Measuring the effects of integration quality in pre-school using a scaffolding scale for supported learning

The objective of this study is to develop a scaffolding scale to study the importance of interaction quality in terms of supported learning between teachers and children in pre-school. That is, the way in which pre-school teachers create conditions for promoting children’s development and learning through interaction and teaching.

Earlier research shows a relationship between a high interaction quality and good outcomes as concerns children’s development and learning. At the same time, there are large differences as concerns interaction and teaching between different pre-schools in Sweden which creates a lack of equivalence.

The Early Childhood Scaffolding Scale (ECSS) is developed through an analysis of video-taped interactions from 26 pre-schools in Sweden. The material represents a broad variation in pedagogical practices due to the fact that the pre-schools have been randomly distributed into three groups and have been taught to work based on different pedagogical methods 1) Socio-emotional material learning, 2) Digital individual learning, 3) Normal activities.

When the scaffolding scale (ECSS) has been developed, it will be used in future studies of how the interaction quality covaries with children’s learning and development, the well-being of pre-school teachers as well as studies of how the interaction quality can be strengthened through the education of preschool teachers. The knowledge that is generated using ECSS will be of importance for the evaluation and development of pre-school teaching methodology and curriculum-based practice.