Interaction Quality in Norwegian ECEC for Toddlers measured with the Caregiver Interaction Profile (CIP) Scales

Författare
Bjørnestad, E., Broekhuizen, M. L., Os, E., Baustad, A. G.
År
2020

Syfte

The purpose of the study is to investigate the quality of interactions between children under the age of three and their caregivers in kindergarten. The study has a special focus on possible differences between kindergarten teachers and assistants. Another purpose of the study is to test the Caregiver Interaction Profile (CIP) as an analysis tool to assess the tool’s usefulness and user-friendliness in a Norwegian context.

Resultat

The results show that the quality of interactions between the caregivers in kindergarten and the children was moderate to average. The caregivers scored higher on basic interactions (structure, respect for the child’s autonomy, setting boundaries and sensitivity towards the child’s needs) than on pedagogical interactions (verbal communication, facilitating good child-child relationships and stimulating development). The results of the study were compared with the results of a similar study conducted in the Netherlands. The quality of interaction is at the same level in both countries. Due to the fact that there are more employees per child in Norway (1:3) compared to the Netherlands (1:5), the researchers assumed that Norway would score higher on the scale than the Netherlands, which turned out not to be the case in this study. The study also shows that the CIP scale is user-friendly and can be utilised in various types of research in Norway.

Design

The study uses the CIP scale to investigate the quality of the interactions that kindergarten teachers and other kindergarten caregivers have with children. A total of 168 Norwegian kindergarten employees participated in the study. Different interactions were observed by the researcher and recorded on video.

Referenser

Bjørnestad, E., Broekhuizen, M. L., Os, E. & Baustad, A. G. (2020). «Interaction Quality in Norwegian ECEC for Toddlers measured with the Caregiver Interaction Profile (CIP) Scales». Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 64(6):901-920.

Uppdragsgivare

The Research Council of Norway, Norway