Quality in early childhood education and care: A theoretical research synthesis and an integral framework of pedagogical quality

Abstract

The theoretical and empirical research literature has impressively demonstrated the immense importance and potential of the quality of early childhood education and care (ECEC) for child development. Over the last decades, a large body of empirical evidence on the prerequisites, processes, and outcomes of ECEC quality has accumulated. However, these research insights have not been integrated in a comprehensive theoretical model of ECEC quality. For instance, existing theoretical models either focus on ECEC teachers’ professional competencies or on the quality of pedagogical processes in ECEC, but do not combine these quality aspects. Moreover, the definitions of quality dimensions and pedagogical processes in existing models are often imprecise. In this article, we suggest an extended theoretical model of ECEC quality. The model thereby builds on the established structure-process-model of ECEC quality by Roux and Tietze (2007) as well as a review of the theoretical and empirical research literature. The new model includes relevant quality aspects and describes the nature of pedagogical processes in more detail to provide a comprehensive theoretical framework of ECEC quality for future research and pedagogical practice.