Democracy, care and competences in National Curriculum Guidelines for Preschools

Í rannsókninni sem kynnt er í þessari grein er sjónum beint að þeim gildum og því gildismati sem fram kemur í stefnu leikskóla á Íslandi. Gildin lýðræði, umhyggja og hæfni voru einkum til skoðunar og voru þau valin þar sem þau mynda rauðan þráð í Norrænum leikskólanámskrám. Markmið rannsóknarinnar var að öðlast skilning á þeim gildum sem sett eru fram í Aðalnámskrá leikskóla (2011) og starfsfólki íslenskra leikskóla er ætlað að miðla til leikskólabarna. Rannsóknin er hluti af norrænu rannsóknarverkefni, Values education in Nordic preschools: Basis of education for tomorrow, sem styrkt var af NordForsk. Verkefnið hafði það að markmiði að rannsaka þau gildi sem norrænir leikskólar byggja starf sitt á og skoða og greina hvernig þeim gildum er miðlað til leikskólabarna. Í þeim hluta rannsóknarinnar sem hér er kynnt var þemagreining notuð til að leita uppi og greina mynstur í námskránni og málfarsleg greining var jafnframt gerð á textanum. Niðurstöðurnar varpa ljósi á það hvernig gildin lýðræði, umhyggja og hæfni birtast í aðalnámskránni.In the study presented in this article, the focus is on the values identified in Icelandic preschool policy. The aim of the study is to explore how the Icelandic national curriculum guidelines for preschools frame values education and how Icelandic preschool educators are expected to communicate them to preschool children (Aðalnámskrá leikskóla, 2011). A particular focus is placed on the values of democracy, caring, and competence. These values were chosen because they have been found to form a leitmotif running throughout Nordic curricula for preschools (Einarsdottir, Puroila, Johansson, Broström, & Emilson, 2015). The following research questions guided the study: • What does the national curriculum say about participation and responsibilities of children in the preschool community? • How is the concept of care presented in the national curriculum? • What competencies does the national curriculum emphasize? 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, including policy levels, institutional levels, and personal levels. Values are defined as principles that guide human actions and by which actions are judged to be good or desirable (Halsted & Taylor, 2010). Values education as a concept refers to educational practices through which children are assumed to learn societal values, as well as the norms and skills grounded in those values (Halstead & Taylor, 2000; Thornberg, 2008). The Nordic study applied Habermas’s (1987 theoretical ideas of communicative actions, the life-world, and the system. While the life-world is related to an inside perspective; that is, the participant’s point of view, the system relates to an outside perspective; that is, the spectator’s point of view. Here, the focus is on the system level, namely, the values embedded in Icelandic national curriculum guidelines for preschools. Thematic research analysis described by Braun and Clarke (2006) inspired the analysis of the curriculum guide. Thematic analysis is characterized by flexibility and involves searching across a data set to identify, analyze, and report patterns. A theme captures important aspects of the data in relation to the research questions and represents some level of meaning within the data set. An inductive analysis was also performed; that is, the themes identified were strongly linked to the data and the coding. In addition to a thematic analysis of the documents, a language-based approach was applied to the study. Key words related to democratic, caring, and competence values were selected, counted and categorized. The findings of the study provide knowledge about the values of democracy, caring, and competency in the Icelandic national curriculum guidelines for preschools. The findings shed light on how these values are presented in the curriculum and reveal different dimensions and meanings of the three value fields. Democracy is a prominent value in the document. Emphasis is placed on the importance of children not only learning about democracy but also having opportunities to understand and exercise democracy in the preschool setting. Democratic values are, on the one hand, pointed toward the individual and, on the other hand, toward the group. Care is widely discussed in the document and presented both as the fulfillment of basic needs and as an ethical relationship. Emphasis is placed on children learning to show other children respect and empathy as well as their right to experience sympathy and support from others. Concepts connected to competence values are highly prioritized in the curriculum. The competence values concern both a “how” aspect and a “what” aspect of children’s learning and development; that is, what children should learn and the methods the preschools should use to support their learning. Competence values concern both sociality and academic skills. Social competence is in the forefront in the curriculum and means interacting with other people, participating in society, and understanding social circumstances. Socio-emotional factors related to the individual, such as the development of self-esteem, self-image, and self-confidence, are also mentioned. Learning areas or content areas of the preschool curriculum are described in the curricular texts, and emphasis is placed on their integration and on meeting the interests of individual children.Peer Reviewe

