Building a Sustainable Future Through International ECE Partnership Programmes

The article discusses the participation of kindergarten coordinators and kindergarten teachers in international partnership programmes as a tool for promoting early childhood education for sustainability (ECEfS). The research question is: How can the design of international partnership programmes promote kindergarten teachers’ competence in ECEfS?

The study argues that ethical normative, dialogical and expectant approaches play a key role in international ECEfS partnership programmes. The study illustrates that international partnership programmes in early childhood education (ECE) are complex and involve a number of conflicting objectives. The researchers believe that such partnership programmes should involve different stakeholders such as researchers, students, kindergarten coordinators and kindergarten teachers. Such involvement from more people may promote dialogue and critical reflection that focus on what can be improved in kindergarten teacher education with regard to ECEfS. Furthermore, partnership programmes need to be rooted in a common task/investigation, which means that all parties involved should be the goals and objects of the investigation. Finally, the article calls for international partnership programmes to promote ‘glocality’ in ECEfS, which means local affiliation within a strengthened global consciousness.

Based on a phenomenological approach, the study investigates the experiences of Chinese and Norwegian kindergarten teachers and coordinators when participating in an international partnership programme. The empirical data material consists of 15 open reflection notes from kindergarten teachers and coordinators, as well as recordings of kindergarten teachers’ and coordinators’ reflections and discussions from a joint seminar involving Norwegian and Chinese participants.

Birkeland, Å. & Li, M. (2019). “Building a Sustainable Future Through International ECE Partnership Programmes”. ECNU Review of Education, 2(4):458-474.