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On he su ace and below : a genealogical look a he wa es o e alua ion in ea ly
childhood educa ion and ca e
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Siippainen, Anna; Pi känen, Hannele
Siippainen, A., & Pi känen, H. (2024). On he su ace and below : a genealogical look a he
wa es o e alua ion in ea ly childhood educa ion and ca e. Jou nal o Educa ion Policy, Ea ly
online. h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/02680939.2024.2344099
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On he su ace and below: a genealogical look
a he wa es o e alua ion in ea ly childhood
educa ion and ca e
Anna Siippainen & Hannele Pi känen
To ci e his a icle: Anna Siippainen & Hannele Pi känen (25 Ap 2024): On he su ace and
below: a genealogical look a he wa es o e alua ion in ea ly childhood educa ion and ca e,
Jou nal o Educa ion Policy, DOI: 10.1080/02680939.2024.2344099
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On he su ace and below: a genealogical look a he wa es
o e alua ion in ea ly childhood educa ion and ca e
Anna Siippainen
a
and Hannele Pi känen
b
a
Facul y o Educa ion and Cul u e, Tampe e Uni e si y, Tampe e, Finland;
b
Facul y o Educa ion and
Psychology, Uni e si y o Jy äskylä, Jy äskylä, Finland
ABSTRACT
The ise o e alua ion and da a in educa ion and educa ion policy is
a end mani es ing ac oss a wide a ie y o policy con ex s, holding
in i s g ip na ional and global policies, wi h impac s ha each he
le el o indi idual child en, eache s, and hei subjec i i ies. Ea lie
esea ch has mainly ocused on he phenomenon in neolibe al
con ex s. This a icle p esen s a case s udy o Finnish ea ly child-
hood educa ion and ca e (ECEC) policy discou se buil on a adi ion
o social democ a ic poli ical a ionali y and egali a ian alues. By
u ilizing E e Vedung’s me apho o e alua ion wa es, we examine
how he e alua ion end has in luenced he Finnish ECEC policy,
which has adi ionally been skep ical owa d he assessmen o
indi idual child en’s lea ning and skills and he p oduc ion and use
o da a o accoun abili y pu poses. In he genealogical eading o
ECEC cu icula and policy documen s om 2002–2021 as da a, we
iden i y h ee discu si e p ac ices – pa ne ship, pedagogiza ion,
and e idence wa e – ha ha e socio-his o ically con ibu ed o
he o ma ion o he p esen concep ion o e alua ion in he
Finnish ECEC policy discou se. Ou genealogical eading also
e eals a mo emen owa d in e na ional ends – e alua ing he
indi idual child’s skills – especially h ough he e idence wa e.
ARTICLE HISTORY
Recei ed 10 July 2023
Accep ed 12 Ap il 2024
KEYWORDS
Assessmen ; e alua ion;
ea ly childhood educa ion
and ca e; genealogy; Vedung
In oduc ion
In he sphe e o p e ailing ad anced libe al poli ical a ionali y and ela ed educa ional
policy p ac ices, e alua ion, assessmen , and da a in hei di e se o ms ha e gained
a sel -e iden and almos unques ioned ole in go e ning educa ion, educa ion policy-
making, and socie ies a la ge (Dahle -La sen, 2011; G imaldi, 2019; Rose, 1999; Smi h,
2016). This end, closely oo ed in neolibe al educa ion policy e o ms combining policy
echnologies o ma ke , manage ialism, and pe o ma i i y (Ball 2003), was i s adop ed
in he Uni ed S a es, he Uni ed Kingdom, and Aus alia in he 1980s and since hen
CONTACT Anna Siippainen [email p o ec ed] Facul y o Educa ion and Cul u e, Tampe e Uni e si y,
Kale an ie 4, 33014, Finland; Hannele Pi känen [email p o ec ed] Facul y o Educa ion and Psychology,
Uni e si y o Jy äskylä, Seminaa inka u 15, Jy äskylä 40014, Finland
The au ho s a e equally esponsible o he w i ing p ocess.
JOURNAL OF EDUCATION POLICY
h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/02680939.2024.2344099
© 2024 The Au ho (s). Published by In o ma UK Limi ed, ading as Taylo & F ancis G oup.
This is an Open Access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion License (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/
licenses/by/4.0/), which pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly
ci ed. The e ms on which his a icle has been published allow he pos ing o he Accep ed Manusc ip in a eposi o y by he au ho (s) o
wi h hei consen .
inc easingly by educa ion sys ems ac oss he globe (Ve ge e al., 2019). I has been
widely discussed unde ‘go e ning by numbe s’ (e.g. Ball, 2018), go e ning ‘a dis ance’
h ough da a and e alua ions (e.g. Ozga e al., 2011), he cul u e o pe o ma i i y (e.g.
Ball, 2003; Go e e al., 2023; Holloway and B ass, 2018) and es ing (Smi h, 2016),
da a ica ion o educa ion and educa ion go e nance (B adbu y and Robe s-Holmes,
2017; Ha dy, 2019, 2022; Ja ke and B ei e , 2019), and mo e gene ally unde he e alua-
ion socie y (Dahle -La sen, 2011; also Fu ubo and S ame, 2019; Vedung, 2010).
Following hese, Linga d and Sella (2013, 652) sugges ed ha (e alua ion) da a and
numbe s ha e become na u alized, e en as ‘a mos sensible medium o hinking abou
eaching and lea ning’.
The e alua ion and da a ends seem o ci cula e and a el ac oss educa ion sys ems.
