ECEC teachers' perceptions of EQUAL Child, a structured conversation tool for assessing children's subjective well-being.
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| Title: | ECEC teachers' perceptions of EQUAL Child, a structured conversation tool for assessing children's subjective well-being. |
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| Authors: | Paulsrud, Pia Elisabeth Dedichen1 (AUTHOR) ppa@dmmh.no, Smeby, Kristine Warhuus2 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | European Early Childhood Education Research Journal. Apr2026, Vol. 34 Issue 2, p291-305. 15p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Communication strategies, *Teacher attitudes, *Early childhood education, Subjective well-being (Psychology), Professional competence, Digital technology, Psychological well-being |
| Abstract: | Child well-being is a central focus and a key quality indicator in Norwegian Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) institutions. This qualitative study explores ECEC teachers' use of EQUAL Child, a digital conversation tool designed to assess children's subjective well-being. Four focus groups were conducted to explore the experiences of 18 ECEC teachers who had conducted 210 structured conversations with children aged 4–5 years. Thematic analysis resulted in five themes concerning the teachers' experiences, belonging to two conceptual units. The first three themes – Individual moments as relationship-building, Structured conversations as awareness-raising and Scheduled meetings as democracy-making – highlight that using the tool was meaningful in important ways. The two last themes – A sensitive approach to children's different needs and Seeking children's subjective perspectives – illustrate important aspects of how professionals use pedagogical tact in different ways to approach children's subjective well-being. The study emphasizes the impact of individual structured conversations with children in professional settings, both by expanding professionals' insights, by including children's voices, and by contributing to children's well-being in ECEC. To be perceived as meaningful in professional practice, it is essential that the assessment tool be adapted to the context-specific framework, and that professionals activate pedagogical tact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of European Early Childhood Education Research Journal is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 193251556 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: ECEC teachers' perceptions of EQUAL Child, a structured conversation tool for assessing children's subjective well-being. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Paulsrud%2C+Pia+Elisabeth+Dedichen%22">Paulsrud, Pia Elisabeth Dedichen</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> ppa@dmmh.no</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Smeby%2C+Kristine+Warhuus%22">Smeby, Kristine Warhuus</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22European+Early+Childhood+Education+Research+Journal%22">European Early Childhood Education Research Journal</searchLink>. Apr2026, Vol. 34 Issue 2, p291-305. 15p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Communication+strategies%22">Communication strategies</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+attitudes%22">Teacher attitudes</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Early+childhood+education%22">Early childhood education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Subjective+well-being+%28Psychology%29%22">Subjective well-being (Psychology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Professional+competence%22">Professional competence</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Digital+technology%22">Digital technology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychological+well-being%22">Psychological well-being</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Child well-being is a central focus and a key quality indicator in Norwegian Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) institutions. This qualitative study explores ECEC teachers' use of EQUAL Child, a digital conversation tool designed to assess children's subjective well-being. Four focus groups were conducted to explore the experiences of 18 ECEC teachers who had conducted 210 structured conversations with children aged 4–5 years. Thematic analysis resulted in five themes concerning the teachers' experiences, belonging to two conceptual units. The first three themes – Individual moments as relationship-building, Structured conversations as awareness-raising and Scheduled meetings as democracy-making – highlight that using the tool was meaningful in important ways. The two last themes – A sensitive approach to children's different needs and Seeking children's subjective perspectives – illustrate important aspects of how professionals use pedagogical tact in different ways to approach children's subjective well-being. The study emphasizes the impact of individual structured conversations with children in professional settings, both by expanding professionals' insights, by including children's voices, and by contributing to children's well-being in ECEC. To be perceived as meaningful in professional practice, it is essential that the assessment tool be adapted to the context-specific framework, and that professionals activate pedagogical tact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of European Early Childhood Education Research Journal is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=193251556 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1080/1350293X.2025.2516088 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 15 StartPage: 291 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Communication strategies Type: general – SubjectFull: Teacher attitudes Type: general – SubjectFull: Early childhood education Type: general – SubjectFull: Subjective well-being (Psychology) Type: general – SubjectFull: Professional competence Type: general – SubjectFull: Digital technology Type: general – SubjectFull: Psychological well-being Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: ECEC teachers' perceptions of EQUAL Child, a structured conversation tool for assessing children's subjective well-being. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Paulsrud, Pia Elisabeth Dedichen – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Smeby, Kristine Warhuus IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 04 Text: Apr2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 1350293X Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 34 – Type: issue Value: 2 Titles: – TitleFull: European Early Childhood Education Research Journal Type: main |
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