Emphases and power relations in cooperation of educators and parents in preschools

Niðurstöður fjölda rannsókna benda til þess að samstarf starfsfólks leikskóla og foreldra auki öryggi og vellíðan barnanna og efli nám þeirra. Í Aðalnámskrá leikskóla frá 2011 er lögð áhersla á lýðræðislegt samstarf á jafnréttisgrundvelli milli foreldra, starfsfólks og barna um þátttöku í gerð skólanámskrár, starfsáætlun og mati. Jafnframt kemur fram að leikskólakennarar skuli vera leiðandi við mótun leikskólastarfsins. Markmiðið með rannsókninni sem hér er greint frá var að skoða áherslur og valdatengsl í samstarfi foreldra og starfsfólks og bera það saman við hugmyndir um fagmennsku leikskólakennara. Jafnframt var stefnt að því að skoða samstarf við foreldra af erlendum uppruna. Gögnum var safnað með rýnihópaviðtölum við foreldra barna í fimm leikskólum og í kjölfarið ræddu leikskólakennarar og leikskólastjórar álit og upplifun foreldranna í rýnihópi. Niðurstöður benda til þess að samstarf starfsfólks og foreldra fari fram eftir bæði lóðréttum og láréttum brautum. Áherslur í fagmennsku leikskólakennara virðast því bæði vera hefðbundnar, þar sem leikskólakennarinn lítur á sig sem sérfræðing við mótun leikskólastarfs og skólanámskrár, og lýðræðislegar, þar sem meira er horft til þekkingar foreldranna þegar einstök börn eiga í hlut. Foreldrarnir sögðu að ef allt gengi vel og ekki kæmu upp vandamál skiptu þeir sér lítið af starfinu. Þeir mátu sérfræðiþekkingu leikskólakennara mikils en sögðu að tíð starfsmannaskipti hefðu veruleg áhrif á samstarfið. Starf foreldraráðs var fremur óljóst í hugum samstarfsaðila og það virtist vera látið nægja að skólanámskráin væri þar til umfjöllunar. Rafræn samskipti milli leikskóla og foreldra höfðu aukist og þar var leikskólakennarinn í hlutverki þess sem upplýsir og miðlar. Þegar horft er sérstaklega til samstarfs starfsfólks leikskóla og foreldra af erlendum uppruna, þá virtust þeir oft vera einangraðir og skorta þekkingu á ýmsu því sem íslenskir foreldrar þekktu nokkuð vel. Leikskólakennarar leituðu árangursríkra leiða til að vinna með þeim en sögðu að tungumálakunnátta stæði oft samstarfi fyrir þrifum.The aim of this research was to shed light on priorities and power relations in cooperation between parents and educators. Furthermore, emphases in cooperation and relations were explored with the concept of professionalism of preschool teachers in mind. Special focus was also placed on parents of foreign origin. The partnerships between educators and parents in preschools and how these are constructed are among the elements expected to predict the quality of preschool activities, and thus seen as highly important (Urban, Vandenbroeck, Peeters, Lazzari and Van Laere, 2011). In a partnership, trust and respect are embedded, as are two-way communication, an equilibrium in regard to power, and shared decision-making (Chan and Ritchie, 2016). Both partners in the relationship are seen as experts, although each type of expertise is different, and both partners have responsibilities. The findings of numerous researches reveal that cooperation between parents and educators enhances children’s sense of security, their well-being, and their learning. The 2011 Icelandic National Curriculum Guide for Preschools (Aðalnámskrá leikskóla, 2011), emphasises democratic cooperation built on terms of equality for parents, educators, and children; all of whom participate in developing the school curriculum, planning, and evaluating learning. Furthermore, it is noted that