Assessment in Hong Kong kindergartens

Assessment of young children has been an area where there have been many difficulties because of the special nature of learning in these early years. This study examined the procedures and methods of assessment of children used in kindergartens in Hong Kong. Through the use of questionnaires to 160 local kindergarten teachers followed by a structured group interview with 3 kindergarten principals, information was gathered on: (a) the aims of assessing children in kindergartens (b) the types of procedures used for assessing children (c) the areas of development and learning experience covered by various methods of assessment; and (d) the use to which the assessment information was put once it had been collected. Participants were also asked about their perceived difficulties and the support they needed in carrying out assessment of children. Copyright © 2004 Hawaii International Conference on Education.