Using the ACEI Global Guidelines Assessment to Evaluate the Quality of Early Child Care in Greek Settings

In recent years, there has been a significant growth of interest in ensuring that child care provision for children is of a high quality. This interest has been stimulated by research evidence according to which good quality child care has a positive influence on children’s overall development. The global quality in Greek preschool and infant/toddler classrooms was assessed with ACEI Global Guidelines Assessment (GGA), Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R) and Infant Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS). Our research data, confirm previous research results from Greece, and suggest that Greek child care centers provide low quality care and education. Comparisons between the tools employed revealed great similarity between the ACEI GGA and ECERS-R ratings on issues relating to environment and physical space, program evaluation, communication with families, opportunities for family and community participation, recognition of diversity, curriculum and activities, etc. On the other hand the ACEI GGA and ITERS seem to measure different aspects of process quality, as far as infant care and education are concerned. Research results indicate the need for immediate improvement and revision of the policies employed by Greek state, as far as young children’s education and care are concerned.     

Psychometric Properties of the ECERS-R Among an Epidemiological Sample of Preschools

Research Findings: The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale–Revised (ECERS-R) is widely used to evaluate the quality of early childhood education and its association with child development. However, the psychometric properties of the ECERS-R are not well established. Consequently, in this study we tested 3 different factor solutions of the ECERS-R using models sourced from the existing literature (featuring 1-, 2-, and 3-correlated-factor solutions) and applying confirmatory factor analysis to data from the epidemiological sample of the Embu Pre-school Mental Health Study (n = 1,292 children). Alternative measures of child education quality (such as teacher-to-child ratio) were also analyzed. The confirmatory factor analysis returned good fit indices for both the unidimensional and 3-correlated-factor solution models. Practice or Policy: This study showcases different applications of the ECERS-R, both the full and shortened versions. These findings are particularly important for improving ECERS-R guidelines for researchers, professionals, and policymakers.     

Social desirability,non‐response bias and reliability in a long self‐report measure: illustrations from the MMPI‐2 administered to Brunei student teachers

The survey investigated the problems of social desirability (SD), non‐response bias (NRB) and reliability in the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory – Revised (MMPI‐2) self‐report inventory administered to Brunei student teachers. Bruneians scored higher on all the validity scales than the normative US sample, thereby threatening the internal validity of the study. Of the three validity scales that assess various forms of SD, only the F scale was reliable and its mean score was in the clinical range. In addition, seven of the ten clinical scales had poor reliability. Although Brunei males scored much higher on the K scale than females, both mean scores were below the critical region. Protocols for two respondents with many missing values indicated that the study’s external validity was vulnerable to NRB effects. Altogether SD, NRB and low reliability had potential to undermine and depress the overall validity of the MMPI‐2 and caution the value of using it ‘as is’ in Brunei.     

Evaluating the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS): Assessing differences between the first and revised edition

Before 1998, most large-scale studies of center-based child care programs measured quality using the 1980 version of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS). To know whether data from studies conducted after 1998 using the revised ECERS-R can be fairly compared to data from studies using the 1980 ECERS, simultaneous assessments using both measures in a sample of 68 classrooms were conducted. The results suggest that the original ECERS and ECERS-R can be viewed, as their authors intended, as comparable measures of quality. Scores were highly correlated and similarly distributed. Principal components analysis resulted in two factors for both measures. Both measures fall short in addressing staff stability and key components of culturally sensitive practice, such as communicating with families in their home language.     

PREDICTION OF PREDICTABILITY IN THE MULTIVARIATE CASE

110 Ss who completed Dunnette's Adjective Check List were randomly divided into a developmental sample (N = 58) and a cross-validation sample (N = 52). S s in the developmental sample were divided into two subgroups by means of Ghiselli's d score technique (difference between standard predictor and criterion scores). Three separate item analyses of the responses of S s in three separate sets of high d score and low d score subgroups yielded three scales: (a) a univariate predictability scale for assessing predictive accuracy from one variable; (b) a moderator scale for determining which of two predictors would be more accurate for an S ; (c) a multivariate predictability scale for assessing predictive accuracy from two predictor variables. The results seem to support the general hypothesis that it is possible to use a performance on a moderator or predictability scale to select a subgroup of S s for whom correspondence between the predictor(s) and criterion is much greater than that of a subgroup whose scores on the moderator indicate a lesser degree of correspondence. All three scales held up in cross-validation.     

