ERIC Number: EJ1404133
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1350-293X
EISSN: EISSN-1752-1807
Educators' Perceptions of Australia's Early Childhood Education and Care Quality Assurance Rating System
European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, v31 n6 p988-1000 2023
High-quality early childhood education and care is of critical importance to children's optimal development and wellbeing, and to a nation's social and economic capital. Consequently, assessing and monitoring quality through regulatory mechanisms has become increasingly significant across the world. Yet, literature pertaining to the impact of regulatory and quality assurance systems is contentious, and there is a paucity of research that has investigated educators' perceptions of the use and effectiveness of such systems. This article presents findings from a doctoral study that was the first to investigate educators' perceptions of the Australian quality assessment and rating process. Ball's theorisation of 'policy as discourse', 'policy as text' and 'policy as effects' provided a conceptual lens to consider the discursive influence of the assessment and rating process on educators' practice, the limitations of how quality is conceptualised and assessed, and how educators can 'play the game' to attain high-quality ratings.
Descriptors: Early Childhood Education, Educational Quality, Rating Scales, Teacher Attitudes, Preschool Teachers, Evaluation Methods, Foreign Countries, Educational Practices, Quality Assurance, Child Care Centers
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A