Democracy, caring and competence: values perspectives in ECEC curricula in the Nordic countries

Abstract

The aim of the study is to explore how Nordic Early Childhood Education and Care policies frame values education in preschools with a special focus on the values of democracy, caring and competence. The study is part of a larger Nordic project, Values education in Nordic preschools: Basis of education for tomorrow, the aim of which is to explore values education from various perspectives, policy levels, institutional levels and personal levels. The study applies Habermas's theoretical ideas of communicative actions, lifeworld, and the system. Here the focus is on the system level, namely, values in national curriculum guidelines that serve as the basis of pedagogical practices in preschools in the Nordic countries. Thematic research analysis described by Braun and Clarke inspired the qualitative analysis of the documents. In addition, a quantitative language-based approach was applied to the study. Keywords related with democratic, caring and competence values were selected. The findings reveal different dimensions and meanings of the three value fields, such as democracy as being and/or becoming; care as fulfilment of basic needs and an ethical relationship; and competence values as learning for sociality and academic skills.

Science in Early Childhood Education

“…Through a science Bildung children's appropriated science knowledge and skills will help them to understand the surrounding world and inspire them to participate in solution of important societal question or with Klafki concepts: Epoch typical problems, for example questions according to change in the global climate, pollution, environment and health (Klafki,1995). Such a democratic dimensions is stated in educational policies in the Nordic countries (Einarsdottir et al, 2014), and too in The Lisbon Treaty (2000) where eight key competences for lifelong learning is expressed, and social and civic competences is mentioned in order to equip individuals to engage in active and democratic participation. Thus both from a macro-and micro level one can argue for implementation of science activities in preschool.…”

Quality of Kindergarten Teacher Training in regard to Science: a Joint Nordic Approach

“…Dette gjelder også for barnehagebarn og denne retten bør forme barnas laeringsaktiviteter (Bae, 2006;United Nations, 2002). Sammenheng mellom laeringsaktiviteter og de langsiktige dannelesidealer som blir uttrykt i barnehagens formål er viktig (Einarsdottir, Purola, Johansson, Broström, & Emilson, 2015). Det demokratiske dannelsesidealet, representert i hverdagslivet gjennom tre dannelsesdimensjoner: selvbestemmelse, medbestemmelse og solidaritet (Klafki, 2001), er sentralt i de nordiske landene…”

Tracing Curiosity with a Value Perspective

“…The fields are empirically developed in a study of documents and practices in Norway, Iceland, Sweden and Denmark and situated in the field of early childhood education. Three major value fields described in several Nordic curricula are: democracy, caring, and competence (Einarsdóttir et al, 2015).…”