Self-assessment in early childhood pedagogy: A mixed methods study of practices in Indonesia's ECE sector

Renti Oktaria, Hapidin, M. Syarif Sumantri, Yuli Rahmawati and Asep Supena
Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Indonesia

This mixed-methods study explored how self-assessment reveals early childhood teachers' strengths and weaknesses across the pedagogical stages of planning, implementation, and evaluation. Quantitative data were collected from 152 purposively selected teachers in Central Lampung, Indonesia (June to December 2024) using a four-point Likert-scale questionnaire administered via Google Forms and analysed descriptively (frequencies and means). Qualitative data were generated through semi-structured interviews with nine interviewees (two supervisors, three principals, and four teachers) and analysed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis, with triangulation across survey results, interviews, and relevant policy documents. Survey findings indicated stronger perceived competence in planning (M = 2.48; 49% "understand" and implementation (M = 2.67; 52%), but weaker competence in evaluation (M = 2.34; 56% "not understood/very unclear"). Interview data endorsed these patterns, underscoring structured lesson planning and adaptive media use as strengths, while limited autonomy, inconsistent pedagogical enactment, and low assessment literacy emerged as persistent barriers. Overall, self-assessment supported reflective diagnosis; however, sustained and targeted mentoring is needed, prioritising assessment and instructional follow-up, technology integration, and holistic play-based practice.
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Authors: Ms Renti Oktaria is a lecturer in the field of early childhood education. She teaches at the University of Lampung and is currently pursuing a doctoral program at Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Indonesia. Her research focuses on early childhood education teachers' pedagogical competence, information literacy, and early childhood education management. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3383-1455 Email: renti.oktaria@mhs.unj.ac.id Dr Hapidin is a lecturer in early childhood education at the Graduate School of Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Indonesia for over 30 years. His area of expertise is the development of curriculum and instructional models for early childhood education. His research interests include play-based curriculum. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3335-6495 Email: hapidin@unj.ac.id Prof. Dr Mohamad Syarif Sumantri is a professor at the Graduate School of Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Indonesia, for over 30 years. He is an expert in elementary education learning technology and focuses his research on curriculum development for elementary teacher education, learning technology, teacher motivation and professional competence. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2862-9826 Email: syarifsumantri@unj.ac.id Prof. Dr Yuli Rahmawati is a professor in Chemistry Education at the Graduate School of Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Indonesia. She is an expert in science education and chemistry learning technology. In this context, she teaches the qualitative research analysis course and has guided the first author in producing this paper. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1603-3320 Email: yrahmawati@unj.ac.id Prof. Dr Asep Supena is a professor of Educational Psychology for Children with Special Needs at the Graduate School of Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Indonesia. In this context, he is part of the teaching team for the qualitative research analysis course and has guided the first author in producing this paper. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4866-4290 Email: asupena@unj.ac.id Please cite as: Oktaria, R., Hapidin, Sumantri, M. S., Rahmawati, Y. & Supena, A. (2026). Self-assessment in early childhood pedagogy: A mixed methods study of practices in Indonesia's ECE sector. Issues in Educational Research, 36(1), 267-298. http://www.iier.org.au/iier36/oktaria.pdf