Perceived quality and significance of Early Childhood Care and Education in Pakistan: a scoping review of evidence from the point of view of practitioners, parents and children

This scoping review maps 32 empirical studies on how quality in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is understood in Pakistan. It looks at the views of practitioners, parents and children. The authors followed the Arksey and O'Malley framework and grouped the evidence into five themes. They conclude that the views of different stakeholders on what quality and significance mean in ECCE are not well covered. They call for further research using approaches suited to the local context to inform future policy and practice.

Key points

• The review synthesized evidence from 32 studies.
• Five themes emerged: systemic challenges, structural, process, outcomes-based and orientation quality dimensions.
• Diverse stakeholder views in conceptualizing quality and significance of ECCE are lacking.
• Quality in ECCE is seen as important but complex, because it standardizes ECCE against universal assessments and measures.
• Further research using contextually relevant approaches is needed to construct the meaning of quality and shape future ECCE policies and practice.

Limitations

Only the abstract is available, so details on the included studies, their quality, and the specific findings within each theme are not known. As a scoping review, it maps the evidence rather than testing whether any intervention works.