I is s ongly p omo ed by powe ul ansna ional policy ac o s, such as he O ganiza ion
o Economic Co-ope a ion and De elopmen (OECD), using so go e nance echni-
ques, such as policy compa isons and ecommenda ions on e alua ion in hei ansna-
ional policy o ma ion (see, e.g. Ozga e al., 2011). Howe e , his mani es s di e en ly
depending on he na ional and local his o ies and social and poli ical con ex s o
educa ion sys ems (e.g. Kauko e al., 2018; Ve ge e al., 2019), and di e en le els o
educa ion om ea ly childhood educa ion (B adbu y and Robe s-Holmes, 2017) o
highe educa ion (see e.g. Ball, 2003; Holloway and B ass, 2018; Pia oe a, 2015). This
a icle is mo i a ed by he scien i ic cu iosi y abou how his end, widely epo ed in
con ex s ollowing neolibe al policy a ionali y (e.g. B adbu y, 2019a, b, Robe s-Holmes
and B adbu y, 2016), has come o be in he Finnish ea ly childhood educa ion and ca e
(ECEC) policy discou se. Acknowledging he Finnish adi ions o wel a is social demo-
c a ic educa ion and ea ly educa ion policies and child-cen e ed ECEC pedagogy ha
emphasize play o e child en’s educa ional pe o mance and assessmen (Ka ila, 2012),
he ques ion e iden ly esona es a beyond he Finnish con ex . Al hough he Finnish
educa ional and social policy con ex di e s om he neolibe al con ex s discussed in
ea lie esea ch, he analysis o he Finnish case p o ides addi ional nuances on he
in e play be ween local his o ies and p ac ices and global policy in luences in he shaping
o he a eling discou ses.
The e o e, ollowing genealogical me hodology and by using Finnish ECEC cu icula
and policy documen s since 2002 as da a, we di ec ou scien i ic cu iosi y owa d he
aims o shedding ligh on he kinds o en i ies and issues ha policy has con ibu ed o
he inc eased impo ance o da a and e alua ion
1
in he his o y o Finnish ECEC policy
discou se. We conside di e gence om he o me si ua ions in which (1) indi idual
child en o hei skills a e no e alua ed (Ac 540/2018), and in which (2) he educa ion
policy has been skep ical o e alua ions and he p oduc ion and use o da a, especially o
accoun abili y pu poses (Kauko e al., 2020; Sahlbe g, 2011; Wallenius, 2020).
(Da a) go e nance in ea ly childhood educa ion
A he co e o he ‘new mode o da a d i en a ionali y’ (Sella , 2015) – he cu en
phenomenon a ound he e alua ion and da a – lies he basic assump ion ha signi ican
imp o emen and be e men can be achie ed h ough and by e alua ion and da a,
especially when accompanied by he mechanisms o accoun abili y. This a ionali y has
pene a ed in o he discou ses and p ac ices o educa ion and educa ion go e nance om
2A. SIIPPAINEN AND H. PITKÄNEN
ansna ional o na ional and local le els (Siippainen e al., 2023; Ozga e al., 2011; also
Sahlbe g, 2016; Ve ge e al., 2019). Acco dingly, i is oo ed in he discou ses p e alen
in ansna ional o ganiza ions such as he OECD (e.g. 2013) and is clea ly mani es ed in
he cu en Eu opean educa ional policy discou se, highligh ing he impo ance o he
con inuous p ocesses o quali y assu ance and e alua ion (QAE), ope a ed a each le el o
educa ion sys ems, in imp o ing he quali y o educa ion. This is expec ed o aise he
global compe i i eness o economies and, he e o e, assu e be e u u e p ospec s o
Eu opean socie ies (Kauko e al., 2020; also Eu opean Commission/EACEA/Eu ydice,
2015).
Mani es ing he same e alua ion-d i en poli ical a ionali y, e alua ion and da a ha e
en e ed he e e yday li es o educa ional ins i u ions and he wo k o he p o essionals
and child en a ending hese ins i u ions wo ldwide. Nume ous s udies ha e epo ed on
he s eady g ow h o e alua ions aimed a inspec ing he pe o mance o schools and
eache s and he ela ed inc ease in demands o schools and p o essionals o con inu-
ously e alua e hemsel es and hei p ac ices and collec da a in he name o con inuous
imp o emen o quali y (Ball, 2016; Ga e , 2020; Holloway and B ass, 2018). This
demand is no only di ec ed owa d p o essionals bu also a ec s child en who a e
subjec ed o con inuous es ing o hei pe o mance (B adbu y, 2012; 2019b). The
esul s o hese e alua ions a e no only used o ack and e alua e child en’s indi idual
lea ning ou comes o p og ess bu a e also easoned as an indica ion o he e ec i eness
o he eaching and educa ional ins i u ion, and inally as a means o imp o ing he
s anda ds and quali y o educa ion (B adbu y, 2012; Kauko and Salokangas, 2015;
Oos e ho e al., 2023; Sahlbe g, 2016). Inc easingly, child en a e expec ed o e alua e
and moni o hemsel es and hei own lea ning (Pi känen, 2022a). Thus, hey a e
expec ed o imp o e hei lea ning esul s and pe o mance (And ade, 2019; And ade
and Val che a, 2009; Boud and Sole , 2016) o become be e lea ne s (Wya -Smi h and
Adie, 2021) and u u e ci izens ha ing abili y o c i ical sel - e lec ion and con inuous
sel -imp o emen – equi ed in he global knowledge economy (Pi känen, 2022a).
The abo e ins ances on e alua ion pa ly indica e he ex en o which he e alua ion
and da a-d i en a ionali y cu en ly ope a e in go e ning and shaping policymaking
om local o ansna ional le els and in he e e yday li es o indi iduals and g oups in
educa ional ins i u ions and socie ies a la ge. Using Foucaul ’s (1997) e ms, he idea o
go e ning and imp o ing educa ion, lea ning, and educa ed subjec s h ough he di e se
o ms and echniques o e alua ion and da a has become a p ac ice o u h and powe o
ou p esen .
How e alua ion and da a go e n he policies and e e yday p ac ices o educa ion has
become a majo opic o esea ch and has been ex ensi ely s udied a di e en le els o
educa ion ac oss educa ion sys ems. The main message o hese s udies, ollowing Ball’s
(2003, 2016) wo ding, is ha hese e o ms ‘does no simply change wha people, as
educa o s, schola s, and esea che s do, i changes who hey a e.’ Fo example, Holloway
and B ass (2018) indica ed how ma ke -o ien ed and manage ially based echniques and
e alua ion and accoun abili y policies no only in oduce new kinds o p ac ices o
educa ion and eaching bu indeed ha e an impac on ‘ eache s’ subjec i e exis ence’
and p o essional iden i y.
