An investigation into the components that determine quality Early Childhood Education and Care: From practitioners and parental perspectives

Abstract

An investigation into the components that determine quality Early Childhood Education and Care: From practitioners and parental perspectives

This study examines parental and practitioners’ understandings of quality Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). Located within the constructivist paradigm, it discusses and examines various perspectives on policy, initiatives and research which have influenced ECEC. It identifies various issues and challenges with regards to providing and participating in ECCE. Specifically, it investigates these issues from the perspectives of parents and practitioners participating in the ECCE Scheme (2010). A qualitative approach was utilised to gather rich data on quality ECEC. Fifteen parents and fifteen practitioners took part in this investigation. Grounded Theory Methodology (GTM) was used to analyse the data.

The study yielded compelling evidence that the top-down approach often utilised by governmental ECEC agencies has contributed to a lack of professional identity, low confidence and indeed resistance to unfamiliar changes and values imposed by these agencies. Evidence demonstrates that quality ECEC is based on values and experiences of ECEC stakeholders. However, through consultation agreement on its components can be reached. This study contributes new epistemological insights to the area of quality ECEC in Ireland, with regards to the specific components that parents and practitioners attribute to quality provision. A key issue emerging from this study relates to investment in ECEC and its correlation with the implementation and sustainability of quality ECEC provision. Ultimately, even though it was found that parents and practitioners agree on specific components, findings indicate that these components cannot be realised until the profession is adequately supported and resourced.

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, praises and thanks to God, the Almighty, for his showers of blessings throughout my studies.

I would like to thank my thesis Supervisors Dr Judith Butler and Dr Joe Moynihan of the Department of Sport, Leisure and Childhood Studies at Cork Institute of Technology. The guidance, passion, expertise, vision and sincerity that Dr Judith Butler and Dr Joe Moynihan have for the field of Early Childhood Education and Care and for their students is second to none. They are the most dedicated professionals I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Their patience, sense of humour and drive motivated me to do my best.

I would like to thank all the participants who volunteered their time, expertise and experiences to this study. Without their generosity and insight, this study would not have been possible. I am also extremely grateful to the Head of Sport, Leisure and Childhood Studies Department, Dr Cian O’Neil and the departmental staff, particularly, Ms Anne Deasy, for always being available to answer any and all of my questions. Finally, a thank you to my mother, Mary-Anne and my brother Dean Oke for their unfailing love, encouragement and support throughout my years of study.

This thesis is dedicated to the memory of my late grandfather; Justice Anthony Aniagolu

Contents

Table of Figures

List of Tables

List of Appendices

Acronyms

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.0   Introduction

The purpose of this study is to investigate the components that determine quality Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) from practitioners and parents’ perspectives. Within this context, it aims to ascertain the components of quality ECEC and the challenges associated with quality provision. It explores the factors that impact on quality ECEC in Ireland such as values, attitudes, qualifications, regulations and remuneration (Einarsdottir, et al., 2015; Lindeboom et al., 2013; Moloney et al., 2011).

Katz (1992) theorieses that there are many different perspectives on quality. It is in understanding these perspectives where the potential for quality ECEC in children’s lives can be realised (IBID, 1992). However, Danaher (2008) contends that relations between stakeholders often differ and are likely to be based on individual experiences. Therefore, to develop and sustain relationships the understanding and collaboration of ECEC stakeholder’s perspectives is vital (IBID, 2008).

1.1 Aims and Objectives

The primary aim of this study is to explore the perspectives of parents and practitioners on quality ECEC. The study aims to explore the components which facilitate the provision of quality and the challenges in its provision. In addition to this, three research questions guided this piece of research:

1. What is quality in Early Childhood Education and Care in Ireland?
2. What are the views of practitioners and parents in regard to the components which determine quality ECEC?
3. What are the challenges of providing high-quality ECEC from Stakeholders perspectives?

Thirty in-depth semi-structured interviews were used to gather the lived experiences of practitioners and parents with regards to quality ECEC provision in Ireland. It aided in rich descriptions of the challenges associated with providing and participating in ECEC for practitioners, parents and children. Quality ECEC is based on individualistic perspectives, valued and beliefs (Lovat et al., 2008). As a result, the constructivist paradigm was chosen because it acknowledges the existence of multiple realities and seeks to understand them (Mertens 2014). The researcher conducted 15 interviews with practitioners and 15 interviews with parents.

