Quality education in the flexible preschool. Implications for children and teachers with large work teams, large groups of children and open-space environments

The study investigates organisational changes in the composition of Swedish kindergartens, from small, separated groups of children to large, flexible groups of children and a team of kindergarten teachers who share the kindergarten’s area. The research questions are: 1) What reasons do the authorities give for the changes in pedagogical organisation and environment? 2) How do these changes affect children and kindergarten teachers, and the quality of education? 

The meta-analysis points to the following reasons for the organisational changes in Swedish kindergartens from the 1990s: a) political requirements stating that municipalities must offer full kindergarten provision, combined with reduced remittances to the kindergarten sector and documentation requirements regarding quality and efficiency, and b) larger, flexible teams of kindergarten teachers make it easier to move staff between departments when there is a lack of qualified staff. The results of the study also indicate that such organisational kindergarten reforms come at the expense of the quality of kindergarten provision: Dialogue and communication between the children and between the children and the adults are key to establishing good relationships, which quality in kindergarten is based on. This was also a concern expressed by parents. Large groups of children make such dialogue and communication difficult. A lack of stable groups of children can have particularly negative consequences for the youngest children’s attachment because they are constantly meeting new children and adults. Flexible organisation of kindergartens requires kindergarten teachers to plan well. Efficiency and cost-benefit requirements put additional pressure on kindergarten teachers. At the same time, flexibility facilitates collegial learning during the working day and helps solve staffing problems.

Published research on the topic as well as the EU Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care (2014), Swedish steering documents and reports, the Swedish Education Act and the Swedish curriculum for kindergartens (2019) constitute the source data for the study’s meta-analyses.

Lohmander, M. K. & Samuelsson, I. P. (2020). "Quality education in the flexible preschool. Implications for children and teachers with large work teams, large groups of children and open-space environments". International Research in Early Childhood Education, 10(2):83-97.