Reorganizaton of international standardized measurement tools of ECEC quality

.

Gjennom Sideris forskningsopphold har vi oppnådd *økt kunnskap og kompetanse om psykometriske egenskaper i kartleggingsverktøy *Nye analyser av det norske datamaterialet fra ITERS-R og ECERS-R *utvikling av en re-skalering av internasjonale verktøy til den norske konteksten *etablert tett samarbeid med Prof. Sideris og hans kollegaer (forfatterne av kartleggingsverktøyene) *generert til ny innovasjonssøknad relatert til utvikling av en app løsning for kvalitetsvurdering i barnehage basert på ny re-skalering av de psykometriske dataene *formidling og publisering på konferanser og artikkelskriving

Using standardized measurement tools to assess the quality of early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings has become prevalent internationally. Of the many tools developed, the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS-R) and the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS-R) are among the most frequently used. Recently, both ITERS-R and ECERS-R have been applied to a Norwegian context, on a sample of 95 ECEC centers and 206 classrooms, in a longitudinal research study conducted by the "Gode Barnehager for Barn I Norge" (GoBaN) project. Both scales intend to measure structural and process quality factors that are considered to be conducive for children?s development and well-being. However, few studies have evaluated the psychometric properties of the scales ? and the validity of these measurement instruments have therefore largely been assumed rather than determined statistically. Several issues have been called into question, relating both to how the scales are organized and scored. Recent efforts have therefore been taken to address these issues - notably by Dr. John Sideres and the ITERS/ECERS authors, using statistical techniques to re-assess the scales. A similar undertaking is also underway by the GoBaN project, as we wish to evaluate how well the scales capture different quality dimensions in Norwegian ECEC. It is our belief that such a study may contribute valuable knowledge to further the development of the scales, in addition to providing insight into the appropriateness of using these scales in Norway. We therefore wish to invite Dr. John Sideres for a 2-week research visit to share his expertise on the subject matter, in the capacity as a study co-author, lecturer and future collaborator ? with the aim of establishing ties to the international research community developing standardized measurement tools for ECEC.