Kvalitetsmåling i et kvalitativt perspektiv: En undersøgelse af perspektiver på kvalitet og kvalitetsvurdering på dagtilbudsområdet.

This study examines evaluation methods for the quality of daycare centres as well as stakeholders’ perspectives on these. It aims to define the quality of daycare centres as it is defined by the stakeholders who work at, or are in contact with the daycare centres. The study was initiated to gain a bottom-up perspective on quality to put into perspective the Danish government’s initiative to initiate measurement and comparison of the professional quality at daycare centres on the basis of parental satisfaction surveys, quality indicators and accreditation models. In addition, the objective of the study is to examine the possibilities and limitations of quality measurement in connection with determining what quality is, as well as to assure and develop quality.

The results show that the stakeholders agree on quality perceptions at daycare centres that basically include security, intimacy, learning, development, committed and satisfied parents, job satisfaction among staff and good facilities. However, stakeholders disagree on the issue of which methods of quality assessment are relevant to use. Legislation points to centrally defined and standardised quantitative measurements as a tool to visualise and compare the quality of daycare centres and local policies. In contrast, staff are concerned that indicators and measurable targets will shift the focus to short-term goals and results at the expense of the core services for the children. The staff indicate that the basic requirements for valid quality assessment include visits, interactive observation, dialogue and an evaluator with prior knowledge of pedagogical work. Therefore, the staff consider qualitative methods and local descriptions and reflections as prerequisites for the development of institutional practices. The methods are crucial to both the validity and usefulness of the measurements. The study therefore concludes that a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods is needed in the evaluation of daycare centre practices and that the challenge lies in using context-oriented and dialogical measurement/assessment methods which include presence at the institution in question, and which can also be part of a cross-sectional comparison.

The study is designed as a mapping study, case study and
opinion and attitude study. Document analysis has been carried out of national laws and local documents, while focus group interviews and face-to-face interviews have been conducted with staff and parent representatives in two kindergartens as well as with local politicians and administration managers. The perception of quality that was found was subsequently qualified by front staff in the two kindergartens.

Mathiasen, S. H.; Madsen, L. B.; Heslop, S. L. (2008). Kvalitetsmåling i et kvalitativt perspektiv: En undersøgelse af perspektiver på kvalitet og kvalitetsvurdering på dagtilbudsområdet. København: Krevi.