1.2 Rationale and Background

On a personal level, the researcher was inspired to investigate quality ECEC because of her grandfather. Justice Antony Aniagolu was born into poverty and should have remained in poverty. However, through his belief in God and a quality education, he was selected to study Law abroad and subsequently became a supreme court justice in Nigeria. The researcher believes that a quality education can break the cycle of poverty in a child’s life and catapult them to heights unimaginable regardless of their background or circumstances. It is as a result, that the researcher wanted to understand what a quality ECEC means and what is needed to ensure children receive the best foundational early learning experiences so that each child, no matter who they are or where they come from can be given the tools to succeed and contribute to their society in a positive way. In recent years, the ECEC sector has undergone unprecedented change. These changes have been underpinned by statutory and regulatory frameworks such as the introduction of the Early Years Regulations (2016), Aistear (2009) and Síolta (2006). Quality ECEC has been at the forefront of discussion on an international (OECD, 2015) and local level (DCYA, 2015c).

Albeit, Cottie et al., (2012) notes that despite this, quality ECEC is “rarely defined” (2012: 637) arguing that a “common sense status” (2012: 637) has been applied to quality. This suggests that there is an assumption that there is agreement on the definition of quality ECEC. However, definitions of quality differ greatly between governmental bodies, practitioners and parents (Rawlings et al., 2016). Additionally, what constitutes as high-quality ECEC has been a contested concept because stakeholder’s definitions can be based on personal, cultural and political beliefs (Moss et al., 2013; Zaslow et al., 2011; Jackson et al., 2010).The subject of discussion and debate among stakeholders is underpinned by broad perceptions and viewpoints of what quality ECEC comprises of (OECD, 2012). Owing to differences in stakeholders’ perspectives, there has been criticism (Pianta et al., 2016; Paro et al., 2012) that definitions of quality ECEC are often generic and vague. On the other hand, the Síoltathe National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education (CECDE 2006c) correlates a “broad” (2006c: 14) definition of quality ECEC that “takes into account the various perspectives of stakeholders” (2006c: 14) with “the attainment of quality…” (2006: 14). Moss (1994) presents quality as a “constructed concept subjective in nature and based on values, beliefs, and interest, rather than an objective and universal reality” (1994: 174). Sherridan (2009) moves beyond subjectivity and objectivity in defining quality ECEC. Quality in her view is an “educational phenomenon” (2009: 246) that “is based on a child perspective of quality and focuses on children’s opportunities for learning in relation to overall goals for preschool” (IBID, 2009). Pianta et al., (2016) offers a long definition which is based upon four specific components:

The first is a program’s structural elements, such as length of the school day or practitioners’ qualifications. The second encompasses general features of the classroom environment, ranging from playground equipment to activities involving staff, children, or parents. Third are the dimensions of practitioner-student interactions that children experience directly. Finally, aggregate indices—such as quality rating and improvement systems—combine measurements across types of program elements (Pianta et al., 2016: 119).

Síolta (2006) defines quality based on principles and standards which relate to all aspects of ECEC. These include process components such as play, the rights of the child and interactions. Additionally, structural components such as health, safety, legislation and regulation are also defined. Notably, the definitions presented here all highlight structural and process components in their definitions of quality ECEC. Structural components relate to the “overarching structures” (OECD, 2013: 7) of an ECEC setting such as adult/child ratios, regulatory, health and safety standards. Structural components are normally governed and enforced by governmental agencies (OECD, 2013). Parents and practitioners are key stakeholders in ECEC (Ljubetic et al., 2016). However, it is governmental agencies such as TUSLA that are responsible for the overall judgement of a service. TUSLA inspect services based on health and safety requirements to inform their judgements.

