Portland State University PDXScholar Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses Fall 11-19-2019 Experiences of Early Childhood Educators Working with Teaching Strategies GOLD®: A Narrative Inquiry Sarah Kathryn Guyon Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds Part of the Curriculum and Instruction Commons, and the Early Childhood Education Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Guyon, Sarah Kathryn, "Experiences of Early Childhood Educators Working with Teaching Strategies GOLD®: A Narrative Inquiry" (2019). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 5336. https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.7209 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. Experiences of Early Childhood Educators Working with Teaching Strategies GOLD®: A Narrative Inquiry by Sarah Kathryn Guyon A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Education Leadership: Curriculum and Instruction Dissertation Committee: William Parnell, Chair John Nimmo Ingrid Anderson Jana Meinhold Portland State University 2019 © 2019 Sarah Kathryn Guyon ECE EXPERIENCES WORKING WITH TEACHING STRATEGIES GOLD® i Abstract Research regarding the effects of positive early childhood experiences on long term learning and success is drawing more attention to early childhood education programs than ever before. Promises on the federal and state level of better pay for early childhood educators and ‘high quality’ publicly funded early childhood education programs is an exciting and long-awaited vision by both families and early childhood educators. However, with federal and state funding comes the need for justification of those funds through different measurement structures. One of the widely used measurement structures is the Teaching Strategies GOLD® preformatted, portfolio style assessment system. Teaching Strategies GOLD® is an assessment system in which early childhood educators enter observations and documentation of children’s work and connect them to 38 pre-established, generic learning objectives to track children’s learning and development. The implementation of assessment systems such as Teaching Strategies GOLD® follows the Department of Education’s continuing aspiration of consistency and fidelity in publicly funded schools and education programs. There is considerable research that supports the use of the Teaching Strategies GOLD® assessment system as a valid and consistent way to rate young children’s growth and development. Yet there is a significant absence of the voices of the early childhood educators that are required by their place of practice to use the Teaching Strategies GOLD® assessment system. In this research, I explored the experiences of self-identified constructivist early childhood educators who are required by their place of practice to use the Teaching Strategies ECE EXPERIENCES WORKING WITH TEACHING STRATEGIES GOLD® ii GOLD® assessment system through the use of narrative inquiry, by giving these early childhood educators a chance to share their experiences in working with this system. Data and findings included a series of interactions including interviews, and reflective conversations with the three participants as well as an observation completed in their workspace. Data was interpreted using Clandinin and Connelly’s (2000) three commonplaces of narrative inquiry; the temporal commonplace, the sociality commonplace and the place commonplace. Conclusions drawn from this research indicated that practicing the Teaching Strategies GOLD® assessment system in early childhood programs can have a problematic impact on some of the ways in which self- identified constructivist early childhood educators worked with young children. These effects were most strongly noted during times in which Teaching Strategies GOLD® checkpoint dates were approaching for the educators. Additional conclusions signified that using Teaching Strategies GOLD® in early childhood programs affected the professional development opportunities offered by the programs. The professional development opportunities became centered on the use of Teaching Strategies GOLD®. Issues arose with early childhood educators’ perceptions of themselves as professionals. ECE EXPERIENCES WORKING WITH TEACHING STRATEGIES GOLD® iii Acknowledgements This work would not have been possible without the support and guidance of many individuals along the way. I am deeply grateful to my Dissertation Chair, Dr. Will Parnell. As I walked into the forest of this research, Will let me forge my own path without letting me get caught in the bogs or fall off any cliffs. Each time I started to get lost, he gently reminded me of my true beliefs by asking simple, direct questions. He trusted my insight, encouraged my process, and helped me sharpen my machete to clear out the undergrowth and find my pathway out of the forest. Thank you Will, for your guidance and humor through this process. I would also like to acknowledge the support of my Dissertation Committee, Dr. Ingrid Anderson, Dr. John Nimmo, and Dr. Jana Meinhold. I am grateful for their feedback during my proposal that helped me to develop a methodological system that amplified the voices of the participants. I would especially like to thank Dr. Ingrid Anderson who helped me find the right blend of research systems to support this work. Ingrid has been both a mentor and good friend as I begin my academic career. Thank you, Ingrid, for taking me under your wing, giving me access to so many new opportunities, and for being my friend. I am grateful for the participants in this research study. Your dedication to the research process, honesty, enthusiasm, and bravery are what made the implications of this study authentic and valuable. Thank you for your time and for sharing your experiences with me. You have been heard and you are valued. Additionally, I would like to thank my teammates in the classroom for the ECE EXPERIENCES WORKING WITH TEACHING STRATEGIES GOLD® iv majority of completing this dissertation, Becky Huber and Emily Bennet. I am so grateful for your flexibility with your work schedules, your enthusiasm for my studies, and your willingness to grow and learn alongside me. I am honored to consider you as friends. You are both wonderful early childhood education professionals, and I became a better teacher, student, and human in the time we worked together. I am grateful to the support I received from the families and children in my classroom as I started, designed, and completed this dissertation. Being with your children each day filled me with energy and joy. Your constant curiosity about my work and your encouragement helped me to stay focused on what was important and stay positive throughout the process. Nobody has been more important to me in the pursuit of this project than the members of my family. I would like to thank my father for always asking how it was going and keeping my feet to the fire and thank my mother who showed me through both words and actions that you are never too old to return to school or pursue your dreams. Mom, you were and are an inspiration to me. I would like to acknowledge the support of my older brother Wade, who understood the sometimes overwhelming consequences of thinking too much and helped me keep my sense of humor. I would also like to acknowledge the influence of my late younger brother Sam, whose kindness and respect for his children helped me to see children in a different and authentic way than I had before. Most importantly, I would like to thank my husband Matt for all of his encouragement and support. You believed in me when I barely believed in myself. You ECE EXPERIENCES WORKING WITH TEACHING STRATEGIES GOLD® v were always understanding in regard to my homework or research filled weekends and when I brought my laptop on our vacations. You have been my constant cheerleader, my port in the storm, and my sometimes-begrudging editor. Thank you so much for always having my back, I could not have become the person I am today without your love and support. ECE EXPERIENCES WORKING WITH TEACHING STRATEGIES GOLD® vi Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................ i Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iii List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... ix List of Figures ......................................................................................................................x Definitions of Key Terms and Concepts ............................................................................ xi Chapter One: Introduction ...................................................................................................1 Background of the problem ......................................................................................................... 6 Context of the Problem .......................................................................................................... 12 Validation of the Problem: ....................................................................................................