Executive Functioning and Expressive Communication in Early Childhood Education Assessment

Assessment

You will need to:

• Choose one of the provided peer-reviewed academic journal articles,
• Using the UniSA Library database search function, find another peer-reviewed academic journal article in a related area of early childhood education and care,
• Review each article separately by summarising the key points and explaining the main message being communicated (400 words for each review),
• Describe and compare how the two journal articles are related/connected, highlighting similarities/differences in the content of the two articles (200 words),
• Provide an accurate reference list for both sources (not included in word count),
• Submit as a word document (.docx) via LearnOnline submission portal.

Provided Journal Articles (read both then choose one):

• Article 1: Southey, S. (2019). Teaching kindergarten using an executive functioning lens. Educating Young Children, 25(3), 42-44.
  OR
• Article 2: Woodhouse, P. (2023). Supporting expressive communication for social and emotional development. Educating Young Children, 29(2), 19-21.

Assessment Requirements – Brief Overview

This assessment focuses on developing students’ critical reading, analysis, and comparison skills within the context of early childhood education and care. Students are required to engage with peer-reviewed academic literature and demonstrate their ability to summarise, interpret, and compare scholarly arguments.

The key requirements of the assessment include:

• Selecting one journal article from the two provided options.
• Locating a second, related peer-reviewed journal article using the UniSA Library database.
• Writing two separate critical reviews (400 words each), summarising key points and explaining the central message of each article.
• Producing a comparative analysis (200 words) highlighting similarities, differences, and conceptual connections between the two articles.
• Providing a correctly formatted academic reference list.
• Submitting the completed work as a Word document (.docx) via the LearnOnline portal.

The assessment aims to strengthen students’ academic writing, research literacy, and analytical comparison skills within early childhood education theory and practice.

Step-by-Step Academic Mentor Approach

The academic mentor guided the student through the assessment using a structured and supportive process to ensure clarity, accuracy, and alignment with marking criteria.

Step 1: Understanding the Task Requirements

The mentor first explained the assessment structure, word limits, and expectations for critical review versus descriptive summary. Special attention was given to understanding how academic journal articles communicate arguments and evidence.

Step 2: Article Selection

The student was supported in reviewing both provided articles:

• Southey (2019) on executive functioning in kindergarten teaching
• Woodhouse (2023) on expressive communication and social-emotional development

Based on the student’s interest and relevance to early childhood practice, one article was selected as the primary source.

Step 3: Locating a Second Peer-Reviewed Article

Using the UniSA Library database, the mentor demonstrated how to:

• Use keywords aligned with the chosen article
• Filter results to peer-reviewed sources
• Select a closely related article that complemented the original topic

This ensured both articles shared a common conceptual focus while offering different perspectives.

Step 4: Writing Individual Article Reviews

The mentor guided the student in structuring each 400-word review to include:

• A brief introduction to the article
• Summary of key ideas and arguments
• Explanation of the main message and purpose
• Discussion of relevance to early childhood education and care

The mentor emphasized academic tone, paraphrasing skills, and clarity of explanation.

Step 5: Comparative Analysis

For the 200-word comparison, the mentor helped the student:

• Identify overlapping themes and concepts
• Highlight differences in focus, approach, or application
• Clearly articulate how the articles are connected within the field

This step strengthened the student’s ability to synthesise academic information.

Step 6: Referencing and Final Review

The mentor reviewed referencing accuracy and formatting, ensuring compliance with academic standards. The final document was checked for structure, coherence, and alignment with submission requirements.

Final Outcome and Learning Objectives Achieved

Through this guided approach, the student successfully produced:

• Two well-structured critical article reviews
• A concise and analytical comparison of scholarly perspectives
• An accurate academic reference list
• A submission fully aligned with assessment guidelines

Learning Objectives Covered

• Critical reading and interpretation of peer-reviewed literature
• Academic summarisation and comparative analysis
• Research database navigation and source selection
• Structured academic writing and referencing skills
• Application of theory to early childhood education contexts

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