Assessment of the Quality of the Kindergarten Educational Environment for Children with ASD: ECERS-R

1

Abstract

Objectives. When providing comprehensive support for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), it is necessary to create a special educational environment. A study was conducted on the quality of the educational environment of a preschool educational organization for children with ASD using the Early Childhood Environmental Assessment Scale (ECERS-R) tool, which was originally designed to assess the environment in preschools for typically developing children.

Methods. The ECERS-R diagnostic methodology evaluates the main components of the educational environment in a preschool organization across seven areas: Space and Furnishings; Personal Care Routines; Language — Reasoning; Activitie; Interaction; Program Structure; Parents and Staff. In 10 groups of children aged 2 to 8 years of special kindergarten for children with ASD “WE ARE TOGETHER”, quality monitoring of the preschool’s work was carried out by both external and internal (staff) experts.

Results. The strongest aspects of the kindergarten’s educational environment for children with ASD were identified as “Staff-Child Interaction” and “Program Structure”. Lower scores were obtained in the areas of “Language — Reasoning” and “Activities”. The “Space and Furnishings” was rated similarly by both external and internal experts (4.5 points), which indirectly indicates the objectivity of the expert assessment. Internal experts rated their own performance in caring for children with ASD lower, at 3.4 points, while external experts rated the difficulty of caring for children with ASD slightly higher, at 3.6 points.

Conclusions. In general, kindergarten staff, who work with children in this educational environment on a daily basis, rated its quality significantly higher than external experts. This discrepancy is likely due to the specific nature of the educational environment for children with ASD, as well as the individual characteristics of the children themselves. For a qualitative assessment of the educational environment using ECERS-R in a kindergarten with a special focus, the tool needs to be adapted to better meet the special educational needs of the children. Adding subscales for different conditions seems feasible.

General Information

Keywords: autism spectrum disorders (ASD); preschool age; comprehensive assessment of the quality of the educational environment; Early Childhood Environment Rating Scales (ECERS-R); tool; kindergarten for children with ASD “WE ARE TOGETHER”; monitoring

Journal rubric: Diagnostic Tools

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/autdd.2024220304

Funding. This work was supported by the Strategic Academic Leadership Program of Kazan Federal University (PRIORITY-2030)

Received: 30.10.2023

Accepted:

For citation: Sadretdinova E.A., Bashinova S.N., Nigmatullina I.A., Vasina V.V. Assessment of the Quality of the Kindergarten Educational Environment for Children with ASD: ECERS-R. Autizm i narusheniya razvitiya = Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2024. Vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 30–39. DOI: 10.17759/autdd.2024220304. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)

