Sonja Sheridan

Children's Conceptions of Participation and Influence in Pre-school: a perspective on pedagogical quality

The United Nations Convention and the Swedish curriculum for pre-school clearly state the right of children to express their views in all matters of concern to them. It is imperative, therefore, that an evaluation of the quality of early childhood education includes the voices of children. Without these, an essential part of how children experience quality within various childcare settings as well as an overall understanding of quality in early childhood education is missing. In a study carried out in a small community in Sweden, the quality of various pre-school settings was evaluated both by an external evaluator and by self-evaluations. From the results of the external evaluations, three pre-school units evaluated to be of low quality and three of good quality were selected for in-depth studies. Thirty-nine 5 year-old children from these pre-school units were interviewed about their conceptions of decision-making and how they experienced the opportunities for them to exercise influence in their pre-school setting. The results show that it is vital for the children to participate in decision-making and the meanings given by the children to the concept ‘to decide’, have been grouped into five qualitatively different categories.

Dimensions of pedagogical quality in preschool

Four dimensions of pedagogical quality focusing on childrens opportunities for learning and development in preschool are suggested. This article explores how they are constituted and how they can be used for evaluation to discern pedagogical quality as a whole and part of a whole and to understand how quality is experienced and valued from different perspectives. The four dimensions are: those of society, the child, the teacher and the learning context. This approach to evaluation has evolved from a meta‐analysis of the results of four empirical studies. The object of research in this article was childrens possibilities for participation and influence in preschool. When the four dimensions of quality were used for evaluation, a broader and deeper picture of influence and participation as a pedagogical quality emerged. The results highlight the complexity of pedagogical quality and how it is constituted in the interaction between various dimensions and aspects of human and material resources. It shows that, in order to grasp the complexity of pedagogical quality, it is necessary to study the same aspect, phenomenon and situation from more than one perspective at one and the same time.

Five preschool curricula —comparative perspective

SummaryIn recent years the OECD has undertaken the evaluation of early childhood education and care (ECEC) on behalf of ministers of education in a number of countries in order to support quality improvement in this field. This article is based on a workshop for the national coordinators of early childhood policy in Sweden, 2003, which dealt with Curriculum and Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education. The five curricula presented were Reggio Emilia, Te Whãriki, Experiential Education, High/Scope and the Swedish National Curriculum for Preschool. The aim of this article is to compare these curricula, establishing similarities and differences discussing quality aspects and problematising the general and the cultural specifics of each curriculum per se and in relation to the others. A further aim is to raise awareness of curriculum questions in connection with children’s learning and development. The article is based on a pedagogical perspective of quality, which takes the perspective of the child and focuses on what is best for a child’s learning and development in a specific culture. The results of the analysis show that the five curricula are of high quality in relation to each country’s culture. High quality in preschool means giving the children a good start in life. The unique and competent child has rights of its own and should be treated with respect. In focus are the individual child’s opportunities for building up knowledge and expressing their understanding of the surrounding world. High quality is also related to the competent and professional teacher with theoretical and pedagogical knowledge.RésuméPendant ces dernières années, l’OECD, au nom des ministres de l’Education de différents pays, s’est chargée d’évaluer l’Education préscolaire (ECEC) à fin d’améliorer sa qualité. Cet article a son origine dans un atelier qui a réunit les coordinateurs nationaux de l’Education préscolaire en Suède en 2003. L’atelier fut consacré aux Programmes et à la Pédagogie de l’école maternelle. Les cinq programmes présentés étaient les suivants: Reggio Emilia, Te Whãriki, Experiential Education, High/Scope et le Programme suédois du niveau préscolaire. L’objectif de cet article est de détecter les similitudes et les différences existant entre les programmes, de discuter leur niveau de qualité et d’analyser les aspects culturels, généraux et spécifiques de chacun des programmes. Un autre but de cet article est d’accroître la conscience autour des questions relatives à l’apprentissage et au développement des enfants dans le cadre des programmes d’éducation. L’article est centré sur le thème de la qualité du point de vue pédagogique, en prenant la perspective de l’enfant, et il donne priorité au sujet à ce qui est le mieux pour l’apprentissage et le développement de l’enfant dans une culture spécifique. Les résultats de l’analyse montrent que les cinq programmes sont de haute qualité, par rapport à la culture de chaque pays. Haute qualité signifie ici que l’éducation préscolaire est capable de donner à l’enfant un bon point de départ pour la vie. L’enfant, unique et compétent, a des droits par lui-même, et devrait être traité avec respect. On vise ici, en premier lieu, les possibilités de l’enfant de connaître et d’exprimer leur compréhension du monde qui l’entoure. La haute qualité est aussi en rapport avec le fait d’avoir des instituteurs compétents et professionels possédant des connaissances théoriques et pédagogiques.ResumenEn los últimos años, la OECD, por iniciativa de un grupo de ministros de Educación, ha asumido la tarea de evaluar la Política de Educación Pre-escolar. Este artículo se basa en un taller que en el año 2003 reunió a los coordinadores nacionales de la política de Educación Pre-escolar en Suecia. El tema del taller eran los Programas y la Pedagogía de este nivel de educación. Los cinco programas presentados fueron los siguientes: Reggio Emilia, Te Whâriki, Experiential Education, High Scope y el Programa sueco para el parvulario. Este artículo se propone detectar semejanzas y diferencias existentes entre ellos, discutir aspectos de calidad de los mismos y analizar aspectots culturales, tanto generales como específicos, de cada uno. Otro objetivo es el de incrementar la conciencia de los problemas ligados al aprendizaje y desarrollo del niño, dentro del marco de los programas de educación. El artículo enfoca el tema de la calidad pedagógica desde la perspectiva del niño y se plantea qué es lo mejor para el aprendizaje y desarrollo del éste en una cultura específica. Los resultados del análisis muestan que los cinco programas son de alta calidad, en relación con las culturas de sus respectivos países. Alta calidad significa que el parvulario provee a los niños de un buen punto de partida en la vida. El niño, único y competente, tiene derechos propios y debería ser tratado con respeto. Como foco de primordial interés aparecen las posibilidades para cada niño de conocer y expresar su comprensión del mundo que lo rodea. El concepto de alta calidad se relaciona también con la competencia y profesionalidad del maestro poseedor de conocimientos teóricos y pedagógicos.

