Barriers and facilitators in implementing interdisciplinary play-based assessments in kindergarten: a Danish...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Early Childhood Education
• Interprofessional Collaboration

Background:

• Health inequality among children is a significant public health concern.
• Effective health promotion interventions require strong interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Early childhood settings are crucial for addressing developmental and health disparities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the implementation of interdisciplinary collaboration between health nurses and kindergarten pedagogues.
• To identify challenges and strengths in a health promotion intervention targeting health inequality in children.
• To understand professional roles, motivations, attitudes, and expectations within this collaboration.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study employing 12 participant observations and 10 semi-structured interviews (5 health nurses, 5 pedagogues).
• Abductive analysis of data to explore four key themes: roles, motivation, attitudes, and expectations.
• Focus on group- and play-based assessments of motor development in 4-year-olds.

Main Results:

• Health nurses assumed authoritative roles, while pedagogues adopted assisting roles.
• Differences in professional status, motivation, and attitudes were observed.
• Ambiguity in follow-up responsibilities potentially undermined pedagogues' professionalism and agency.

Conclusions:

• Interdisciplinary collaboration in child health promotion is complex and influenced by professional hierarchies.
• Addressing equity and professional recognition is crucial for enhancing collaboration quality.
• Future interventions should prioritize clear role definitions and mutual respect to improve outcomes.