Technical, practical and emanicipatory quality in quality development work in school-age educare

Abstract

This article explores which qualities that are made visible in quality development work in school-age educare through an analysis of conversations between researchers and staff in an action research and development project focusing on how quality development work can be based on pupils needs, interests and experiences.

Previous research shows that when national standards in governing documents, intended to increase quality, are transformed in everyday life in school-age educare it is possible that they counteract these intentions since resources and structures needed seldom follow. Both international and national research shows that communication and relationships are important quality indicators. Staffs understanding of their own practice and the staff team’s reflection and communication about it and their setting can contribute to increased quality in school-age educare. The question is what forms of knowledge and knowledge interests are made visible in these reflections?

The staff involved in the project were facilitated in the different processes of exploring their pupils’ interests and needs, planning based on these findings as well as documenting and reflecting on the outcome. The analysis of these collective conversations and reflections shows what is valued and what knowledge building is focusing on, in these particular school-age educare settings, at this particular time. This contributes to the discussion about quality norms for school-age educare, focusing on those qualities in the dialogical and collective processes that the analysis makes visible.

Habermas theory (Habermas, 1968/1971) about technical, practical and emancipatory knowledge interests are used as a tool for analysis to discuss quality. Technical knowledge, in this theory, is based on an analysis of empirical material where the aim is predetermined and the knowledge interest is to improve and control something. Practical knowledge has a historical-hermeneutical frame and develops through meaning making where pre-understanding is made visible. The knowledge interest is to develop consensus among the actors of a specific tradition about how life should be lived by increasing understanding. Emancipatory knowledge is based on transformative reflection, knowledge becomes emancipatory when rules are questioned. The interest focuses on developing self-reflection that sets limitations aside (Habermas, 1968/1971, s. 317) and thereby reflect on that which we otherwise take for granted.

The empirical examples in the article illuminate different forms of quality by making one or intertwined knowledge interests visible. Staff seems to move between these interests depending on which part of the aim of school-age educare that are most valued when talking about their practice. Desire for technical quality seems to lead to control both of participation as well as assessment of individual pupils. Collegial discussions allow for professional meaning making about the motive for actions and their underlying values, thus can be recognised as practical quality. When collective reflections focus on norms and other limitations it seems to motivate for change. It is not until change actually happens though, in staffs work or/and in the conditions of the school-age educare setting, that it may be possible to talk about emancipatory quality in school-age educare.

Quality in systematic development work at these school-age educare settings made it possible to work with the different parts of the aim of the service as well as ensuring that all the children in the specific group had their interests and needs met over time. Conversations and collective meaning making about the aim of school-age educare allowed for an everyday practice that was open to challenging and changing collective norms and structural barriers to collectively build a school-age educare setting together with the pupils (Lager 2020) where a good life could be lived (Kemmis, 2010).