ABSTRACT

The existing literature on early childhood education (ECE) quality is predominantly from the US or other developed countries. In low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs), systematic research on ECE quality, however, is very limited. In the present study, we explore variation in structural and process indicators of ECE quality in two Eastern European LMICs, Kosovo and Ukraine, using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System Pre-K (CLASS) as a measure of process quality for the first time in these countries. We also include Finland because governments in Kosovo and Ukraine show a particular interest in the Finnish education model to inform policy reforms. Participants were kindergarten teachers (n=177) from these three countries who were observed in their classrooms and asked to complete questionnaires. Results indicated variability in ECE quality at various levels, both within and across the three countries. Directions for future research and implications for practice and policy development in LMICs are discussed.

摘要

现有关于幼儿教育（ECE）质量的文献主要来自美国或其他发达国家。然而，在中低收入国家 (LMIC)，对 ECE 质量的系统研究非常有限。在本研究中，我们在两个东欧中低收入国家科索沃和乌克兰探索了 ECE 质量的结构和过程指标的变化，在这些研究中首次使用课堂评估评分系统 Pre-K (CLASS) 作为过程质量的衡量标准。国家。我们还包括芬兰，因为科索沃和乌克兰的政府对芬兰的教育模式表现出特别的兴趣，以便为政策改革提供信息。参与者为幼儿园教师（n=177）来自这三个国家，他们在课堂上被观察并被要求完成问卷调查。结果表明，这三个国家内部和跨过不同级别的 ECE 质量存在差异。讨论了未来研究的方向以及对中低收入国家实践和政策发展的影响。