References

  1. Anikeich S.A. Ispol’zovanie shkal ECERS-R pri otsenke kachestva obrazovatel’noi sredy [Using ECERS-R scales in  assessing the quality of an educational environment]. In Pedagogicheskoe masterstvo: materialy X Mezhdunarodnoi  nauchnoi konferentsii (Moskva, iyun’ 2017 g.) [Pedagogical mastery: materials of the 10th international scientific  conference (Moscow, June 2017)]. Moscow: Publ. Buki-Vedi, 2017. Pp. 29—31. ISBN 978-5-4465-0936-2. (In  Russ.) 
  2. Levan T.N. Razvivayushchaya otsenka kachestva doshkol’nogo obrazovaniya s ispol’zovaniem mezhdunarodnykh  shkal kompleksnoi otsenki ECERS: problemy i perspektivy [Developing assessment of preschool education quality  using international comprehensive assessment scales ECERS: problems and prospects]. Detskii sad: teoriya i praktika Kindergarten: Theory and practice, 2016, no. 10, pp. 50—65. (In Russ.) 
  3. Leksakova N.V. Mezhdunarodnyi instrument “Shkala ECERS-R”: issledovanie kompleksnoi otsenki kachestva  doshkol’nogo obrazovaniya [International Tool “ECERS-R Scale”: Research of Education Quality Comprehensive  Assessment of Preschool Education]. Vestnik Tambovskogo universiteta: Seriya: Gumanitarnye nauki = Tambov University  Review: Series: Humanities, 2019, vol. 24, no. 180, pp. 118—123. (In Russ., abstr. in Engl.) DOI:10.20310/1810-0201-2019-24-180-118-123
  4. Lyakh Yu.A. Razrabotka i realizatsiya modeli longityudnogo issledovaniya kachestva doshkol’nogo obrazovaniya  [Development and Realization of the Model of Longitudinal Study of Preschool Education Quality]. Yaroslavskii  pedagogicheskii vestnik = Yaroslavl Pedagogical Bulletin, 2017, no. 1, pp. 12—20. (In Russ., abstr. in Engl.) 
  5. Levan T.N., Shiyan O.A. (eds.) Rukovodstvo po ispol’zovaniyu “Shkal dlya kompleksnoi otsenki kachestva obrazovaniya  v doshkol’nykh obrazovatel’nykh organizatsiyakh” (ECERS-R) v Rossiiskoi Federatsii: Metodicheskie rekomendatsii  [Guidelines for the use of “Scales for a comprehensive assessment of the quality of education in preschool educational  institutions” (ECERS-R) in the Russian Federation: Methodological recommendations]. 2nd ed. Moscow: Publ. Moscow  City University, 2017. 26 p. (In Russ.) 
  6. Fedortseva M.B., Dorn M.V. Kompleksnaya otsenka kachestva obrazovaniya v doshkol’nykh obrazovatel’nykh  organizatsiyakh s ispol’zovaniem shkal ECERS-R [Comprehensive assessment of the quality of education in pre-school  educational organizations using the ECERS-R scales]. Otechestvennaya i zarubezhnaya pedagogika = Domestic and  foreign pedagogy, 2018, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 67—75. 
  7. Tokmakova M.I., Fedortseva M.B. Kompleksnaya otsenka kachestva obrazovaniya v doshkol’nykh obrazovatel’nykh  organizatsiyakh s ispol’zovaniem shkal ECERS-R [Comprehensive assessment of education quality in preschool  educational institutions using ECERS-R scales]. In Munitsipal’naya sistema obrazovaniya: Prostranstvo obrazovatel’nykh  vozmozhnostei i obshchestvennogo dialoga: materialy nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii (Novokuznetsk, 23—25 avgusta  2017 goda) [Municipal Education System: Space for Educational Opportunities and Public Dialogue: Proceedings of  the research-to-practice conference (Novokuznetsk, August 23—25, 2017)]. Novokuznetsk: Publ. Institute for Capacity  Building, 2017. Pp. 139—141. ISBN 978-5-7291-0582-3. (In Russ.)
  8. Shiyan I.B., Zadadaev S.A., Levan T.N. et al. Aprobatsiya shkal otsenki kachestva doshkol’nogo obrazovaniya ECERS-R v  detskikh sadakh goroda Moskvy [Approbation of Scales of Quality Assessment of Pre-school Education (Early Childhood  Environment Rating Scales — ECERS-R) in Moscow kindergartens]. Vestnik MGPU: Seriya: Pedagogika i psikhologiya Moscow City University Journal of Pedagogy and Psychology, 2016, no. 2, pp. 77—92. (In Russ.) 
  9. Yudina E.G. Shkaly ECERS kak metod otsenki kachestva i razvitiya rossiiskoi sistemy doshkol’nogo obrazovaniya  [ECERS Scales as a Method of Assessing Quality and Development of the Russian Preschool Educational System].  Sovremennoe doshkol’noe obrazovanie: Teoriya i praktika = Preschool Education Today: Theory and Practice, 2015, no. 7,  pp. 22—26. (In Russ.) 
  10. Betancur L., Maldonado-Carreño C., Votruba-Drzal E. et al. Measuring preschool quality in low- and middle-income  countries: Validity of the ECERS-R in Colombia. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 2021, vol. 54, no. 1, pp. 86—98.  DOI:10.1016/j.ecresq.2020.08.001 
  11. Crompton C.J., DeBrabander K., Heasman B. et al. Double Empathy: Why Autistic People Are Often Misunderstood  [Web resource] // Frontiers for Young Minds. May 11, 2021. URL: https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2021.554875 (Accessed 29.01.2023). DOI:10.3389/frym.2021.554875 
  12. Cryer, D., Harms Т., Riley С. All about the ECERS-R: A Detailed Guide in Words and Pictures to be Used with the  ECERS-R. Lewisville: Publ. Pact House, 2003. 441 р. ISBN 0-88076-610-7. 
  13. Farmer C., Adedipe D., Bal V.H. et al. Concordance of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, second and third editions.  Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 2020, vol. 64, no. 1, pр. 18—26. DOI:10.1111/jir.12691 