Accountability for Quality: One State’s Experience in Improving Practice

South Carolina recently implemented a new initiative to improve the quality of pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classrooms in primary schools. This article describes the initiative and examines evidence that such an effort can have a positive effect on early childhood program quality. Data from both classroom observations using the ECERS-R scale, and from teacher surveys, are used to examine the effectiveness of the quality improvement effort. Results indicate that training and support coupled with accountability requirements can facilitate positive changes within classrooms. Examples of positive changes teachers report they made as the result of this process are included, along with changes in ECERS-R quality rating scores.     

Comparing cultural differences in two quality measures in Chinese kindergartens: the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised and the Kindergarten Quality Rating System

This study examined the degrees of congruence between two early childhood evaluation systems on various quality concepts: the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R) and Zhejiang’s Kindergarten Quality Rating System (KQRS). Analysis of variance and post hoc least significant difference tests were employed to show the extent to which the ECERS-R ratings predict a kindergarten’s placement on the KQRS. Results found two quality dimensions (Language-reasoning and Interaction) that did not distinguish the quality between any levels of kindergartens, whereas one dimension (Space and furnishing) successfully distinguished the quality between all levels of kindergartens. Activities and Programme structure only distinguished the quality differences between Level-2 and Level-3 kindergartens, whereas Personal care and Routines only distinguished the quality differences between Level-1 and Level-3 kindergartens. Findings based on item-level analysis provided further insights into underlying cultural and contextual reasons for differences found in the concepts of quality in the two evaluation systems.     

Revisiting the Two Faces of Child Care Quality: Structure and Process

While child care quality has been examined in numerous studies, the definition of quality and specifically, the concepts of structural and process quality, have not been adequately explored. In this qualitative analysis of the constructs of process and structural quality, a content analysis of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R), a commonly used measure of process quality, was conducted to investigate its use as a measure of process quality. Through constant comparative analysis of the ECERS-R at the indicator level, definitions of structure and process were formulated. Results show that over half of the indicators of the ECERS-R are measuring structural quality rather than process quality. Further examination of quality as a dynamic exchange between individuals and context is needed to advance research in the area of early childhood program quality.     

A Multi-Instrument Examination of Preschool Classroom Quality and the Relationship Between Program,Classroom, and Teacher Characteristics

Research Findings: A statewide study of preschool classroom quality was conducted using 3 distinct classroom observation measures in order to inform a statewide quality rating system. Findings suggested that Tennessee preschool classrooms were approaching “good” quality on the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale–Revised (ECERS-R) and provided a mid-to-high emotional and engaging climate as indicated by the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) domains of Emotional Support and Student Engagement. However, classrooms were only minimal on the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale–Extension and the CLASS Instructional Support domain. Past performance on a state quality rating assessment consistently predicted the current quality of preschool classrooms as assessed by all 3 measures. Lead teachers' education in early childhood and experience were also predictors across quality measures. Practice or Policy: Tennessee preschool classrooms scored higher on the ECERS-R, which is the measure utilized in the statewide Quality Rating and Improvement System. However, classrooms generally performed poorly on measures of instructional support and curriculum. This finding illuminates the importance of the tool selected to measure quality in state quality rating and improvement systems and has implications for policy as states work to build systems that enhance quality in early care and education.     

Investigating the relationships between approaches to learning,learner identities and academic achievement in higher education

This paper considers relationships between approaches to learning, learner identities, self-efficacy beliefs and academic achievement in higher education. In addition to already established survey instruments, a new scale, subject area affinity, was developed. The scale explores the extent to which students identify with their area of study and imagine being part of it in future. The new scale showed strong psychometric properties when it was tested on a sample of 4377 students at a research-intensive university. The new scale correlated positively with both the deep approach and self-efficacy scales. The new scale also correlated negatively with the surface approach scale. K-means cluster analysis identified seven distinct groups of students who espoused interpretable combinations of approaches, self-efficacy and subject area affinity. Cluster membership was associated with differences in academic achievement. Implications are discussed.     

