What is universal? A critical cultural approach to the CLASS. The voices of Italian, Portuguese and Dutch ECEC teachers

The international application of standard-based measures to assess ECEC (Early Childhood Education and Care) quality raises important questions about the cultural consistency and ecological validity of instruments when they are used in different cultural contexts. Despite the relevance of these issues, there has been little attention given to this topic in the literature. This paper aims to address this gap by focusing on the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS Toddler and Pre-K versions – La Paro, Hamre, & Pianta, 2012; Pianta, La Paro, & Hamre, 2008) in a cross-country qualitative comparative research project involving ECEC practitioners in Italy, Portugal, and the Netherlands. The participants engaged in a multi-voiced discussion on the CLASS with the following objectives: 1) to elicit different cultural viewpoints on ECEC quality; and 2) to compare local pedagogical theories with the values and cultural models embedded in the instrument. The study identified both similarities and differences between these perspectives and brought to light key elements of the teacher-child relationship that were not captured or were interpreted differently by the CLASS. Through the lens provided by the tool, the study revealed local values and pedagogical models, and identified possible “emerging indicators” of process quality that are relevant across the three countries but may not be encompassed by standardized tools, such as the CLASS. The results offer valuable insights into the methodological and theoretical reflection on “universal vs culture-related” views on education and quality, and on the international use of standardized evaluation tools.