Evaluating the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS): Assessing differences between the first and revised edition

Before 1998, most large-scale studies of center-based child care programs measured quality using the 1980 version of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS). To know whether data from studies conducted after 1998 using the revised ECERS-R can be fairly compared to data from studies usin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Early childhood research quarterly 2003-01, Vol.18 (4), p.427-445
Main Authors: Sakai, Laura M, Whitebook, Marcy, Wishard, Alison, Howes, Carollee
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Assessing Center Quality
Comparative Analysis
Correlation
Early Childhood Education
Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS)
Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale Revised (ECERS-R)
Educational Environment
Educational Quality
Evaluation Methods
Factor Analysis
Program Evaluation
Rating Scales
Scores
Young Children
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Summary:Before 1998, most large-scale studies of center-based child care programs measured quality using the 1980 version of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS). To know whether data from studies conducted after 1998 using the revised ECERS-R can be fairly compared to data from studies using the 1980 ECERS, simultaneous assessments using both measures in a sample of 68 classrooms were conducted. The results suggest that the original ECERS and ECERS-R can be viewed, as their authors intended, as comparable measures of quality. Scores were highly correlated and similarly distributed. Principal components analysis resulted in two factors for both measures. Both measures fall short in addressing staff stability and key components of culturally sensitive practice, such as communicating with families in their home language.
ISSN:0885-2006
1873-7706
DOI:10.1016/j.ecresq.2003.09.004