preschool teachers should lead the development of pedagogy and education. These concepts can possibly be seen as contradictory. When findings of Icelandic research are explored, it can be seen that parents value numerous daily conversations regarding their child when they deliver him or her to school in the morning and pick their child up in the afternoon. They are also highly satisfied with parent–teacher interviews once or twice a year (Anna Magnea Hreinsdóttir and Jóhanna Einarsdóttir, 2011; Bryndís Garðarsdóttir and Jóhanna Einarsdóttir, 2007). Moreover, they seemed to be content with their child’s preschool in general. Their partnership with teachers has thus been implemented through various events and meetings organised by the preschools. In Finland, Alasuutari (2010) found that partnerships with parents could be seen both in vertical and horizontal frames. The former was rather traditional, where the expertise of the professional’s knowledge was estimated to be more meaningful than the parents’ knowledge. The latter was considered to be more on an equal basis, and knowledge about the child was seen to stem from both partners in the relationship. In the Finnish curriculum, this partnership is intended to be on equal terms, but a clear definition of what that means is needed. Data were collected on partnerships between parents and educators of the oldest children in the preschools. Partnership was discussed in focus groups with parents in five preschools, and subsequently focus groups of preschool teachers and head teachers discussed the views and perceptions of the parents. The findings reveal that cooperation of parents and educators can be found in both vertical and horizontal frames and the emphases are similar to those in Finland. The professionals saw themselves as experts relating to the school curriculum and the organisation of the preschool activities, but when the issues were connected to the individual child, the professionals listened to the parents and respected their knowledge about their child. The emphases regarding preschool teachers’ professionalism can thus be seen both as traditional, where they see themselves as experts in constructing the activities and the curriculum for the school, and democratic where there is a stronger focus on the knowledge of the parents when a question about an individual child arises. The parents thought that if everything went well and there were no problems they did not have to act. They thought highly of the expertise of preschool teachers and perceived that constant enrolment of new staff was affecting the cooperation. The operation of the Parents’ council was not clear enough and it seemed that both partners were satisfied that discussions on school curricula were only conducted there. Providing information to parents via the Internet (Facebook, emails, Instagram, etc.) was common in all the preschools, but parents and educators had different opinions about the best way to reach parents via the net. In a way, the preschool teachers seemed a little insecure, wondering when enough information had been provided, but they continued to inform parents since they had been criticised for not doing so. As for parents of foreign origin, they appeared to appreciate daily cooperation and contact. They seemed isolated and lacked knowledge of procedures which Icelandic parents readily understood. The preschool teachers tried to find successful ways of cooperating with them, but often the language was a hindrance.Peer Reviewe

