Quality of Early Childhood Education at a Glance: Problems Related to Families, Teachers, and Working Conditions

Abstract

The present study attempts to reveal the problems related to the quality of early childhood education (ECE) regarding structural features and educational process based on qualitative data. The study was conducted in public pre-primary schools in Ankara. Seven female early childhood teachers selected through maximum variation sampling method were interviewed in this phenomenological research. These teachers’ classrooms were also observed during one school day to support interview findings. Content analysis was applied in data analysis. Results overall show that there are various problems related to the quality of ECE considering structural features and educational process. In the domain of structural quality, problems are mainly related to families, teachers, and working conditions. In domain of educational process quality, problems manily pertain to planning, learning / teaching process, and classroom management. For qulaity improvement in ECE, it is necessary to enhance working conditions, raise the consciousness of families about ECE, and develop teacher qualifications.