ABSTRACT

The current study examined the reliability and applicability of the Chinese translated versions of theEarly Childhood Environment Rating Scale –Revised (ECERS-R) and Early Childhood EnvironmentRating Scale –Extension (ECERS-E) as formative tools for use by local practitioners to perform selfevaluationson the various aspects of the educational environments being provided to pre-schoolchildren in their own settings with the goal of helping to facilitate changes that may help to enhancethe quality of educational experiences for young children. Five registered kindergartens wererecruited and received trainings in the administration of the said tools by the PECERA-HK (ECERS)professional team. Three assessment trials were administered in three different phases. For each trial,teacher representatives from each kindergarten completed the assessment using the said tools togetherwith the trainers. Discussions were also held with the trainers on their observations. Internal reliabilityfor the tools was found to be quite robust. Qualitative findings also suggested that the ECERS-R andECERS-E can serve to assist practitioners in identifying the respective strengths and weaknesses inthe educational environment they were providing to children and in setting clear directions for makingcorresponding improvements.

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