Key Findings of the Trialog Evaluation

Professionalization processes in Waldorf kindergartens. Educational documentation using the “Trialog” method.

A research process of more than three years is drawing to a close: on 17 November 2023, key findings of the Trialog evaluation procedure were presented at the general assembly of the Association of Waldorf Kindergartens.

Three fundamental questions were the central focus of the project from March 2020 onward:

1. How is educational documentation organized in Waldorf kindergartens (creating transparency)
2. How can the instrument be implemented successfully in everyday practice? (evaluation of the procedure)
3. What effects can the regular use of the instrument have on the development of individual resources? (investigation of the professionalization process)

Following a call for participation in spring 2020, 19 kindergartens from all federal states came forward to take part in the project as pilot institutions. The project was funded by the Association of Waldorf Kindergartens, the Software AG Foundation, the Mahle Foundation, the Waldorf Foundation, and the Helmut von Kügelgen Foundation, and was scientifically led and carried out by Prof. Dr. Stefanie Greubel and Cornelia Jachmann from Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences.

In the middle of the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, the members of the institutions set out to engage intensively with the instrument as a team and test it in practice. They were supported by the evaluation team of Greubel and Jachmann, who stayed in regular contact with the teams and surveyed them at several points during the data collection process using online questionnaires and group discussions about their experiences, attitudes, and self-assessed competencies. In addition to the pilot institutions, regional representatives, parents from Waldorf kindergartens, and the entire group of educational staff working in Waldorf kindergartens in Germany were surveyed. The evaluation design is based on a scholarly understanding of process orientation for generating actionable knowledge and supporting educational practice, and uses a mixed-method design that combines different survey instruments. A scientific advisory board with professors from universities in different federal states was appointed to provide academic support and guidance. The key findings can be summarized as follows.

1.) The colleagues surveyed at the pilot institutions are characterized by a high willingness to make an effort, strong team cohesion, and a shared understanding of pedagogy. At the same time, however, they are confronted with a high level of stress and see themselves as heavily burdened and in some cases overwhelmed by the variety of their tasks, as was also confirmed in the subsequent survey process.

Regular observation and documentation, as well as reflection on children’s developmental processes, are important to them. Before using the Trialog procedure, the educational professionals largely relied on their own documentation procedures as well as on the predecessor model of Trialog: “Dialog.”

2.) Despite the strong commitment of the colleagues from the pilot institutions and the regular meetings for exchange between the institutions, the process of introducing the instrument progressed rather slowly. The colleagues on site complained above all about too little time in everyday work, other newly added priorities that shifted the focus, personal overload, and the circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic. However, uncertainties in applying Trialog were also mentioned. In contrast, there was an intrinsic motivation to use Trialog to learn more about the children and strengthen individual professional competence.

After two years of testing, the study group available for the survey had been reduced by about half. The high mobility rate in this field as well as the high workload are reasons to be cited for the reduction in the sample. However, those who engaged intensively with Trialog over the course of the study testify by a large majority that its use greatly enriched everyday educational practice. This group sees advantages primarily in

• enabling targeted observation
• clarity about a course of action, having a procedure to fall back on
• preparing and conducting parent meetings
• collaboration with parents
• managing transitions

But even those who were still not fully familiar with the procedure by the end of the study period see advantages in

• the appreciative view of the child
• reflection on one’s own educational practice
• engaging with the child’s perspective

Both groups see challenges in reconciling the procedure with available time resources.

Overall, only minor needs for change can be identified with regard to the instrument itself, but above all in the design of the framework conditions. It is therefore advisable to focus on providing detailed instruction in Trialog, ideally accompanying the process, as well as on creating working conditions that offer relief. The feedback in the open concluding assessment shows an overwhelming majority of positive statements about the quality of the procedure: of 45 final comments, 27 were positive, 14 neutral (positive view of Trialog but a critical view of the necessary time resources), and 4 negative.

3.) A small group of colleagues could be surveyed continuously from the first to the last point of data collection, especially with regard to their assessment of their own professionalization processes. Those who were able to familiarize themselves intensively with the procedure rated themselves as statistically significantly more competent at the final survey point in the competency area of “knowledge in the field of educational skills.” This included assessments relating to

• knowledge of methods for collaboration with families
• knowledge of theories of communication and management
• knowledge of observation and documentation procedures
• knowledge of ways to support parental educational competencies
• knowledge of legal frameworks

In addition, at the final survey point the group “familiar with Trialog” differed from the group that was not yet fully familiar with the instrument by higher levels of agreement in this and all other surveyed competency areas (ability to empathize, team quality, self-reflection, inquiry-based attitude, participation, recognition of consequences, analysis of educational situations, and communication). This difference is statistically significant in the self-assessment of the competencies “knowledge in the field of educational skills,” “inquiry-based attitude,” and “participation of actors in the observation and documentation process,” as well as in the overall score across all surveyed competency areas.

These calculations within the smaller sample indicate an effect on the self-perception of one’s own competencies. Based on the available data, there is a correlation between intensive engagement with and use of Trialog and one’s own understanding of the professionalization process.

In summary, Trialog can be regarded as an observation and documentation instrument that places high demands on its users, stimulates processes of self-reflection, and can enrich collaboration with parents as well as the view of the child. However, it requires very good instruction, ideally accompanying the process, and framework conditions that allow more time for observation and documentation.

The evaluation team would like to thank all participating pilot institutions, which committed themselves to the project with great dedication despite the unpredictable coronavirus situation. These include the staff of the institutions Waldorf-Naturkindergarten Vogtsbug-Burkheim, Waldorfkindergarten und Wiegestube Philippsburg-Rheinsheim, Kinderkrippe der Freien Waldorfschule Schwäbisch Hall, Waldorfkindergarten Bad Endorf, Waldorfkinderhaus Tutzing, Waldorfkindergarten Berlin-Kreuzberg, Waldorfkindergarten „Zaubernuss“ Schildow, Kindergarten der Freien Waldorfschule Werder, Waldorfkindergarten „am Hochwald“ Kleinmachnow, Waldorfkindergarten Bremen, Waldorfkindergarten Witzenhausen, Waldorfkindergarten Seewalde Wustrow, Waldorfkindergarten „Hof Medewege“ Schwerin, Waldorfkindergarten Aurich, Waldorfkindergarten „Pusteblume“ Grafschaft, Waldorfkindergarten Bexbach, Waldorfkindergarten Radebeul, Waldorfkindergarten „Bodekiesel“ Thale and Waldorfkindergarten Norderstedt.

The project team received a very warm welcome at all institutions, either virtually or in some cases in person, and wonderful conversations and enriching contacts emerged from this. We appreciate the commitment and acknowledge the many working hours that went into answering the questionnaires.

Stefanie Greubel

Contact for press inquiries:
+49 (0)2222 9321-1944
presse@alanus.edu

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