Abstract
This study examined the quality of early childhood education programs in two different quality rating and improvement systems, one in Turkey and the other in the state of North Carolina in the USA. The early childhood environment rating scale-revised edition was used to evaluate the quality of early childhood classrooms, and the Program Administration Scale was used to evaluate the quality of administrative processes. These scales were used to rate 20 early childhood programs, in each of the two systems. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent sample t tests and Pearson correlations. Results indicated that early childhood classroom quality of classrooms in North Carolina was rated significantly higher than classroom quality in Turkey. However, there were no significant differences in the quality of administrative processes. Results also indicated significant positive associations between classroom environment quality and program quality. Even though there were several differences between the quality rating and improvement systems across the two contexts, the need for continued efforts to support and develop ongoing quality in early childhood education is common across the two systems.
Résumé
Cette étude a examiné la qualité des programmes de garde d’enfants, qui font partie de deux systèmes différents d’évaluation et d’amélioration de la qualité, l’un en Turquie et l’autre dans l’État de Caroline du Nord aux États-Unis. L’échelle d’évaluation de l’environnement préscolaire- révisée (ECERS-R, Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale - Revised Edition) a été utilisée pour évaluer la qualité des classes de la petite enfance, et l’échelle d’administration des programmes (PAS, Program Administration Scale) a servi à évaluer la qualité des processus administratifs. Ces échelles ont été utilisées dans 20 programmes de garde d’enfants dans chacun des deux systèmes. Les données ont été analysées au moyen de statistiques descriptives, de tests t d’échantillons indépendants et de corrélations de Pearson. Les résultats indiquent que la qualité des classes de garde d’enfants des programmes de Caroline du Nord est évaluée significativement plus élevée que celle des programmes de Turquie. Il n’y a cependant pas de différence significative dans la qualité des processus administratifs des programmes. Les résultats indiquent une association positive et significative entre la qualité de l’environnement de la classe et la qualité administrative du programme. Même s’il existe plusieurs différences entre les systèmes d’évaluation et d’amélioration de la qualité dans les deux pays, la nécessité de poursuivre les efforts pour maintenir la pérennité de la qualité des pratiques d’éducation de la petite enfance est commune aux deux systèmes.
Resumen
El presente estudio examina la calidad de programas de cuidado preescolar en dos sistemas diferentes de mejora y calificación de calidad, uno en Turquía y el otro en el estado de Carolina del Norte en los Estados Unidos. Se utilizó la Escala de Clasificación del Ambiente Preescolar, edición revisada (ECERS-R) para evaluar la calidad de salones de educación preescolar, y la Escala de Administración de Programa (PAS) con el fin de evaluar la calidad de procesos administrativos. Estas escalas fueron utilizadas en 20 programas de cuidado preescolar en ambos sistemas. Se analizó la información utilizando un método estadístico descriptivo, pruebas t de muestra independiente, y correlaciones Pearson. Los resultados indicaron que la calidad del salón de clase de preescolar en los programas de Carolina del Norte se clasifica en un rango significativamente más alto que la calidad de los programas de Turquía. Sin embargo, no hubo diferencias significativas en la calidad de los procesos de manejo administrativo. Los resultados indicaron una asociación significativa y positiva entre la calidad del ambiente de salón de clase y la calidad de procesos de administración del programa. Pese a las diferencias entre los sistemas de mejora y clasificación de calidad en los dos países, ambos comparten la necesidad de continuar apoyando prácticas continuas de educación preescolar de calidad.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to Dr. Deborah J. Cassidy for her encouragement, dedication to quality and guidance in the earlier stages of this research. The authors are also thankful to Education, Quality Improvement and Professional Development (EQuIPD) team for their support during the North Carolina steps of this research.
Funding
This study was conducted as Dilara Yaya-Bryson’s doctoral dissertation and was funded by Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) with 2214-A International Research Fellowship. The contents of this document are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of TUBITAK.
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Yaya-Bryson, D., Scott-Little, C., Akman, B. et al. A Comparison of Early Childhood Classroom Environments and Program Administrative Quality in Turkey and North Carolina. IJEC 52, 233–248 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-020-00268-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-020-00268-2