Improving educational effectiveness and quality in early childhood education and care (ECEC) is a central concern within European education systems. While participation in preschool education has expanded considerably across Europe, ensuring that this access translates into high-quality and equitable learning experiences remains a critical challenge. In inclusive education, quality cannot be evaluated solely through structural indicators, such as enrolment rates or the availability of support services. Instead, it requires systematic analysis of pedagogical processes and teachers’ capacity to design learning environments that respond to learner variability. This proposal addresses this challenge by examining inclusive education quality in preschool settings through the lens of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), positioning UDL as a pedagogically grounded framework for assessing educational effectiveness across diverse European contexts.

 The study is theoretically anchored in UDL, a framework derived from neuroscience and learning sciences that conceptualises inclusion as proactive educational design. UDL is structured around three interrelated principles: Multiple Means of Engagement, Multiple Means of Representation, and Multiple Means of Action and Expression. These principles correspond to motivational, cognitive, and strategic dimensions of learning and provide a coherent structure for evaluating how effectively teaching practices support diverse learners. In early childhood education, UDL aligns with developmental perspectives emphasising play-based learning, emotional regulation, autonomy, and communication. Within Network 11’s focus on educational effectiveness, UDL offers a means of linking inclusive values with measurable aspects of teaching quality, enabling the assessment of how pedagogical design contributes to equitable and effective learning outcomes.

 The research focuses on the assessment of inclusive education quality by analysing teachers’ UDL-aligned practices in preschool education. A cross-national comparative approach is employed to explore how educational effectiveness is shaped by different policy frameworks, teacher education pathways, and institutional conditions. The study addresses the following research questions: 1) Which teaching strategies and methods are employed and considered essential by in-service preschool teachers to implement UDL principles across different European countries; 2)Which UDL-aligned strategies do pre-service preschool teachers perceive as crucial for effective and inclusive preschool education; 3)What contextual challenges and enabling conditions influence the quality and effectiveness of UDL implementation in preschool settings?

 The overarching objective is to assess and compare inclusive education quality in preschool education by examining the extent to which UDL principles are valued and enacted by teachers. Specifically, the study aims to: 1)Identify cross-national similarities and differences in UDL-based teaching practices in preschool settings;2)Compare in-service teachers’ reported implementation with pre-service teachers’ conceptions of effective inclusive practice;3)Examine gaps between general endorsement of inclusive education and detailed pedagogical implementation;4)Generate evidence relevant to quality improvement strategies in early childhood education.

The study employs a cross-national, comparative quantitative research design to assess the quality and effectiveness of inclusive preschool education through teachers’ UDL practices. Data were collected using a structured survey instrument grounded in the UDL framework and aligned with its three core principles: Multiple Means of Engagement, Representation, and Action and Expression. The instrument was developed based on UDL Guidelines 3.0 and refined through a pilot study conducted prior to the main data collection. The pilot study confirmed high internal consistency and construct validity, supporting the instrument’s suitability for large-scale comparative analysis. To ensure cross-cultural validity, a forward–backward translation process was applied for all language versions, followed by expert review by national researchers to ensure conceptual and contextual equivalence. The final sample comprises preschool education professionals from four European countries—Austria, the Czech Republic, Latvia, and Portugal—selected to represent diverse educational governance models and early childhood education systems. Both in-service and pre-service teachers participated, enabling comparison between enacted practices and perceived standards of effective inclusive teaching. In-service teachers responded to items formulated as self-reported practices, while pre-service teachers evaluated the importance of the same strategies, ensuring conceptual equivalence while respecting experiential differences. The survey instrument includes demographic and professional background variables, followed by UDL-based items structured around specific checkpoints within each principle. Responses were recorded on a four-point Likert scale, allowing for differentiation in frequency and perceived importance. An additional section addressed contextual factors influencing implementation, including institutional support, resources, and professional development opportunities. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics to identify overall patterns and distributions, followed by non-parametric statistical tests to examine cross-national differences and contrasts between in-service and pre-service teachers. This approach allows for robust comparison despite variations in sample characteristics. By focusing on process-oriented indicators of teaching quality rather than outcomes alone, the methodology supports a nuanced assessment of inclusive education effectiveness in preschool settings across Europe.

This research is expected to contribute meaningful insights into how inclusive education quality in preschool settings. By adopting a cross-national comparative perspective, the study moves beyond descriptive accounts of inclusion and instead foregrounds pedagogical processes as key indicators of educational effectiveness and quality improvement. One anticipated conclusion is that, across all participating countries, teachers strongly endorse the general principles of inclusive education and UDL, confirming their relevance as a shared European pedagogical framework in early childhood education. At the same time, the findings are expected to reveal notable differences between countries in the extent to which UDL principles are implemented in everyday practice. These variations are likely to reflect national differences in teacher education, institutional support, professional development opportunities, and policy contexts. In line with previous research, it is anticipated that the principles of representation and action and expression will be more consistently implemented than engagement-related strategies, particularly those linked to motivation, self-regulation, and sustained effort. This pattern would highlight a critical area for quality improvement in inclusive preschool education. Another expected outcome concerns differences between in-service and pre-service teachers. Pre-service teachers are likely to demonstrate more homogeneous and idealised perceptions of effective inclusive practice across countries, while in-service teachers’ responses are expected to show greater variability shaped by contextual constraints and professional experience. This contrast may point to a gap between theoretical preparation and the realities of implementation, underscoring the importance of practice-oriented teacher education and ongoing professional learning. Overall, the study is expected to demonstrate that UDL provides a robust and analytically useful framework for assessing inclusive education quality in early childhood settings. The findings are intended to inform educational effectiveness research, support evidence-based quality assurance, and offer guidance for policymakers and teacher educators seeking to strengthen inclusive preschool education across Europe.

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