CONSTRUCTION OF THE QUALITY OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IN KAZAKHSTAN: A TWO-SITED ETHNOGRAPHY

Abstract

This ethnographic study tells the story of how the quality of early childhood education (ECE) is constructed from the perspectives of kindergarten stakeholders in Kazakhstan. This research explores the notion of the quality of ECE as constructed by leaders, teachers, parents, and children in two kindergartens, and what shapes that understanding. ECE refers to formal education for children aged 1 to 6 years. Research in neuroscience, economics, and education highlights the long-term effects of high-quality ECE on child development, national economies, and society as a whole. Currently, Kazakhstan boasts the highest preschool enrolment rate in its history, with 99% of children aged 3-6 years enrolled. However, this significant growth in ECE brings a need to clearly understand what means the quality. Recent initiatives in Kazakhstani ECE are emphasizing quality improvement, yet the term “quality” remains undefined in the legislative context. Understanding what “quality” means in Kazakhstan is essential, especially given the efforts to establish a National Quality Evaluation System for ECE. Despite the lack of a universal definition of ECE “quality”, most existing international literature adopts an objectivist approach that measures quality through specific indicators. In contrast, this study uses a relativist approach, viewing ECE quality as a complex, multifaceted, contextual, subjective, and socially constructed concept. Additionally, the concept of quality is dynamic and can be influenced by various factors, values, and paradigms over time. This study employed qualitative methods to emphasise the socially constructed nature of reality, utilizing a two-sited ethnographic approach. Data were collected through fieldwork in natural settings, encompassing both private and public ECE environments. This allowed for the exploration of shared patterns through participant observations, interviews, document analysis, and children’s drawings to capture their voices. The findings revealed the intricate nature of the quality construct, which is multiperspective, multidimensional, and contextual. Quality in ECE was identified through six dimensions: Quality of Teachers, Quality of Pedagogy, Quality of Interactions, Quality of Leadership, Quality of Curriculum, and Quality of Environment. Stakeholders’ views were diverse, reflecting their unique experiences in the context of complex colonial realities. Ultimately, the construct of quality in ECE appeared complicated and messy in practice, with familiar processes (such as utrenniki) often taken for granted and lacking critical exploration.