It could be argued that this model is a top-down approach used by ECEC inspectorate agencies (Trodd, 2016). However, the use of a top-down approach has disadvantages. Evidently, without the consultation of stakeholders (parents and practitioners) the level of compliance with governmental policies may reduce because there may be an absence of stakeholders values and beliefs in such policies. This is in keeping with Katz (1994;1995) who maintains if quality ECEC is to be achieved, key stakeholder’s views must be reflected in ECEC policies and procedures. Katz (1995) contends that “any approach to the assessment of quality requires not only a set of criteria to apply to each program but some consensus on the minimum standards that must be satisfied for acceptable quality on each criterion” (1995: 34). However, Couchenour et al., (2016) argues that these personal beliefs on a local level on what constitutes quality ECEC, remain unexamined. This study aimed to understand quality from the perspectives of parents and practitioners within an Irish context. Their values, attitudes and beliefs were explored with regards to the key components of quality ECEC.

1.3 Outline of Study

This thesis comprises 6 Chapters. Chapter 1 provides an overview of ECEC in Ireland and the issues in the definition of quality ECEC. It presents a discussion of the rationale for researching quality ECEC from the perspectives of parents and practitioners. The following section explains the outline of this thesis.

Chapter 2: presents a critique and review of existing literature relating to quality in ECEC, regulations, professionalism, qualifications, values, the ECCE Scheme (2010) and monitoring and evaluation of ECEC settings. It examines quality in the context of social, political and economic factors and aims to discuss how these factors impact on quality provision.

Chapter 3: describes the theoretical framework and explains how the Constructivist theory is applied to furthering understanding of the components of quality ECEC in Ireland. It explains the ethical considerations, validity and sampling methods utilised. It also examines how qualitative inquiry aided the researcher in examining practitioners and parental views through open-ended questioning on quality ECEC. This chapter describes grounded theory methodology and how this was used to analyse and identify themes from the semi-structured interviews.

Chapter 4: presents a discussion on the findings, analysis and themes. This chapter is broken down into two sections: (1) Practitioners analysis, findings and discussion and (2) Parental results, discussion and analysis. The key themes which emerged are shown in table 1.1.

Chapter 5: presents recommendations and provides an overall conclusion to the research study.

Table 1.1 – Themes

Chapter 2: Literature Review

2.0 Introduction

It is well established that quality Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) can make a significant difference in the lives of children and their ability to reach their full potential (Vandell et al., 2010; Schweinhart, 2007). This is particularly true for children from disadvantaged backgrounds (Ansari et al., 2015; Roberts, 2015; Fallon, 2011). Evidently, monitoring and evaluation is an essential component in improving quality ECEC (OECD 2015). To evaluate quality ECEC, the components that it comprises of must be identified. This chapter aims to present a discussion on the existing literature pertaining to quality ECEC and as a result, this chapter discusses the components that contribute to quality ECEC provision. It investigates what exactly quality ECEC means particularly in relation to national and international policy, best practice and empirical research. The process components of quality include components such as adult/child relationships while structural quality includes components such as child ratios and group size (Mathers et al., 2013; Pianta, 2006). Evidently, it will become apparent that quality in ECEC comprises of process and structural components. This research also investigates the economic, political and cultural factors which may impact on the provision of quality ECEC. These include societal values, belief systems of stakeholders and governmental spending on ECEC (Couchenour et al., 2016; European Commission, 2014; Dhalberg et al., 2013).

2.1 Early Childhood Education and Care: A Historical Perspective 

The historical, economic, social, and cultural factors which provide a mechanism for change with regards to our conceptualization of childhood is explored here. These factors can help lay the foundations for the development of quality ECEC (O’Connor, 2010). Interestingly, numerous changes occurred in revolutionising the way we think about childhood in Ireland, and “appear to be linked with social thought about freedom and humanitarian principles of living” (Austin, 1976: 333). During the 1970s, the Crumlin Social Services Centre was the first service which offered a community playgroup in Ireland (Douglas, 1994). A year prior to this, the Irish Pre-school Playgroups Association (I.P.P.A.) was founded to provide guidance to such groups (Hayes et al., 2008). However, it was not until 1996 that policy relating directly to the ECEC sector in the form of section five of the Child Care Act, 1991 was enacted. Quality ECEC has become a concern for the Irish government and families in recent years (Oireachtas, 2016). In 2016, The Joint Committee on Health and Children recognised it as an area in need of much-deserved attention (IBID, 2016). The changes which have led to where ECEC in Ireland is now are chronicled in section 2.1.2.

