Page - 62 - in ElFo - Elementarpädagogische Forschungsbeiträge, Volume Jahrgang 3 / Heft 1 / 2021

Indicators of educator-child-interaction quality in early childhood education ElFo – Elementarpädagogische Forschungsbeiträge (2021), 3 (1), S. 61-76 62 Recent societal changes have increased the demand for institutional childcare facilities, par- ticularly for toddlers (OECD, 2016). Statistics on out-of-home care for nursery-age children show that demand is steadily increasing. For example, in Austria, the usage numbers have increased from 14% to 26.5% within the last ten years, with urban areas seeing an increase of up to 44% (Statistik Austria, 2019). The assumption is that more and more toddlers will attend nurseries and that this trend will continue to rise. The reasons for the increase in demand are the need to reconcile family and career and the growing awareness that the use of facilities with a high quality of education and care supports children's development (Burghardt & Klucz- niok, 2016; Viernickel & Fuchs-Rechlin, 2016). The EIK study described here examines and de- scribes in detail the extent to which high-quality interactions exist in institutions. The focus of the study is on the interactions between early childhood educator and children. Quality of nurseries The growing number of children in nurseries has made it increasingly important to focus on the quality of services offered. Many studies show that high care quality - as measured, for example, using CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System) by Pianta (2017), CIS (Caregiver Interaction Scale) by Arnett (1989), or the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale by Harms, Cryer, & Clifford, 2006 - has a positive effect on the social-emotional and cognitive develop- ment of children (NICHD; CQC; ECDE; EPPE; NCCSS; NUBBEK; BiKS), and that it is the quality of interaction in such settings which is of paramount importance (see Wadepohl, 2017; Melhuish, Ereky-Stevens, Petrogiannis, Ariescu, Penderi, Rentzou et al., 2015; Moyles, Adams & Musgroves, 2002; NICHD, 2002; Sylva, Melhuish, Sammons, Siraj-Blatchford, Taggart, 2004; Mashburn, Pianta, Hamre, Downer, Barbarin, Bryant et al., 2008). The provision of a stimulat- ing learning environment, one that enables children to explore, participate, and experience things first-hand, is crucial. This, however, requires a reliable relationship between the early childhood educator and child (Ahnert & Eckstein-Madry, 2015; Ballaschk & Anders, 2020; Becker-Stoll, Niesel & Wertfein, 2015). Furthermore, the chances for learning increase when children are given adult support in their (confrontational) interactions with peers, or when they are attempting to coordinate several perspectives, or to apply specific strategies, norms, and values (Gutknecht, 2015; Walter-Laager & Plautz, 2017). Petermann and Wiedebusch (2016) define this as the “social reinsurance phenomenon”. Here, children turn to the educa- tor for co-regulation. In addition, the maintenance of a clear daily routine, one which encour- ages child participation, serves to promote the development of autonomy, self-efficacy, and prosocial relationships. All such competences contribute to the psychological wellbeing of chil- dren (Lutz, 2016). How can educators create ideal surroundings for children in nurseries? One starting point is provided by simply looking at the skills needed by educators. Anders (2012) analyses several complementary skill models of early education, dividing them into three models. We refer to the structural approaches and the first model is the competence to act. It is split into its sub- dimensions, where the fundamental skills, knowledge and abilities are described and classified