Fourth generation evaluation in the education of children aged 0 to 3 years: a systematic review

Abstract

This article presents the results of a systematic literature review on the assessment of learning in Early Childhood Education, with emphasis on children aged 0 to 3 years, grounded in the assumptions of Fourth Generation Evaluation. The study aims to map and analyze Brazilian academic publications from 2020 to 2025, identifying theoretical trends, analytical approaches, and research gaps regarding assessment practices in daycare contexts. The review was conducted using the Brazilian Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (BDTD) and the CAPES Journals Portal, based on descriptors related to assessment, Early Childhood Education, and Fourth Generation Evaluation. From an initial total of 31 publications, 13 studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising four journal articles and nine master’s dissertations. The findings indicate that, although there has been progress in understanding assessment as a formative, mediating, and pedagogically integrated process, studies specifically addressing the assessment of learning among infants and very young children remain scarce. Additionally, none of the analyzed studies explicitly adopt Fourth Generation Evaluation as a theoretical framework, despite dialoguing with some of its principles, such as listening, valuing children’s multiple forms of expression, and promoting participatory assessment processes. The study concludes that there is a significant gap in research that articulates assessment in Early Childhood Education—particularly in daycare settings—with democratic and participatory evaluative perspectives, highlighting the need for further theoretical and empirical investigations in this field.