Structural and process quality in Danish preschools in connection with three preschool teacher generations

The study investigates the relationship between process quality and structural quality in Danish kindergartens. In particular, the study focuses on how the level of education and background of the pedagogical staff influence the quality of interactions between employees and children. The study aims to contribute to the research basis and improve the discussion on kindergarten quality and education. The research questions are:

1. What type of relationships can be identified between process quality (measured by ECERS-3) and structural quality (measured by Statistics Denmark’s registries)?
2. To what extent can the occurrence of three generations of kindergarten teachers be traced and linked to kindergarten quality?

The study found no significant correlation between the general level of education of the staff and the process quality in kindergarten practice. However, a negative correlation was observed between the proportion of kindergarten teachers who graduated between 1993 and 2014 (second generation) and the quality of interactions. The study also found that preschools with a pedagogical supervisor holding a master’s degree had higher quality interactions.

The study sample consisted of 96 kindergartens from three municipalities in Denmark, with children aged three to six years (average age 4.4 years). ECERS-3, a tool to assess the quality of the learning environment for children aged 2.5 to 5 years, was used to measure process quality. Data from ECERS-3 and personal identification numbers of children and employees were linked to Statistics Denmark registries in order to analyse correlations between quality markers and employee characteristics.

Næsby, T., & Sperling, L. L. (2023). Structural and process quality in Danish preschools in connection with three preschool teacher generations. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 67(6), 928–949.

Online year: 2022

Issue year: 2023

Review year: 2022