Section I: Theoretical Examinations of Quality: Making the Narrative of Quality Stutter

Abstract

The article argues, from a Foucauldian perspective, that the concept and practice of quality is part of a regime of truth or dominant discourse. As a result, the concept and practice of quality become taken for granted, implicitly assumed to be neutral and self evident; and the values and assumptions with which quality is inscribed are rendered invisible. One consequence is that "quality" is seen as a necessity when it comes to talking about pedagogical work in early childhood services and its evaluation, rather than as one of potentially many possibilities. The article considers why "quality" is talked about so much at this particular historical moment, and puts forward an other possibility for talking about and evaluating pedagogical work which, unlike quality, welcomes plurality, contingency, subjectivity, provisionality, political process and ethics: this other possibility, termed "meaning making," is inscribed with different values and assumptions and works with different methods in particular pedagogical documentation. The article concludes that working with "quality" may be a valid choice in certain conditions, but that to do so involves a judgement about the use of the concept rather than simply taking it for granted, and being aware that a political and ethical choice is being made.