| CODE | EPE1011 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Quality Matters in ECEC | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Early Childhood and Primary Education | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Quality matters in early childhood education and care have attracted the attention of researchers for at least four decades. Defining quality remains elusive as it is a "relative concept and not an objective reality" (Moss & Pence, 1994); defining it should be "a dynamic, continuous & democratic process" (Proposal for ECE framework, EU, 2014) and "is frequently cited but rarely defined (Al-Khelaifi, Bhatti, Coughlin et al., 2017). It can be interpreted differently as it is a complex construct depending on a range of variables including cultural and historical developments, contextual matters and policy decisions and their impact on early childhood education and care services and the individuals who are key actors, namely the families, professionals working in ECEC and the children themselves. However, despite variations in definitions, high/good quality services have a positive impact on children and their achievements, especially for children coming from at risk backgrounds; poor quality services can be detrimental and well-prepared and highly qualified, professional staff contribute significantly to the quality of the services. Study-Unit Aims: This study-unit seeks to introduce students following studies in early childhood education and care to the concept of quality. Students will be invited to consider why quality is important. They will also be supported to think about what constitutes and contributes to 'quality' provision in early childhood education. The study-unit will highlight the role and contribution of early years professionals in providing high quality learning opportunities which are the foundation for children's immediate and later achievements. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Identify characteristics and variables which contribute to quality early years settings; - Reflect on the complex nature of quality as a result of the interplay of variables; - Describe settings which offer rich learning opportunities which contribute to meaningful learning; - Recognise the importance of high quality experiences and service provision in early childhood education & care settings. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Discuss the concept of quality in relation to early childhood education and care; - Distinguish between high and poor quality learning environments; - Plan to set up positive learning environments offering children quality experiences; - Collaborate with other practitioners and families in designing quality experiences to meet the needs of different children. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - EU Commission (2014). Proposal for key principles of a Quality Framework for ECEC. Report of the Working Group on ECEC under the auspices of the Commission. - (2018) Monitoring the quality of ECEC – Complementing the 2014 ECEC quality framework proposal with indicators (2018). Publications office of the EU. - Janta, B., van Belle, J. & Stewart, K (2016). Quality & impact of centre-based ECEC. Rand. - Moss, P. & Pence, A. (eds.) (1994). Valuing quality in early childhood services. London: Paul Chapman. - Penn, H. (2011). Quality in early childhood services: An international perspective. Berkshire: Open University. Supplementary Readings: - OECD (2015). Starting Strong IV: Monitoring quality in ECEC. Paris: OECD. - OECD (2018). Engaging young children. Lessons from research about quality ECEC. Paris: OECD. - Sollars, V. (2020) (in print). Defining quality in early childhood education: parents’ perspectives. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal. - Vandenbroek, M., Lenaerts, K. & Beblavy, M. (2018). Benefits of ECEC & the conditions for obtaining them. EENEE Analytical report No. 32. Prepared for the European Commission. - Whitebread, D., Kuvalja, M. & O’Connor, A. (2015). Quality in Early Childhood Education: An international review and guide for policy makers. WISE & Univ of Cambridge. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Independent Study | ||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Erika Galea |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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