Introduction: The Ambivalence of Documentation in Institutional Contexts of Early Childhood

Documentation, as a term, encompasses very different instruments and procedures. In early childhood institutions, the amount of documentation has increased due to both professional interests and external requirements. The edited volume considers documentation as constitutive in any institution and as possessing agentic power in institutions. Therefore, the key interest of the book is research into the ways in which documentation becomes productive in situ in early childhood institutions. The focus is on research that considers documentation from three viewpoints: as a means of normalisation, as being interlinked with participation, and as reflecting a changing professionalism.