Equity Considerations When Collecting Data
There is a huge impact of directly collecting data from parents and children to inform learning and teaching in early childhood education. It is one of the best ways to embed cultural and multiple perspective in practices. However, collecting data from parents and children can be challenging and requires some considerations. Collect ing data from families: are we being sensitive? Family is considered the first teacher of a child, playing a crucial role in healthy development of children, their learning and sense of belonging. They also have rights to be involved in and make decisions for their children’s learning. Therefore, it is important to collect as much data as possible to inform planning and learning. Some parents are easier to approach and talk to than others, unfortunately; and sadly sometimes, complaints around the issue can be heard. It can be a cultural assumption such as “the child might be spoiled at home because he is from…”; it might be the comments about seeing pa