Discerning pedagogical quality in preschool.

The aim of this article is to initiate a change of view on quality that goes beyond assumed dichotomies of subjectivity and objectivity. In the view presented here, pedagogical quality is seen as an educational phenomenon of “sustainable dynamism,” that is a phenomenon that has structural characteristics and is culturally sensitive. The underlying assumption is that quality cannot be assessed and improved without an understanding of its constitution and meaning. The ecological framework presented in this article demonstrates how quality can be discerned as dimensions and aspects through a meta‐analytical process of deconstruction and reconstruction based on four empirical studies in early childhood education. From this analytical process a dynamic, cultural, and contextual sensitive definition of the structural constitution of pedagogical quality emerged, helping to identify characteristics of quality in preschool.

Learning through ICT in Swedish Early Childhood Education from a Pedagogical Perspective of Quality

I nformation and communication technology (ICT) has swept into modern society and rapidly been brought to use in various areas. Sweden has enthusiastically adopted the technology and in the process has become a world leader, in terms of numbers of computers per capita and frequency of Internet use (Next Generation Forum, 1999,2000). Today, ICT is an integrated part of the Swedish society; most of the adult population is using it in one way or another and we dare to predict that use will increase in the next generation. ICT is everywhere around us, both in society at large and in our homes, and it influences many aspects of most children’s everyday lives. The aim of this article is to discuss how teacher education and teacher competency affect children’s capabilities to learn through ICT. Our focus here is limited to the uses of computers and the Internet, although ICT has a broader definition and includes a variety of technologies. Sweden’s political leaders have’set out to make the country a leading IT nation, and to ensure that all of its citizens have access to information (Ministry for Industry, Employment, and Communications, 2000). To fulfill this ambition, the government has focused on the education system. A largescale national government scheme, IT in School (ITiS), was implemented in 1999 to guarantee that every child and teacher in school would have his or her own E-mail address and access to the Internet (Ministry of Education and Science, 2000). Since then, more than half of the teachers in Sweden (75,000), from the preschool level to adult education, are occupied with ICT competency development, with the support of specially trained ICT consultants. The ITiS government program excluded preschool children between the ages of 1 to 5, as well as their teachers, because many preschool teachers and decision-makers question the benefits and suitability of ICT for these youngest children. It is important to clarify that preschool is the first step in the Swedish education system, which continues up to age 19 (early childhood education extends until approximately age 10). Both preschools and grade schools adhere to nationally mandated curricula that are linked by shared goals (Ministry of Education and Science, 1994/98, 1998). The dual aims of the curriculum are to promote a child’s learning and development in accordance with the overall goals and to enhance quality throughout the education system. It is also important, however, to point out that no specific methods or tools to improve education and/or enhance quality, such as ICT, are mentioned in any of the Swedish curriculum (Pramling Samuelsson, in press). From one perspective, ICT is regarded as Sweden’s political

Collaboration as One Aspect of Quality: A perspective of collaboration and pedagogical quality in educational settings

The aim of this article is to problematise and discuss collaboration between children as a means of learning and as an essential aspect of pedagogical quality in educational settings. In theories of learning, childrens social interaction and collaboration are highlighted as fundamental to their learning. This implies that childrens opportunities to learn from each other in educational contexts constitute a decisive aspect of pedagogical quality, which focuses on possibilities for learning and learning processes in the educational system. At the same time, collaboration is questioned as a means of motivating learning beyond childrens own expected potential. We suggest that it might depend on the way education is organised and carried out, the view of knowledge and what is regarded as valuable content in relation to how collaboration is defined, described, and thought about in both research and practice.

Evaluation of Pedagogical Quality in Early Childhood Education: A Cross-National Perspective.

