Structural Quality in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE): A Cross-national Comparative Study on Ethiopian and Kenyan Initial Teacher Education
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Date
2020-10
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Abstract
This cross-national study intended to explore the Structural Quality of Early Childhood
Care and Education (ECCE) in Ethiopian and Kenyan initial teacher education. Initial
teacher education quality assurance arrangement policies were fundamental issues to be
investigated. The study was mainly assisted by neo-institutional theory. The study
employed a comparative cross-national case study design while sequential exploratory
mixed strategy (QUAL + quant) was a methodological approach. Bereday's comparative
analysis model was used as the analytical framework of the study. Given Ethiopia and
Kenya are the cases, the respective education ministries and their line agencies were
major research sites. Two teacher education institutions were also taken as subsidiary
sites. Policy documents and different levels of education officials such as
directorate/department heads, deputy directors, coordinators, senior experts, and teacher
educators were major sources of data complemented by selected teacher trainees.
Twenty-five major and supportive policy documents and 16 key informants were
purposively selected for the qualitative part of the study. A total of 131 randomized
samples was also drawn for the quantitative inquiry. Document analysis, semi-structured
interview guidelines, and questionnaires were data collecting instruments used. The
findings of this study have shown significant convergence and divergence. As a result,
ECCE in both nations has gained still inadequate concern compared to subsequent
education subsectors. Despite policy indications of how ECCE quality and teacher
quality are milestones for all levels of education quality, the subsector looks in need of
considerable attention. The concept of 'decoupling' from institutional theory was
apparent but to a varied extent and characteristics. The Ethiopian ECCE, for instance,
has shown significant 'decoupling' between the planned policy reform activities in initial
teacher training and the practice. The Kenyan teachers' career arrangement policy was
considerably decoupled in ECCE, for example. A clear similar pattern revealed on the
least entry academic requirements for initial training that compromised the making of
teacher quality. Such similarities have also shown a sort of 'policy isomorphism'.
Divergence in governance structure and power has brought significant influence on all
stages of quality assurance arrangement policy formation and practice. Privatization of
teacher education was one of the major deviations affecting the respective nations
differently. The Kenyan private ECCE teacher training institutions have been
mushrooming while the current Ethiopian policy is closed for private teacher education.
Unemployment was one distinctive characteristic of Kenyan ECCE trained teachers
whereas Ethiopian ECCE is suffering from a critical shortage of teachers. There was a
plain difference toward the professionalization of teacher educators. In Kenya,
professional ECCE teacher educators are ranging from first degree to PhD levels.
Conversely, in Ethiopia, there are no ECCE professional teacher educators in any of the
training institutions. The findings of this research were also compared to the wider
regional and global contexts. Accordingly, for instance, the driving forces of
globalization in teacher education reform demonstrated unbalanced trend between the
southern and northern practices. Findings have revealed disconnection between Africa's
compassion on multiple importance of investment in ECCE and practice. Couples of
policy implications were also suggested.
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Structural Quality in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)