Well-being and involvement as indicators of process quality in toddler classrooms: an analysis of different pedagogical contexts

Process quality is central to evaluating early childhood education and care (ECEC), emphasising children’s lived experiences rather than exclusively the structural characteristics of educational settings. Within the experiential education approach, well-being and involvement are key indicators of the quality of children’s educational experiences. This study examined patterns of well-being and involvement across pedagogical contexts in childcare settings and explored contextual characteristics associated with higher-quality experiences. A qualitative exploratory design based on documentary analysis was adopted. The corpus comprised 153 observation episodes collected by 14 master’s students during pedagogical placements in 12 Portuguese childcare centres. Observations used the Well-being and Involvement Scales adapted for the Portuguese context. Data were analysed through qualitative documentary analysis, supported by matrix coding queries in NVivo 14. Higher levels of well-being and involvement were predominantly observed during free play, teacher-guided activities, outdoor experiences, and situations promoting autonomy and positive peer interactions. Lower levels were mainly associated with arrival, mealtimes, transitions, and some rest periods. The convergence between both indicators suggests that they provide complementary insights into children’s educational experiences and serve as valuable indicators of process quality. These findings support systematic observation and ongoing pedagogical reflection to improve ECEC quality.