Abstract In a comparative study between Germany and Sweden, observers from different countries and cultures make parallel and independent observations of the quality in early childhood education. For evaluation of quality, the observers use the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS), combined with a documentation of the perceptual process underlying the ratings of quality with the ECERS. The study focuses on how the concept of quality in ECERS is concretized in pedagogical processes in early childhood education, on how those pedagogical processes can be made visible and on the validity of evaluations of quality with the ECERS in cross-national comparative studies.

A turning‐point or a backward slide: the challenge facing the Swedish preschool today

Thirty years or more of striving for a coherent theme in the educational system from preschool to gymnasium might now be at an end. Millions of Swedish kronor have been spent on projects concerning cooperation between pre‐ and primary school. The curricula for preschool and the gymnasium are similar in structure, and they are connected with each other through the goals that children and students are expected to achieve. Teacher education has so far been one integrated programme with different orientations and specialities, and the basic knowledge that teachers require has been largely the same from early childhood education (ECE) to adult education. The political winds are, however, blowing in another direction. A question to ask is whether Sweden is changing its holistic and social‐pedagogical approach to ECE and teacher education towards a more traditional academic one. It is this change that will be discussed in this article, although one has to bear in mind that nothing is fixed and stable, so the article is a snapshot from an ongoing process.

Recent issues in the Swedish preschool

SummaryIn Sweden most of the young children are in preschool from early years. The government has taken responsibility by introducing different reforms such as child allowance, maternity leave, access to preschool for all children etc. Preschool (in Sweden for children aged 1–5 years and preschool class for 6 years old) is, since 1998, the first step in the educational system with a national curriculum (Ministry of Education and Science in Sweden, 1998a). The local education authorities have now had five years to launch the curriculum.Reforms that provide support for families started before World War II, but as they culminated during a period of increasing effectiveness in combination with harsh economies in the public sector they are experienced by the teachers both as quality improvements and quality threats. The quality of preschool is a matter of concern at both a national and local level, although most parents appear to be satisfied. In the process of evaluating preschool quality in Gothenburg (Sweden’s second largest city) focus groups were developed with representatives from the 21 city districts. The results of the focus group analyses are presented and discussed in the present article.RésuméEn Suède, la plupart des enfants fréquentent, dès le jeune âge, des structures préscolaires. Le gouvernement a pris la responsabilité d’introduire différentes réformes telles qu’ allocations pour enfants, congés de maternité, accès au préscolaire pour tous etc ... L’institution préscolaire, en Suède, reçoit des enfants âgés de 1 à 5 ans et les classes préscolaires des enfants de 6 ans. Cette structure constitue, depuis 1998, le premier palier du système éducatif avec un programme national relevant du Ministère de l’Education et des Sciences. Les autorités locales ont maintenant 5 ans pour lancer ce programme.Des réformes pour procurer une aide aux familles ont commencé avant la 2e guerre mondiale mais, à cause du fait qu’elles ont culminé pendant une période de riguer économique, elles ont été vécues par les enseignants comme étant à la fois des améliorations et des menaces. La qualité du préscolaire concerne à la fois le plan national et le plan local; en fait la plupart des parents sén contentent. Pour procéder à l’évaluation de la qualité du préscolaire à Gothenburg (la seconde grande ville de Suède), un groupe d’observation s’est développé avec des représentants de 21 arrondissements urbains. Les résultats des analyses de ce groupe sont présentés et discutés dans le présent article.ResumenEn Suecia la mayoría de los niños pequeños, desde temprana edad, asisten al preescolar. El gobierno ha tomado la responsabilidad introduciendo diferentes reformas tales como asignación por niño; permiso maternal; acceso para todos los niños al nivel preescolar, etc. El nivel Preescolar (en Suecia incluye a niños de 1 a 5 años y la clase preescolar para niños de 6 años) es desde 1998, el primer nivel del sistema educacional que tiene un curriculum nacional (Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia de Suecia, 1998a). Las autoridades educacionales locales tienen ahora cinco años para el lanzamiento del curriculum.Las reformas para apoyar a las familias se iniciaron antes de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, pero estas se terminaron después de un periodo económico muy duro en el sector público. Los profesores frente a las últimas reformas experimentaron tanto una sensación de mejoramiento como de amenazas en la calidad. La calidad del preescolar les corresponde a ambos, nivel local y nacional, y la mayoria de los padres están satisfechos al respecto. En el proceso de evaluación de la calidad del preescolar en Gotenburgo (la segunda ciudad más grande de Suecia) se desarrollaron focus group con representantes de 21 distritos. Los resultados de los análisis de los focus group son presentados y discutidos en el presente articulo.

constructive competition in preschool

The purpose of this article is to draw attention to competition as a multidimensional phenomenon in preschool. Theories of competition are outlined here in relation to an empirical study of how preschool children compete constructively and how they themselves express and conceive competition in different situations. The data consist of video observations, individual and group interviews as well as children’s drawings. The results show that cooperation and constructive competition exist simultaneously. Competition enters children’s lives at an early stage, and constructive competition is a dimension that can motivate children to achieve better at the same time as it makes activities more exciting. Constructive competition is also a dimension of children’s cooperation as well as individual activities.