Al hough ends in e alua ion and da a go e nance ha e been widely acknowledged
and s udied om basic o highe educa ion, hey emain unde s udied and o e looked in
JOURNAL OF EDUCATION POLICY 3

he ield o ECEC (Ja ke and B ei e , 2019). We a gue ha his applies especially in he
case o coun ies and educa ion sys ems ha ha e been adi ionally non-complian o
neolibe al poli ical a ionali y: educa ion sys ems swimming agains he global ide (see
Kauko e al., 2020; Pi känen, 2023) – he global educa ion e o m mo emen (GERM)
(Sahlbe g, 2016). The GERM, albei mani es ed in con ex -speci ic and his o y- ela ed
ways ac oss coun ies and educa ion sys ems (Ve ge e al., 2019), sha es some unda-
men al unde pinnings, such as he adop ion o ma ke -based and manage ial solu ions,
and highligh s e alua ion and da a in o ganizing and go e ning educa ion. Fo example,
policy echnologies, such as school choice, school au onomy, compe i ion, ma ke -based
accoun abili y, and he ela ed use o quali y e alua ion and s anda dized la ge-scale
es ing, a e o en ound a he co e o he GERM (Sahlbe g, 2016; Ve ge e al., 2019).
Thus, exis ing esea ch ocusing on go e ning h ough e alua ion and da a in ECEC
has o en, albei no exclusi ely (e.g. Paananen, 2017), ound hei esea ch con ex in he
coun ies ollowing he GERM and ‘neolibe al poli ical a ionali y.’ Fo example, he e is
an ex ensi e and pionee ing body o li e a u e on da a ica ion on ECEC in he con ex o
England (B adbu y, 2019a; B adbu y and Robe s-Holmes, 2017; Pie lejewski, 2020;
Robe s-Holmes, 2015; Robe s-Holmes and B adbu y, 2016). In line wi h he esea ch
examining he phenomenon o he e alua ion and da a in he o he le els o educa ion –
in p ima y and seconda y educa ion (Ball, 2003; Ga e , 2020; Holloway 2019; Holloway
and B ass, 2018; O’Neill, 2015) and highe educa ion (Pia oe a, 2015; Su, 2022; Selwyn
and Gaše ić, 2020; Williamson e al., 2020), hese s udies ha e indica ed he undamen al
impac o inc eased eliance on e alua ion and da a on he ECEC policy, educa ional
p ac ice, expe ience, and subjec i i ies o hose in ol ed. Fu he , B adbu y (2019a)
epo ed on he ECEC-speci ic impac s o hese policies, such as he inc eased o maliza-
ion and ela ed schooli ica ion o ECEC and lea ning o young child en. ECEC has
become pa o a chain o e alua ions ha e alua es child en om ECEC un il he end o
school (Robe s-Holmes and B adbu y, 2016) and all he way in o wo king li e. These
changes a e no pu ely e o ms ha change educa ional p ac ices and ways o doing
hings in educa ional ins i u ions. Ins ead, hey ha e undamen al impac s on bo h
child en and p o essionals, as hey cons i u e and call o ‘da a-d i en subjec i i ies o
bo h eache and child’ (B adbu y, 2019a, 7). The e o e, he e alua ions and da a
p omo ed by e o ms no only desc ibe child en bu also, desc ibe, shape, and cons i u e
child en’s iden i ies, eelings, and expe iences acco ding o p e ailing a ionali ies (Ball,
2003, 2016; Holloway, 2019; Holloway and B ass, 2018; O’Neill, 2015; Sella , 2015).
In his a icle, we a gue ha he e alua ion, da a-and pe o mance-d i en policies,
p ac ices, and a ionali ies in ECEC a e no limi ed o con ex s ollowing neolibe al
poli ical a ionali y bu a e inc easingly expe ienced in hose adi ionally commi ed
o social democ a ic poli ical a ionali y and egali a ian alues such as No dic coun ies
(e.g. Camphuijsen e al., 2021). Second, hey no only exceed educa ion ha has selec i e
unc ion bu also ECEC, which has adi ionally emphasized play a he han educa ional
esul s and pe o mance. To pinpoin hese, he a icle aims o p o ide a his o ically
in o med accoun o how his end o e alua ion and da a has come o be in he case o
Finnish ECEC, which has adi ionally swum agains global GERM and emphasized
child en’s pa icipa ion and play ins ead o lea ning esul s. Employing a pos s uc u al
genealogical me hodology, his a icle analyzes he socio-his o ical cons i u ion and
mobiliza ion o ou cu en unde s anding, a cu en p ac ice o u h, whe e e alua ion
4A. SIIPPAINEN AND H. PITKÄNEN
and da a play a signi ican ole in he go e ning educa ion and subjec i i ies o hose
in ol ed. We examine he descen and mobiliza ion o he a ionali y and p ac ices o
go e ning by e alua ion and da a in Finnish ECEC policy discou se, which has i s socio-
his o ical oo s deeply in he socio-democ a ic wel a e adi ion. Ou esea ch ques ion
is: How has he p esen concep ion o e alua ion been socio-his o ically shaped in he
Finnish ea ly childhood educa ion policy discou se?
Finnish ECEC policy and e alua ion in he in e na ional amewo k
Following he adi ional No dic wel a e policy model, Finland can be cha ac e ized as
a social se ice s a e. This means ha social se ices, including educa ion and childca e
se ices, a e uni e sally p o ided and a ailable o all (An onen and Sipilä, 2000). In
1972, Finland implemen ed dayca e as a public social se ice, p o iding childca e o
wo king pa en s, especially mo he s. In he mid-1990s, dayca e was made an uncondi-
ional igh o each child (Ac 882/1995). Since 2015, dayca e se ices ha e been called
‘ea ly childhood educa ion and ca e’ (Ac 540/2018), e lec ing he changing policy
a en ion owa d he child’s igh o a end quali y ECEC
2
(see Siippainen e al., 2022).
