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

The purpose of this study is to examine how Nordic early childhood education and care policies frame values education in preschools. The study has special focus on the values of democracy, caring and competence. According to the authors of the study, previous studies have identified these values as important in educational practices and as part of a Nordic ideal. The study is part of a larger Nordic project Values education in Nordic Preschools: Basis of education of tomorrow, the aim of which is to examine values education from various perspectives, such as political levels, institutional levels and personal levels. At system level, the study focuses on how values in national curriculum guidelines serve as the basis for pedagogical practices in preschools in the Nordic countries, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Iceland.

The study shows that the three value fields, democracy, caring and competence, are embedded in the curricula guidelines for early childhood education and care for all the Nordic countries. On the basis of this, the study points out that the Nordic curricula guidelines include guidelines for daycare staff on how to offer children an environment based on democratic principles, caring and competence that encourages children's learning. Moreover, the study reveals different dimensions and meanings of the three value fields as well as differences in how these are weighted in the Nordic countries. Democracy is viewed as a fundamental value in all countries, but is ascribed different dimensions. For instance, children are described as being or becoming democratic individuals. Care is described as fulfilment of basic needs and associated with ethical and emotional relationships between the child and the adult. Words associated with care are particularly dominant in the Finnish curricula. Competence is given high priority in the curricula of all countries. Competence is described as learning sociality and academic skills and there is a significant similarity between the different curricula.

The study is a cross-cultural study which focuses on variations and similarities between the national political documents including the curriculum guidelines of the Nordic countries. The study was conducted by one researcher from each of the Nordic countries. These researchers analysed their own country's national curriculum guidelines, and then compared and interpreted their findings with one another.

The study uses both qualitative and quantitative methodologies to analyse the national curriculum guidelines. The qualitative analysis uses a thematic analytical approach to analyse and identify patterns in the individual document as well as across the different documents. In addition, a quantitative language-based approach was applied in the study. The documents are systematically analysed for words that relate to the values democracy, caring and competence, as well as for additional words relevant for the purpose of this study. For example, words coupled to different areas of learning and to values education. The frequency and number of the selected words in the different documents were identified and compared across the documents for the different countries. Findings from the analysis are discussed on the basis of Jürgen Habermas' systems perspective.

Einarsdottir, J., Brostrøm, S., Johannesson, E., Purola, A., Emilson, A. (2014). “Democracy, caring and competence: values perspectives in ECEC curricula in the Nordic countries.”International Journal of Early Years Education, 23(1), 97-114.