Children’s critical thinking skills: perceptions of Norwegian early childhood educators

The study investigates Norwegian kindergarten teachers’ perceptions of critical thinking and how children’s critical thinking is expressed in kindergarten. The purpose is to provide more knowledge about the concept of critical thinking in kindergarten contexts. The research question is: What are Norwegian kindergarten teachers’ perceptions about critical thinking in kindergarten?

The study reveals that the kindergarten teachers had varying definitions and perceptions about critical thinking. Critical thinking was more closely linked to children’s dispositions and attitudes rather than cognitive skills. However, all informants agreed that critical thinking was important for children’s development, and they identified their own role as crucial in supporting and promoting critical thinking in children. Overall, the study helps highlight the importance of supporting kindergarten teachers’ knowledge about the concept of critical thinking in order to promote educational approaches that help develop critical thinking in children.

The researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with a total of ten kindergarten teachers from three different kindergartens. Eight of the informants were pedagogical leaders, and two were kindergarten teachers who worked with children with special needs. All of the kindergarten teachers worked with children aged four to six years and had an average of 17 years of experience working in kindergarten. Audio recordings were taken of the interviews which were then transcribed, encoded and analysed.

Pollarolo, E., Størksen, I., Skarstein, T. H., & Kucirkova, N. (2023). Children’s critical thinking skills: perceptions of Norwegian early childhood educators. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 31(2), 259–271.