The change om dayca e o ECEC also e lec s he in e na ional end, in which dayca e
and ECEC a e inc easingly conside ed an educa ion and acco dingly a pa o he p ocess
o li elong lea ning (Ac 540/2018; FNAE, 2021; Ka ila 2012).
As wi h he educa ion sys em in gene al, Finnish ECEC has ecen ly aced inc easing
demands o e alua ion. Cu en ly, ECEC and o he educa ional ins i u ions and se ice
p o ide s – mos ly municipali ies bu especially in he ield o ECEC also p i a e
o ganiza ions – a e equi ed by law o conduc sel -e alua ions and pa icipa e in
ex e nal e alua ions. The equi emen s o sel -e alua ion and ex e nal e alua ions
we e i s in oduced in basic educa ion in he 1990s as pa o New Public Managemen -
o ien ed e o ms, including he decen aliza ion and de egula ion o educa ion go e n-
ance. In he e o m, he adi ional school inspec ion sys em was abolished and eplaced
by demands o sel -e alua ions and na ional sample-based ex e nal e alua ions. These
e alua ion equi emen s we e adop ed by he Basic Educa ion Ac (628/1998) and
simila ly, in ECEC in he mid-2010s, by he Ea ly Educa ion Ac (540/2018), cu en ly
cons i u ing he main co e and elemen s o Finnish ECEC e alua ion policy and p ac ice.
The cu en sel -e alua ion equi emen applies o educa ion p o ide s, schools, and
ECEC ins i u ions. Howe e , he e a e no p ede e mined na ional models o sel -
e alua ion. Ins ead, educa ion p o ide s, schools, and ECEC ins i u ions ha e g ea
au onomy in conduc ing he equi ed sel -e alua ions. The Finnish Educa ion
E alua ion Cen e (FINEEC) is esponsible o he ex e nal e alua ion o educa ion,
and educa ional p o ide s a e equi ed o pa icipa e by law. FINEEC ca ies ou
e alua ions a all educa ional le els, and wi h he Ac on Ea ly Childhood Educa ion
(540/2018), FINEEC has s a ed e alua ing ECEC. E alua ions ca ied ou by FINEEC
a e based on he p inciple o enhancemen -led e alua ion (FINEEC, 2022) emphasizing
he us be ween he implemen e and pa icipan and he educa ion p o ide ’s espon-
sibili y o enhance i s ac i i ies. The e o e, ins ead o a cul u e o inspec ion es ing on
hie a chical moni o ing, con ol, and disciplina y powe , he enhancemen -led e alua-
ion cul u e mani es s he ope a ion o so powe elying on he sel -go e nance o he
go e ned (see Pi känen, 2023). To build he capaci ies o he sel -go e nance o local
JOURNAL OF EDUCATION POLICY 5
ECEC p o ide s and ac o s, FINEEC, also esponsible o suppo ing he de elopmen o
he local quali y e alua ion cul u e (Ac 580/2015), has published guidelines and ecom-
menda ions o local sel -e alua ion and quali y managemen (Vlaso e al., 2019).
Recen ly, FINEEC, in coope a ion wi h he Minis y o Educa ion and Cul u e (MOE),
has implemen ed a digi al quali y e alua ion sys em ha can be used o collec in o ma-
ion and p oduce analyses ha suppo he de elopmen o ECEC a bo h he local and
na ional le els.
As indica ed abo e, oday, he e alua ion sys em and p ac ices in ECEC and o he le els
o educa ion sha e many common p inciples and policy g ounds. Despi e his and he
cu en emphasis on ECEC as one phase in o mal educa ion, he e is a majo di e ence in
he e alua ion cul u e be ween ECEC and school ins i u ions. Whe eas one o he main oci
o e alua ion in educa ion in gene al is on pupils’ pe o mance and skills (FNAE, 2021), he
e alua ion in ECEC, in i s sho ins i u ional his o y in Finland, has ocused on pedagogical
ac i i ies and lea ning en i onmen s ins ead o he indi idual child’s skills and lea ning. I
emains o be seen whe he his Finnish policy p inciple emains in ac , as he end in
some coun ies heads owa d he ea ly assessmen o child skills and compe ences
(B adbu y, 2019a, b; B adbu y and Robe s-Holmes, 2017; Gi z-Johansen, 2011). The
same ques ion conce ns he p inciple o local au onomy in sel -e alua ion and quali y
managemen . The p inciple is inc easingly being ques ioned and aced by he ising policy
p essu es owa d mo e s anda dized local e alua ion and quali y managemen p ac ices,
he e o e esembling in e na ional policy ends (Finnish Go e nmen , 2021). In hese wo
senses, he Finnish e alua ion policy in ECEC has un coun e o he global GERM and i s
s anda dized, da a-d i en, pe o mance- ocused a ionali ies and ela ed p ac ices
(B adbu y, 2019a; Robe s-Holmes, 2015; Selwyn, 2015). Thus, he po en ial o policy
ans o ma ion makes he Finnish ECEC policy discou se an in e es ing case o analysis.
Resea ch ma e ial
The s udy used Finnish ECEC cu icula and policy documen s om 2002–2021. This was
he pe iod when he idea o e alua ion en e ed and became consolida ed in o he s udied
na ional-le el ECEC policy discou se. A he na ional le el, e alua ion was s ongly
in oduced in he policy p ocess (MOS 2002), leading o he p epa a ion o he i s
Na ional Co e Cu iculum o Ea ly Childhood Educa ion in 2003 (S akes, 2003/2005).
The selec ion o he esea ch ma e ial was inclusi e o all key legisla ion and i s p e-
pa a o y go e nmen al documen s, as well as cu icula documen s, du ing he esea ch
pe iod, ep esen ing he e y co e o he s udied Finnish ECEC e alua ion policy
discou se.
