Methodological Reflections on Using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale as a Measure to Make Cross‐National Evaluations of Quality

Abstract

How useful is the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) as a research instrument in making cross‐national comparisons of the quality of nurseries? The paper briefly outlines the ECERS and discusses the extent to which it can be used as a universal evaluative tool to measure quality. The author reflects on her use of the ECERS scale in cross‐national contexts, to comment on its advantages and its limitations. The author used the ECERS as part of a qualitative investigation into nursery provision and practice between 1991 and 1994 in cities in fourcountries, New York, (USA) Harnosand, (Sweden), Arezzo (Italy) and Barcelona (Spain). The nurseries in which the author carried out observations and interviews were chosen by contacts in the countries concerned for both their willingness to participate and for their representativeness. A minimum of four institutions which took children under three were visited for at least half a day in each city. The author uses examples derived from this research to a...