  14. Harms Т., Cryer D. Clifford R.М. Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS). New York: Publ. Teacher’s  College Press, 1990. 43 p. ISBN 0-8077-3010-6. 
  15. Howes O.D., Rodgaki M., Findon J.L. et al. Autism spectrum disorder: Consensus guidelines on assessment, treatment  and research from the British Association for Psychopharmacology. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2018, vol. 32, no. 1,  pр. 3—29. DOI:10.1177/0269881117741766 
  16. Ibrahim Z., Alias M. Social Skills Competence in ASD Children: A Review of Assessment Instruments. In Proceedings:  International Conference on Teaching and Learning, Language, Literature & Linguistics (ICT4L) (30—31 October 2017:  Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia). [s. l.], 2017. 5 p. 
  17. Jawabreh R., Danju İ., Salha S. Quality of pre-school learning environment in Palestine. Universal Journal of Educational  Research, 2020, vol. 8, no. 10, pp. 4769—4775. DOI:10.13189/ujer.2020.081048 
  18. Kurucz C., Hachfeld A., Lehrl S. et al. Die Bedeutung migrationsbezogener Überzeugungen von frühpädagogischen  Fachkräften für die Qualität pädagogischer Praxis [The importance of migration-related beliefs of preschool teachers for  the quality of educational practice]. Zeitschrift fur Erziehungswissenschaft = Journal of Educational Research, 2023, vol. 26,  no. 1, pp. 211—242. DOI:10.1007/s11618-023-01141-3 
  19. Leiter-3 — mezhdunarodnye shkaly produktivnosti [Leiter-3 — international productivity scales] [Web resource] /  GIUNTI Rossiya [GIUNTI Russia]. 2022. URL: https://giuntipsy.ru/product/leiter-3-mezhdunarodnye-shkaly produktivnosti/ (Accessed 14.11.2023). (In Russ.) 
  20. McDoniel M.E., Townley-Flores C., Sulik M.J. et al. Widely used measures of classroom quality are largely unrelated  to preschool skill development. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 2022, vol. 59, no. 2, pp. 243—253. DOI:10.1016/j. ecresq.2021.12.005 
  21. Næsby T. The quality of inclusion in Danish preschools. Early Child Development and Care, 2020, vol. 190, no. 10, pp.  1561—1573. DOI:10.1080/03004430.2018.1541320 
  22. Nasiopoulou P., Mellgren E., Sheridan S. et al. Conditions for Children’s Language and Literacy Learning in Swedish  Preschools: Exploring Quality Variations with ECERS-3. Early Childhood Education Journal, 2023, vol. 51, no. 7,  pp. 1305—1316. DOI:10.1007/s10643-022-01377-4 
  23. Nigmatullina I.A., Vasina V.V., Mukhamedshina Y.O. Development of a structural—functional model for comprehensive  support of children with autism spectrum disorders. In Proceeding of the International Science and Technology Conference  “FarEastSon 2020”. Singapore: Publ. Springer, 2021. ISBN 978-981-16-0953-4. Рp. 71—83. DOI:10.1007/978-981-16-0953-4_7 
  24. Perlman M., Howe N., Gulyas C. et al. Associations between Directors’ Characteristics, Supervision Practices and Quality  of Early Childhood Education and Care Classrooms. Early Education and Development, 2020, vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 507—523.  DOI:10.1080/10409289.2019.1679006 
  25. Šumatić M., Malmberg L.-E., Gregoriadis A. et al. Child, teacher and preschool characteristics and child-teacher  relationships in Greek preschools. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 2023, vol. 64, no. 3, pp. 355—367. DOI:10.1016/j.ecresq.2023.04.008 
  26. Tandon P., Hassairi N., Soderberg J. et al. The relationship of gross motor and physical activity environments in child care  settings with early learning outcomes. Early Child Development and Care, 2020, vol. 190, no. 4, pp. 570—579. DOI:10.10 80/03004430.2018.1485670 
  27. Tympa E., Karavida V. State vs. private preschool setting: assessing school quality for a successful learning environment.  International Journal of Early Years Education, 2023. Published Online: 19 Sep 2023. DOI:10.1080/09669760.2023.2260413 

Information About the Authors

Elvira A. Sadretdinova, PhD in Psychology, associate professor, Associate Professor of the Department of Preschool Education, Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8808-6205, e-mail: ellsah@bk.ru

Svetlana N. Bashinova, PhD in Psychology, associate professor, Associate Professor of the Department of Preschool Education , Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5124-7439, e-mail: svetlana-bashinova@mail.ru

Irina A. Nigmatullina, PhD in Education, Associate Professor, Institute of Psychology and Education, Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education — Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University, Kazan, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6151-6164, e-mail: irinigma@mail.ru

Veronika V. Vasina, PhD in Psychology, Associate Professor, Chair of Psychology and Pedagogy of Special Education, Kazan Federal University, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4553-6442, e-mail: virash1@mail.ru

Metrics

Views

Total: 3
Previous month: 3
Current month: 0

Downloads

Total: 1
Previous month: 1
Current month: 0