The esea ch documen s (n = 13), which a e desc ibed in Figu e 1 abo e as a imeline,
included G een Pape s (Educa ion and Cul u e Commi ee epo s ECCR), p epa a o y
cu iculum documen s (MOS 2002), Whi e Pape s (Go e nmen ’s p oposals GP), Ac s,
and Na ional Co e Cu icula o ECEC and wo-yea p e-p ima y ials.
Genealogical eading o Finnish ECEC e alua ion policy discou se wa es
The me hodological s andpoin o his esea ch is inspi ed by Foucauldian genealogy,
also known as he his o y o he p esen . Genealogical esea ch akes as i s esea ch objec
6A. SIIPPAINEN AND H. PITKÄNEN
an issue, idea, o p ac ice ha we cu en ly conside no mal and sel -e iden and,
he e o e, unques ioned and na u al. The genealogy un a els and p oblema izes his sel -
e idence by s udying he descen and socio-his o ical cons i u ion o hese ideas and
p ac ices by ocusing on hei eme gence, mobiliza ion, ans o ma ion, and disappea -
ance (Ande son, 2015; Ch is ensen, 2016; Foucaul , 1977; Tamboukou, 1999). This
means ha genealogy no ices he his o ici y o ou cu en no ions and cap u es he
cu en sel -e idence as con ingen and sociohis o ically cons uc ed e en s o his o y
a he han na u al elemen s o ou social and poli ical wo ld.
Genealogy o en ope a es in h ee analy ical dimensions: knowledge, powe , and
subjec (e.g. Heikkinen e al., 1999; Mahon 1992). In he dimension o knowledge, ou
ocus is on socio-his o ically changing discu si e p ac ices. We e e o Foucaul ’s, (2013/
1969 no ion o discu si e p ac ices as socio-his o ically cons i u ed p ac ices o discou se
and knowledge, which o ganize and shape he hinking and conduc o people and
socie y (also Bacchi and Bonham, 2014). The e o e, ideas, concep s, and p ac ices
ocused on analysis a e no conside ed sepa a e om each o he bu a he ela ed and
pa o some wide sys em o easoning and p ac icing in he social and poli ical wo ld
(Foucaul , 2013/1969/1969). In o he wo ds, each analyzed discu si e p ac ice has i s
own speci ic bu cohe en sys em o easoning, concep ualizing, and o ganizing educa-
ion and i s go e nance and ela ed p ac ices.
Inspi ed by E e Vedung’s (2010) me apho o e alua ion wa es, desc ibing he
his o ically changing idea and oles o e alua ion in socie y om he 1960s onwa d,
we illus a e he analyzed discu si e p ac ices as socio-his o ically changing e alua ion
wa es. Du ing he esea ch pe iod, new wa es (discu si e p ac ices) eme ged and
de eloped, whe eas o he s diminished hei ole in he s udied ECEC policy discou se.
Al hough Vedung’s own app oach was no genealogical, he idea o he wa e is
illus a i e o how changing discu si e p ac ices ans o m h ough ime. As a new
wa e eme ges, i b ings new wa e om he sea, con aining new ideas, concep s, and
p ac ices, bu i is mixed wi h he wa e ha has landed ea lie . The wa e also
includes unde cu en s ha low and pene a e he wa es. Thus, in he swi ls o
1973…
2002…
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
Na ional Co e
Cu iculum o
Ea ly Childhood
Educa ion (2003)
Na ional Co e
Cu iculum o Ea ly
Childhood
Educa ion (2018)
Na ional Co e
Cu iculum o
Two-Yea P e-
p ima y Educa ion
T ial (2021)
Na ional Co e
Cu iculum o P e-
P ima y Educa ion
(2014)
Ac 580/2015
Na ional Co e
Cu iculum o Ea ly
Childhood
Educa ion (2016)
GP341/2014;
ECCR29/2014
Ac 36/1973
GP40/2018;
ECCR5/2018;
Ac 540/2018
GP149/2020;
ECCR11/2020;
Ac 1046/2020
G een Pape on
ECEC (MOS
2002)
Figu e 1. Resea ch ma e ial.
JOURNAL OF EDUCATION POLICY 7
wo ideas in he Finnish ECEC policy discou se: one ha emphasizes he e alua ion as
a ool o indica ing he e ec i eness o he policy ial, and he o he ha highligh s he
ole o ECEC in de eloping child en’s sel -assessmen skills. As he call o e idence on
ECEC h ough e alua ion is ound a he co e o he wa e, we call i an e idence wa e.
In he ial, jus i ied by he policy aim o making ‘educa ion mo e equi able by
encou aging mo e child en o pa icipa e in p e-p ima y educa ion as pa o ECEC’
(MOE 2023), app oxima ely 15,000 i e-yea -olds we e obliged by law (Ac 1046/2020)
o pa icipa e in wo-yea p e-p ima y educa ion ins ead o one-yea educa ion. Thus, he
ial can be in e p e ed as a policy esponse o a deba e and ela ed policy conce n abou
he low en ollmen o child en in ECEC in Finland in compa ison wi h o he No dic o
OECD coun ies (OECD, 2018; 2019a; 2020), which in u n ansla ed in o a conce n
abou educa ional equali y. The ial was also aimed a de eloping he quali y and
e ec i eness o p e-p ima y educa ion om o he angles. Fo example, he policy in e es
is di ec ed owa d he con inui y and ansi ions be ween ECEC, p e-p ima y educa ion,
and ini ial eaching; choices gua dians make ega ding ECEC and childca e se ices; and
he impac o wo-yea p e-p ima y educa ion on child en’s lea ning and social skills and
on he building o heal hy sel -es eem (GP149/2020; ECCR11/2020).
As he p e-p ima y educa ion e o m was in oduced as a ial, i was accompanied by
a ela ed expe imen al se ing aimed a demons a ing i s impac and e ec i eness.