Assessing child-care quality with a telephone interview

As increasing numbers of children enter child-care environments that are subsidized by federal and state funds, the demand has risen from policy makers and activists for valid, cost-effective methods of assessing the quality of those environments. In this study we asked whether data on child-care quality obtained from a telephone interview with the provider can serve as an adequate proxy for data obtained from direct observation. Observations were conducted in 89 family child-care homes and 92 centers using the Family Day Care Rating Scale (FDCRS) and the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale (ECERS-R), respectively. The target providers and teachers were subsequently interviewed by telephone using a protocol developed by the authors. For the family child-care providers, the 25 item telephone interview explained 49% of the variance (adjusted r²) in the total FDCRS score. Discriminant analyses revealed that the telephone interview was able to predict accurately 92% of the homes in terms of three FDCRS-derived categories of quality: “poor,” “mediocre,” or “developmentally appropriate.” For the centers, the 22 item telephone interview accounted for 51% of the variance (adjusted r²) in the total ECERS-R score. The telephone interview was able to predict the classification of 89% of the centers in terms of the ECERS-R derived categories of “poor,” “mediocre,” or “developmentally appropriate.” Shorter forms of the telephone interviews (12 items for family child-care; 13 items for center-based care) also demonstrated adequate predictive capability. These findings suggest that the telephone interview can be a valid source of data concerning the global quality of a child-care environment.     

Revisiting the Two Faces of Child Care Quality: Structure and Process

While child care quality has been examined in numerous studies, the definition of quality and specifically, the concepts of structural and process quality, have not been adequately explored. In this qualitative analysis of the constructs of process and structural quality, a content analysis of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R), a commonly used measure of process quality, was conducted to investigate its use as a measure of process quality. Through constant comparative analysis of the ECERS-R at the indicator level, definitions of structure and process were formulated. Results show that over half of the indicators of the ECERS-R are measuring structural quality rather than process quality. Further examination of quality as a dynamic exchange between individuals and context is needed to advance research in the area of early childhood program quality.     

Capturing quality in early childhood through environmental rating scales

This paper explores the relationship between ‘process’ quality characteristics in English pre-school centres and the developmental progress made by children between the ages of 3–5 years. A nationally representative sample of 141 English pre-schools participated in this study with longitudinal pre- and post-test measures taken from 2857 children at ages 3 and 5. Centre quality was assessed using two observational instruments, the revised version of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale [Harms, T., Clifford, M., & Cryer, D. (1998). Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, Revised Edition (ECERS-R). Vermont: Teachers College Press] and a new English curriculum extension to it [Sylva, K., Siraj-Blatchford, I., & Taggart, B. (2003). Assessing quality in the early years: Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Extension (ECERS-E): Four curricular subscales. Stoke-on Trent: Trentham Books]. This new instrument was developed specifically for assessing the curricular aspects of quality, including pedagogy, in pre-school centres subject to the English national Early Childhood Curriculum. Multi-level statistical analyses revealed that quality of centre-based provision as measured by the ECERS-E was a significant predictor of children's development at entry to school after controlling for pre-test, child characteristics and family background. This study demonstrated that the ECERS-E is a reliable instrument for assessing the educational aspects of process quality and is a significant predictor of children's cognitive/linguistic progress. In contrast, the ECERS-R had a stronger relationship with children's socio-behavioural progress in the pre-school period.     

Identifying High-Quality Preschool Programs: New Evidence on the Validity of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale–Revised (ECERS-R) in Relation to School Readiness Goals

Research Findings: The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale–Revised (ECERS-R) is widely used, often to evaluate whether preschool programs are of sufficient quality to improve children’s school readiness. We examined the validity of the measure for this purpose. Item response theory (IRT) analyses revealed that many items did not fit together to measure single dimensions, particularly when rated by consultants as indicating aspects of quality relevant for multiple domains of child development. IRT results also conflicted with the scale developers’ expectations in terms of whether markers that they attached to higher response categories represented higher quality empirically. When reanalyzed based on experts’ ratings, IRT results also showed that relatively few indicators captured the moderate to high range of quality. Practice or Policy: Our results suggest that policymakers should carefully consider whether measures designed for specific purposes are appropriate for other high-stakes uses. We encourage continued refinement of existing quality measures, development of new measures, and the accumulation of evidence for their various uses.     