2.1.2 Then and Now

Prior to the Child Care Act, 1991, the Centre for Social and Educational Research (CSER 2006) states that women’s groups in the 1980s advocated for a more gender-balanced workforce and called for the development of early childhood programmes. In 1992, Ireland ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, showing its commitment to supporting the rights of children. Additionally, initiatives such as the Early Start intervention project in 1994 helped to draw attention to the ECEC sector. Commenting on this intervention, Hayes (2005: 4) asserts how it “supported the development of a network of preschool classes for 3-year-olds in designated disadvantaged areas”. For the most part, the strategies used in the Early Start intervention project reflected the approaches used in the Rutland Street Project in 1969 (DCYA, 2015). The Rutland Street Project (1969) was introduced by the Department of Education and Skills (DES) in conjunction with the Bernard Van Leer Foundation to act as a template for best practice in ECEC. It also aimed to give ‘at risk’ children a good Early Start.

Appropriately, these pre-schools were named Early Start Pre-Schools; some of which are still in operation today (Bernard Van Leer Foundation, 2012; AL um Fhorbairt, 2002). Prior to the Early Start Intervention project (1994), Ireland remained neutral in matters of the family and state intervention was minimal (Shirley, 2008). This was the first time the government took an active role in the care and education of children before entry into primary school (IBID, 2008). However, the focus was on health and safety as can be seen in the Child Care (Pre-School Services) Regulations, (1996) where, structural components (Slot et al., 2015) such as heating, ventilation, and first aid took precedence, while process components of ECEC were overlooked. The only reference made to process components (Gambaro et al., 2015) of ECEC is found on page 8 of the 1996 Regulations. A four-line paragraph in these regulations explains how the person carrying on the service should cater to the positive development of the child. In 1995, The Dublin Institute of Technology/New Opportunities for Women (DIT/NOW) project aimed to raise the profile and quality of early childhood programmes through consultation with practitioners (Collins, 2009; OMNA, 2000; CSER, 2006). Further development of ECEC was the National Forum for Early Childhood Education (1998) which sought several stakeholders’ views on particular topics and challenges in ECEC practice (Department of Education and Science 1999). The White Paper, Ready to Learn (1999) emerged from the discussions which took place at the National Forum for Early Childhood Education (1998).The paperrecognised that quality was subjective and based on certain core characteristics. In 1999, the views expressed in the White Paper, coupled with a systematic investigation into ECEC as a whole made a transformative statement on the link between care and education in a child’s instruction. The Department of Justice Equality and Law Reform (DJELR) although referring to ECEC as childcare, acknowledged that care and education were “inextricably linked” (Department of Education and Science, 2009: 2). Notably, however, the National Voluntary Childcare Collaborative (NVCC) was founded in 1999. This timely collaboration was instrumental in the journey towards quality early childhood programmes and services in Ireland (NCVCC, 2015). Currently, the NCVCC is an umbrella organisation, incorporating child advocacy organisations such as Barnardos and Early Childhood Ireland. The Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP), was established with an aim to financially support initiatives such as City and County Childcare Committees (CCCs) and improve quality services in Ireland (CECDE, 2005a).

Additionally, an inspectorate comprising of Public Health Nurses (PHNs) and environmental officers was established (Hayes et al., 2006). The aim of the inspectorate was to ensure that he Pre-School Regulations (1996) was put into practice by early years’ settings (Hayes, et al. 2006). Furthermore, the Department of Health and Children (DOHC) published the National Children’s Strategy in 2000, to support the objective of the UN Convention on the rights of the child (1989). The strategy also aimed to improve the quality of care and educational experiences afforded to young children in Ireland (DoHC 2000). Two years later a job description for Early Years Practitioners was provided (DES, 2009a). Additionally, the DJELR and the EU supported Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) in the development of a “national framework for qualification in childcare to enhance the delivery of quality training in early years’ network…” (Hayes, 2005: 12). For the objectives outlined in the white paper to be fully realised the Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education [CECDE] was established (Fallon, 2003). The CECDE sought to co-ordinate and improve ECEC services in Ireland (Fallon, 2003). Since 2002, there have been several initiatives and developments in ECEC. Table 2.1 presents a chronological timeline of noteworthy events from 1991-2017.