Whe eas ea lie Finnish discou se had been highly suspicious owa d measu ing indi i-
dual child en’s skills and lea ning in ECEC (GP341/2014; ECCR29/2014), now, unde he
guise o ial and i s policy in en ion o inc easing educa ional equali y, he measu emen
o de elopmen al and lea ning condi ions, social skills, and sel -es eem o indi idual
child en’s eached he ECEC legisla ion wi hou dispu e (Ac 1046/2020; also ECCR11/
2020; GP149/2020). Ne e heless, some con adic ions seem o emain in ECEC policy
discou se. Namely, con inuing he a ionali y mani es ed in he ea lie ECEC policy
discou se, he cu iculum se o he ial (FNAE, 2021, 38) con inued o ou line ha
‘ he cu iculum objec i es a e se o educa ion, no o he lea ning o indi idual child en.’
Following his easoning, he e alua ion was di ec ed owa d he educa ional en i on-
men and pedagogy a he han he esul s o he child en’s lea ning (FNAE, 2021).
Con a y o his, he ial legisla ion inse ed he idea o measu ing child en in he mood
o enabling scien i ic examina ion and demons a ing he e ec i eness o he ial:
The body conduc ing he ollow-up and e alua ion o he ial can commission necessa y
e alua ions o child en in he a ge g oup o examine he ealiza ion o he pu pose o he
ial, o moni o he de elopmen o he child’s de elopmen al and lea ning condi ions,
social skills, and he child’s heal hy sel -es eem. (Ac 1046/2020)
Thus, he child, posi ioned as a pa icipa ing lea ne by he pedagogiza ion wa e, is
ans o med owa d an assessed and examined child along he e idence wa e. The
mixing o ‘wa e ’ ha landed ea lie , cons i u es a signi ican change in he his o y o
ECEC policy discou se, mani es ing a endency owa d he schooli ica ion o assessmen
and e alua ion in ECEC. This is also suppo ed by he in oduc ion o he ela ed p ac ice
o child en’s sel -e alua ion in he ial cu iculum:
P e-p ima y school educa ion de elops he p e equisi es o sel -assessmen o child en.
Child en a e encou aged o desc ibe wha hey like in p e-p ima y school, whe e hey eel
hey ha e succeeded and wha hey would like o lea n in he u u e. [–] Du ing he lea ning
14 A. SIIPPAINEN AND H. PITKÄNEN

pa h o child en, he g adually e ol ing sel -assessmen skills a e pa o he lea ning skills.
(FNAE, 2021, p. 39)
The e o e, in he e idence wa e, an ECEC-aged child wi h ce ain skills and lea ning is
no only cons i u ed as an assessed objec bu also posi ioned as a sel -e alua i e
subjec . This ans o ma ion is ollowing de elopmen s in he ield o comp ehensi e
educa ion, whe e, in line wi h he cons uc i e and sel - egula ed lea ning heo ies, and
he swi l he o li e-long lea ning, he pupil sel -e alua ion has ound i s way in o he
co e o pupil assessmen policy discou se and p ac ice since he 1990s (Ac , 628/1998;
§22; FNAE, 1994; Pi känen, 2022a), also in p e-p ima y educa ion since 2014 (FNAE,
2014). Now, his p ac ice o child sel -e alua ion and i s ela ed posi ion o sel -
e alua i e pupil subjec s also en e s ECEC policy discou se, as sel -e alua ion skills
a e conside ed an elemen a y pa o he lea ning skills p ac iced in wo-yea p e-
p ima y educa ion.
Al hough he hi d wa e aises he child as an e alua ed objec jus i ied by he ials’
aims, and also as a sel -e alua i e subjec , he discou se emains almos o ally silen on
e alua ing he impac s o ial on he child. This is only b ie ly add essed in he Educa ion
and Cul u e Commi ee’s G een Pape in esponse o he go e nmen ’s Whi e Pape , as
s a ed:
The child impac assessmen mus , using a a ie y o me hods, examine he opinions o all
child en in ol ed in he expe imen and ake hem in o accoun in decision-making bo h
du ing and a e he expe imen . Enabling he pa icipa ion o child en is a key pa o
ensu ing he ealiza ion o he igh s o he child and he bes in e es s o he child.
(ECCER11/2020)
Howe e , his claim o he child impac assessmen on ial is igno ed in he inal
legisla ion (Ac 1046/2020). This is no ewo hy, as he policy discou se emphasizes ha
child en mus lea n sel -assessmen skills, bu he s a e does no ha e o demons a e
child impac assessmen when i comes o he ial. The e o e, unde he e idence wa e,
unlike Vedung’s no ion o i , no only is he impo ance o demons a ing e ec i eness
emphasized, bu he wa e also mani es s he idea o sel -e alua i e child en esponsible
o hei own lea ning and u u e.
Ma ks on he sho eline? Concluding ema ks
This a icle has been inspi ed by scien i ic cu iosi y abou he en i ies and issues in
he his o y o Finnish ECEC policy discou se ha ha e con ibu ed o he inc eased
impo ance o da a and e alua ion in he Finnish ECEC ield, adi ionally empha-
sizing child-cen e ed ECEC pedagogy and play o e child en’s lea ning ou comes
(Ka ila, 2012). In he genealogical eading o he esea ch ma e ial, using a se o
ECEC cu icula and policy documen s as da a, we iden i ied h ee socio-his o ically
changing discu si e p ac ices – e alua ion wa es, ollowing he me apho by E e
Vedung (2010) – ha ha e been con ibu ing o he o ma ion and ise o he
p esen concep ion and ela ed p ac ices o e alua ion in he Finnish ea ly child-
hood educa ion policy discou se. We called hese e alua ion wa es pa ne ship,
pedagogiza ion, and e idence wa es. Ou analyses show ha hese wa es ha e been
JOURNAL OF EDUCATION POLICY 15
o ma ed a he in e sec ion o na ional and global policy lows, swi ls, and unde -
cu en s. To summa ize he indings, we nex e lec each o hese wa es h ough
he genealogical axes o knowledge, powe , and subjec , as encapsula ed in he
ollowing igu e (Figu e 2).