Associations Between Classroom Environment and Academic Efficacy

Research was conducted on associations between classroom psychosocial environment and academic efficacy. A sample of 1055 mathematics students from Australian secondary schools responded to an instrument that assessed ten dimensions of mathematics classroom environment (viz. Student Cohesiveness, Teacher Support, Investigation, Task Orientation, Cooperation, Equity, Involvement, Personal Relevance, Shared Control, Student Negotiation). These scales were from two existing instruments, namely, What Is Happening In This Classroom? (WIHIC) and the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES). A seven-item scale assessed students' academic efficacy at mathematics-related tasks. Simple and multiple correlation analyses revealed statistically significant correlations between these classroom environment dimensions and academic efficacy. Results showed that classroom environment relates positively with academic efficacy. A commonality analysis showed that the three scales from the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey scales did not contribute greatly to explaining variance in academic efficacy beyond that attributed to the seven scales in the What Is Happening In This Classroom? questionnaire.     

Evaluation of Maximal Reliability for Unidimensional Measuring Instruments With Correlated Errors

A latent variable modeling method for studying maximal reliability of unidimensional multicomponent measuring instruments with correlated errors is outlined. In the presence of correlation between 2 residual terms, the procedure allows one to point and interval estimate the reliability of the linear combination of the scale components that possesses the highest possible reliability coefficient. The approach is readily applicable with popular latent variable modeling software and also provides an alternative scoring rule to the widely used overall sum score for homogeneous psychometric scales. The discussed method is illustrated with a numerical example.     

Evaluation of an early childhood preschool program in rural Bangladesh

A preschool program in rural Bangladesh was evaluated in terms of cognitive and social outcomes of children. The preschools provided a half-day program, 6 days a week, with free play, stories, and instruction in literacy and math. Four hundred children between 4.5 and 6.5 years were assessed, half in preschools and half in villages where there were no preschools. After controlling the differences in child's age, nutritional status, mother's education, and assets: preschool children performed better than the comparison children on measures of vocabulary, verbal reasoning, nonverbal reasoning, and school readiness. On some indicators of social development during play, preschool children performed better, though not on the cognitive aspects of play. They were less likely to be stunted but did not differ on most other health variables. The mean quality score from the ECERS-R was 3.5, and this correlated with the group averages of verbal and nonverbal reasoning. Results were discussed in terms of implementing a high-quality program in rural sites of developing countries, where there was a mix of play and teacher-directed instruction.     

Some factors associated with reading ability: a longitudinal study

The paper reports a longitudinal study of factors associated with reading ability in a large sample (N=748) of children. Reading was assessed when the children were aged seven and later at age nine. The associated measures included measures of background, experiences and earlier cognitive development. It was found that the correlation between reading at age seven and reading at age nine was 0.87. However, reading at seven and nine were both associated with the background measures and to a lesser extent with experiential measures. Reading at seven was associated with earlier cognitive development. The implications of the results are discussed.     

Self-Report QRIS: Challenges with Validation

Research Findings: The current study looks at the validity of a voluntary self-report Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) and the characteristics of participating childcare centers. The self-reported quality indicators are compared to external ratings of quality Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised ([ECERS-R]) and correlated with variables such as size of center and number of state subsidy clients. ECERS-R scores were unrelated to capacity but significantly lower for centers with a large percentage of state-supported clients. Regarding self-reported quality, centers frequently under-reported their quality and what was claimed was not always externally validated, suggesting a self-report QRIS may not be an accurate assessment of quality. Additionally, no significant differences in quality were found between centers participating and those not participating in the self-report QRIS. Practice or Policy: Self-reported childcare quality was not accurate in this study. Although providers over-reported some quality, they frequently under-reported quality, by claiming fewer indicators than external validators found. When centers are unmotivated to participate in a voluntary, self-report QRIS, when items reported are the easiest to report, and when existing quality indicators are unreported, a self-reported QRIS cannot validly reflect quality. Because providers over-reported and under-reported quality criteria, it is doubtful the system truly incentivizes desired quality changes.