The link between qualifications and quality

Although increasing numbers of people understand and appreciate the advantages of a qualified and experienced early childhood workforce there are some who are yet to be convinced (hello Senator Leyonhjelm).

Now, new research from the Campbell Collaboration has revealed a positive correlation between early childhood teacher qualification and the quality of early childhood education and care settings.

The systematic review on studies of the relationship between teacher qualifications and the quality of early childhood learning environments considered factors such as formal quality ratings as determined by local authorities, program structure, range of activities on offer, development of language and reasoning, physical space and furnishings in the service, interactions between staff and children and personal care routines.

The review showed an overwhelming link between early childhood teacher qualifications and the quality of the service provided including:

• a positive and statistically significant relationship between teacher qualifications and program structure
• a positive and statistically significant relationship between teacher qualifications and activities
• a positive and statistically significant relationship between teacher qualifications and children's language and reasoning
• a positive and statistically significant relationship between teacher qualifications and the relationship and interactions parent and staff
• a positive and non-significant relationship between teacher qualifications and space and furnishings in the service
• a positive and statistically significant relationship between teacher qualifications and interactions
• a positive and non-significant relationship between teacher qualifications and personal care

The authors of the study, Matthew Manning, Susanne Garvis, Christopher Fleming and Gabriel Wong say the results are important for governments and stakeholders wanting to improve early childhood services to enhance children and family outcomes.

"Quality is closely linked to the level of staff qualification, which may indicate that it is important to have teachers with qualification higher than secondary education working with young children. The professionalisation of the early childhood sector through more qualified staff may lead to significant gains for children and their families, contributing towards life-long outcomes that will benefit all of society.

The meta-analysis also reflects a positive correlation between teacher qualifications and ratings on language and interactions and provision for learning within ECEC settings. This means that higher teacher qualifications are related to improvements in supporting children's development, including supporting language-reasoning experience, supervision and the scheduling of activities, organisation and arrangement of the room, providing varied social experiences for children, and creating a warm and friendly environment for interactions," they said in the research summary.

To learn more visit the Campbell Collaboration website.