The i s e alua ion wa e, he pa ne ship wa e, en e ed a he u n o he 21s cen u y,
mobilizing he idea o quali y e alua ion in he s udied Finnish ECEC policy discou se
and ela ed p ac ice. The ise o he wa e was suppo ed by he global swi l o manage ial
a ionali y and p ac ices landing as ly he Finnish public sec o , including ECEC, along
wi h he in oduc ion o New Public Managemen -o ien ed e o ms in he mid-1990s
(e.g. Ba dy, Salmi and Heino, 2002; Kauko e al., 2018; Ou inen and Lindq is , 1999). The
wa e was also shaped by he adi ional Finnish and No dic social-democ a ic unde -
cu en emphasizing egali a ian alues such as social equali y and collec i e sha ed
esponsibili y o he wellbeing o all ci izens (e.g. Ka ila, 2012). Thus, i was a he
in e sec ion o hese lows – he social democ a ic unde cu en and global manage ialis
swi l – unde which he i s wa e eme ged and s a ed o shape.
Along he pa ne ship wa e, ECEC became easoned as a dayca e se ice ha should
espond o he needs and quali y expec a ions o amilies, cons i u ing he co e a ionali y
o he wa e. Mixing he adi ional social democ a ic and eme ging manage ial ideas and
easoning, he amilies’ in ol emen , collabo a ion, and educa ional pa ne ships
be ween pa en s and dayca e pe sonnel we e highligh ed. Pa en s we e hen posi ioned
as educa ional pa ne s in he double sense: as subjec s educa ionally collabo a ing wi h
Wa es &
Genealogical
axes
WAVE1: Pa ne ship WAVE3: E idence
Knowledge/
ECEC as dayca e se ice ECEC as a chain in he li elong
lea ning
Powe /
echniques
In ol ing pa en s in
ool in p o essional
de elopmen and quali y
managemen
ool o de elop pedagogy; e iciency—assessmen o
child en’s skills;
De eloping child en’s sel -
Subjec /
Nu sed child;
pa ne s;
lea ne ; In o med pa en s;
expe s
child
2010s
2000s- 2020s-
Figu e 2. E alua ion wa es and genealogical axes.
16 A. SIIPPAINEN AND H. PITKÄNEN
he pe sonnel, he child being hei sha ed in e es and objec o ca e, bu also as subjec s
o being cus ome s o ECEC se ices whose needs he se ices should espond o. Along
he wa e, he echniques and p ac ices o quali y e alua ion, including cus ome su eys,
quali y c i e ia, and he p ac ice o con inuous sel -e alua ion, documen a ion, and
imp o emen o ac i i ies by ECEC p o essionals and dayca e cen e s, we e in oduced.
Mo eo e , by inse ing hese echniques and ela ed easoning, he idea o sel -go e ning
ECEC cen e s was consolida ed and he sel -e alua i e and sel -go e ning ECEC p o es-
sional subjec i i y mobilized. In his way, he go e ning o ECEC was ans o med om
adi ional bu eauc a ic egula ion and ule owa d go e ning a a dis ance inc easingly
elying on he sel -go e nance o he go e ned (Pi känen, 2023) – he idea o go e ning
s ill p e ailing.
Du ing he second wa e, he pedagogiza ion wa e, which landed in he 2010s, he ole and
ex en o e alua ion inc eased and conque ed new a enas. As pa o he majo e o ms in
ECEC, e alua ion became obliga o y by law and cu iculum. The e alua ion became di ec ed
a a mo e di e se ange o issues – including da a gene a ed by e alua ions ha can be linked
wi h da a ica ion de elopmen – ollowing inc easing amoun s o e alua ion and assessmen
in he ield o ECEC (e.g. Paananen and G ieshabe , 2022). Mos signi ican ly, du ing he
pedagogiza ion wa e, he a ionali y unde lying ECEC became ans o med. A ha poin ,
ECEC was p ima ily easoned as a chain in he p ocess o li elong lea ning o he child a he
han as a dayca e se ice o e ed o amilies. The e o e, unde he pedagogiza ion wa e, he
emphasis on amilies’ and child en’s igh o dayca e se ices ans o med owa d highligh ing
child en’s igh o lea n in ECEC bu also engage and pa icipa e in ma e s conce ning
hemsel es. These emphases s ongly e lec he idea o li elong lea ning, which is widely
sp ead in in e na ional educa ional policy discou ses (e.g. OECD, 2019b), in e sec ing wi h
he Child en’s igh con en ion. Following he changing a ionali y, he e alua ion was
p ima ily conside ed a pedagogic echnique o planning and assessing pedagogical ac i i ies
and he lea ning en i onmen s o ECEC ins i u ions ins ead o moni o ing cus ome sa is ac-
ion. Unde hese a ionali ies, new kinds o subjec i i ies eme ged. The ole o pa en s
ans o med om being educa ional pa ne s o being in o med gua dians o he child.
Ins ead, he child became conside ed a li elong lea ne wi h a pa icipa o y ole in one’s
educa ion and he e alua ion o ECEC ac i i ies. The ECEC pe sonnel, in u n, became
posi ioned as educa ional expe s who used e alua ion and assessmen as a pedagogical
echnique. Following his, he key ole o ECEC p o essionals in e alua ion was sedimen ed
in o he discou se.
The hi d wa e, he e idence wa e, was pushed o wa d by he ampli ying unde cu en
shaped by he neolibe al mains eam ha landed he educa ion sys ems ac oss he globe.
Along wi h his neolibe alism-inspi ed unde cu en landing in he Finnish ECEC ield oo,
he idea o e alua ion as a p ac ice o assessing he pe o mance and skills o indi idual
child en was in oduced. While his p ac ice had been esis ed ea lie by he Finnish ECEC
policy discou se, unde he p e-p ima y educa ion ial accompanied by he need o
demons a e he e ec i eness o wo-yea p e-p ima y educa ion, he measu emen o
indi idual child en’s skills and sel -es eem en e ed he policy discou se and legisla ion.
