodologies that measure specific features over several selected periods of time and in many different settings. The focus of the paper was to establish opportunities and challenges in the employment of the developmental checklist on how assessment can promote development and learning at the Early Childhood Development (ECD) level (3-5 years). The study applied Bronfenbrenner’s (1979, 1995) ecological model to gain an improved understanding of the interaction between factors in children’s biological, their immediate family/community environment and societal landscapes that stimulate and guide their development. A qualitative research approach and a case study design guided the process of this study. Interviews, observation, and document analysis were the tools used to collect data. Five Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres in Maun were randomly selected to be part of this study. Collected data were qualitatively presented, analyzed, and interpreted for the purposes of making informed decisions. Findings established that opportunities for assessment using the developmental checklist focus mainly on growth and development, rather than meeting predestined criteria or score that labels the learner as competent or incompetent. Also revealed by the study is that most educators focus on the result rather than the process and that, a lack of intervention strategies based on observation can deter progress. From the findings, it can be concluded that the use of a developmental checklist tool promotes learning and development in young children. The study, therefore, recommends that appropriate use of a developmental checklist in a well-prepared environment can cater for individual differences while at the same time promoting learning.