Educational quality in nursery schools. From procedures for evaluation to in-service training.

Abstract

This paper describes a training-research project promoted by the Educational Coordination of Bologna Municipality and involving 15 Kindergarten sections in a district of Bologna city. The research was conducted in the school year 2009-2010. The project was planned as an Evaluation Research oriented to introduce some Quality Evaluation proceedings into the Kindergarten and to promote, into the group of the teachers that have been involved, some processes of in-service training and educational planning. The Scale for Observation and Evaluation of Kindergarten SOVASI has been used following the methodological suggestions given by M. Ferrari (1994) as a reference and an opportunity for critical reflexion on the scale itself. After a brief report of the theoretical framework of the research, the authors present an analysis of the results concerning the Quality Evaluation of the Kindergartens, some critical reflexions on the proceedings and on the tool that has been used and the ways the researches conducted the data restitution meetings with the teachers in order to promote their professionalism.