These ans o ma ions in policy and p ac ice e lec a s ep owa d a new kind o a ionali y
and easoning o ECEC, unde which ECEC is inc easingly conside ed a pa o he o mal
educa ion sys em p o iding educa ional capi al o socie y in he con ex o he global
economy. Gi en his easoning, he e idence on he e icien unc ioning o he educa ion
JOURNAL OF EDUCATION POLICY 17
sys em, ea ly educa ion as pa o , has ecei ed inc easing a en ion in he discou se. In he
ea lie li e a u e, he end called he schooli ica ion o ECEC has been widely epo ed in
neolibe al educa ional con ex s (e.g. B adbu y, 2019a).
Consequen ly, unde he e idence wa e, e alua ion is no longe exclusi ely a pedagogical
ask o ECEC p o essionals. Ra he , i is also ca ied ou na ionally, wi h a ocus on indi idual
child en, o a ain esea ch-based e idence on he e ec i eness o he ECEC policy ial in
suppo ing educa ional poli ical decision-making. While he discou se shapes he o ien a ion
owa d e alua ion owa d an idea o e idence, he emphasis on li elong lea ning aised by
he second wa e con inues o be highligh ed. Following his, he idea and p ac ice o child en’s
sel -e alua ion eme ged in he discou se. The easoning sedimen ed in he Finnish basic
educa ion assessmen cul u e and cu iculum since he la e 1990s (Pi känen, 2022a) now
suppo s he claim ha ECEC should also de elop child en’s sel -e alua ion skills. This
emphasis on child en’s sel -e alua ion is a end isible ac oss educa ion sys ems (e.g.
OECD, 2019b), whe e sel -e alua ion is conside ed a key compe ence o li elong lea ne s
wi h he abili y o adap o he changing equi emen s in he economy and socie y. The ea e ,
in he e idence wa e, unde school aged child en, posi ioned as pa icipa ing li elong lea ne s
by he pedagogiza ion wa e, a e now ans o med as assessed subjec s whose li elong lea ning
p ocess is con inuously examined, while he discussion on he ole o pa en s is de-
emphasized. The e o e, i seems ha pa en s, as in o med gua dians aised by he pedagogi-
za ion wa e, ha e now become sedimen ed.
In conclusion, he Finnish ECEC policy discou se and p ac ice on e alua ion and da a,
albei showing esis ance owa d neolibe al policy ends, has been aking shape a he
in e sec ion o na ional and in e na ional o global policy ideas and p ac ices h oughou
he esea ch pe iod. Howe e , he landing o he e idence wa e p omp s us o conside
whe he he adi ional social democ a ic unde cu en ha has been il e ing he global lows
and pushing he bigges wa es backwa ds o he sea is now se ling down, enabling global
swi ls and lows o each he sho eline. Using Pe e Dahle -La sen’s concep ualiza ion, his
migh ein o ce he end o he audi socie y (2011), cha ac e ized by he con inuous p esence
and us in e alua ion and da a coupled wi h he e alua ion machine y. Ul ima ely, we ha e
ye o see which unde cu en s will emain, which will disappea along he swi ls o poli ical
discou ses, and which will ise o he su ace and po en ially sedimen on he sho eline.
Resea ch ma e ial
Ac (540/2018). Ac on ea ly childhood educa ion (540/2018)
Ac (1046/2020). Ac on wo-yea p e-p ima y educa ion ial (1046/2020)
Ac (580/2015). An amendmen o he Ac on Day Ca e (580/2015)
CR29/2014. Commi ee Repo CR29/2014
CR5/2018. Commi ee Repo CR5/2018
CR11/2020. Commi ee Repo CR11/2020
GP341/2014. Go e nmen P oposal GP341/2014
GP40/2018. Go e nmen P oposal GP40/2018
GP149/2020. Go e nmen P oposal GP149/2020
FNAE 2018. Na ional Co e Cu iculum o Ea ly Childhood Educa ion.
Finnish Na ional Agency o Educa ion.
18 A. SIIPPAINEN AND H. PITKÄNEN
FNAE 2021. Na ional Co e Cu iculum o a Two-Yea P e-p ima y Educa ion T ial.
Finnish Na ional Agency o Educa ion.
MOS 2002. Decision in P inciple o he Council o S a e Conce ning he Na ional Policy
De ini ion on Ea ly Childhood Educa ion and Ca e. Minis y o Social A ai s and
Heal h.
S akes, 2005. Na ional Co e Cu iculum o Ea ly Childhood Educa ion. Finnish
Na ional
Resea ch and De elopmen Cen e o Wel a e and Heal h.
No es
1. As in Finnish, he wo d ‘a ioin i’ e e s o bo h e alua ion and assessmen , we use he
de ini ion by Gullo Dominic’s (2005), who e e ed o assessmen as p ac ices in which
p o essionals collec in o ma ion on child en in di e en ways. E alua ion e e s o da a
collec ed using o example in o mal, o mal and s anda dized in o ma ion abou
knowledge.
2. Cu en ly, all child en ha e he uncondi ional igh o ECEC. A he age o six, child en
mo e o p e-p ima y school, which is compulso y, ee o cha ge, and ollows i s own
cu iculum un il a he age o se en, a which poin he child en s a he 9-yea -long
comp ehensi e schooling.
Disclosu e s a emen
No po en ial con lic o in e es was epo ed by he au ho (s).
Funding
The wo k was suppo ed by he Emil Aal onen Founda ion [200257P]; he Academy o Finland
[353972].
No es on con ibu o s
Anna Siippainen is a senio lec u e a Tampe e Uni e si y, Finland.
Hannele Pi känen is a pos doc o al esea che a Uni e si y o Jy äskylä, Finland.
ORCID
Anna Siippainen h p://o cid.o g/0000-0003-2845-2554
Hannele Pi känen h p://o cid.o g/0000-0003-0955-5216
Re e ences
Ac 36/1973. Ac on Child en’s Day Ca e 36/1973.
Ac 628/1998. Ac on Basic Educa ion 628/1998.
Alila, K. 2013. Va haiskas a uksen laadun ohjaus ja ohjauksen laa u. Laa upuhe a haiskas a uk-
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