‘They do not want to play, just talk to each other’: children’s views of educators’ roles in play

Niðurstöður rannsókna með börnum gefa til kynna að börn tali um leik þegar þau fást við viðfangsefni sem þau stýra sjálf, taka sér hlutverk og nýta efnivið á fjölbreyttan hátt. Hlutverk fullorðinna er talið mikilvægt í leik barna en hugmyndir um það hvernig nálgast megi leikinn eru ólíkar, allt frá því að stýra eigi leik barna yfir í það að láta hann afskiptalausan. Rannsóknir með börnum sýna að þeim finnst mikilvægt að hinn fullorðni, leikskólakennarinn, fylgist með leiknum og sé nálægur svo hægt sé að leita eftir stuðningi hans. Auk þess vilji börn geta deilt uppgötvunum sínum með fullorðnum. Hér verður greint frá rannsókn sem var gerð með þriggja til fimm ára börnum í tveimur leikskólum á Íslandi. Markmiðið var að öðlast betri skilning á hlutverki leikskólakennara í leik út frá sjónarhorni barna. Myndbandsupptökur af athöfnum barnanna voru notaðar sem kveikja að samræðu við þau. Börnin fengu tækifæri til þess að horfa á upptökurnar, ræða þær og útskýra hlutverk kennaranna í leiknum. Niðurstöðurnar benda til þess að leikskólakennarar séu oftar áhorfendur að leik barna en beinir þátttakendur. Börnin höfðu mismunandi stöðu í leiknum, sum voru ráðandi en önnur fylgjendur. Staða þeirra í leiknum hafði áhrif á það hvernig þau litu á hlutverk kennaranna. Börnin sem voru ráðandi í leik sáu oft ekki hvernig leikskólakennarinn gæti verið þátttakandi í leik án þess að skemma hann en þau sem voru fylgjendur í leiknum þurftu gjarnan á stuðningi leikskólakennarans að halda og sóttust eftir nærveru hans í leik sínum. Rannsóknin gefur innsýn í hlutverk fullorðinna í leik barna. Með því að hlusta á hugmyndir barna um leik og fylgjast með stöðu þeirra í barnahópnum geta leikskólakennarar ígrundað og endurskoðað hlutverk sitt í leik barna.Play in preschools is a complicated phenomenon that has been studied from different perspectives and paradigms. Researchers have connected children’s play in preschools to activities where the children are in control, take on roles, and use materials in different ways. Research conducted with children aims to learn from children’s knowledge and experiences. Furthermore, research with children about their perspectives on the role of educators in their play has indicated that children find it important for educators to observe their play and to remain nearby so that the children can seek their support and can share their discoveries with their educators. This article discusses an ethnographic research project conducted with children aged three to five years in two preschool settings in Iceland. The study is built on the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child and Corsaro’s (2015) construct of the sociology of childhood, which views children as competent and active participants in the preschool society. The aim of the study is to add to the understanding of educators’ roles in children’s play from the children’s own perspectives. Video-stimulated recordings were used to support children’s conversations about their play activities in the preschool settings. Children’s activities were video-recorded, and they were invited to watch the recordings and discuss the educator’s role in their play. The conversations with the children were also video-recorded and transcribed for further analysis. The researchers considered their ethical responsibilities throughout the entire research process. All gatekeepers gave their written consent and the children were gatekeepers in their own account. They were informed about the study and gave their own written accent. The findings show that the preschool educators seldom took part in children’s play activities; their role was often to be close to the children and to observe and react when the children needed help or something went wrong. The children took on different roles in their play; some children took on the roles of leaders in play, while other children followed these leaders. In addition, some children liked to make joint decisions in their play. The children’s status within the peer group influenced how they explained the educator’s role in regard to their play. The children who were leaders in the play did not see how the educators could be involved in their play without ruining it. However, the children who followed the leaders needed the educators’ support and wanted them to take part in their play. The study concludes that play cultures in preschools could be reviewed. Educators might reconsider their participation in children’s play, especially concerning children who sometimes are passive observers of the play rather than active participants. The study provides insight into children’s perspectives of the role of educators in children’s play in preschools. By listening to children’s ideas about play and observing their status in play, educators can consider or review their roles in children’s play.Peer Reviewe

Parent-preschool partnership: many levels of power

This study aims to examine the meaning-making of parents in five Icelandic preschools concerning the collaboration between preschools and families. Further, the perspectives of educators on the views of the parents were also sought. The theoretical background was Moss’s ideas of democratic early childhood education and MacNaughton’s ideas of power relationships between parents and educators. Data were gathered in two steps: first, focus-group interviews were conducted with parents; and second, focus group interviews were conducted with a group of preschool educators who reflected upon the parent interviews. The parents and educators seemed to have similar experiences and views of the parent-professional collaboration, and of the division of power and knowledge between the two groups. The type of collaboration the parents and the educators described is not in line with democratic preschool pedagogy as explained by Moss (2007). They did not seem to believe that parents should be involved in decision making concerning the purposes, practices, and environment of the preschool. The parents from other cultures who participated in the study were in a marginalized position, and the educators seemed to be unsure about how to communicate with and accommodate families from cultures different from their own. The study reveals power relationships on many levels in the preschool community.European Union Comenius Life Long Learning program. Strengthening activity-oriented Interaction and Growth in the early years and in transitions. SIGNALS [538783-LLP-1-2013-1-DE-Comenius-CMP]Peer Reviewe

Twin birth rates and obstetric interventions in Iceland : A nationwide study from 1997 to 2018

© 2023 The Authors. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.OBJECTIVE: Twin pregnancies are associated with increased antepartum and intrapartum risks. Limited multiple embryo transfers are associated with decreased twin birth rates. We aimed to study the effect of 2009 Icelandic regulations on twin birth rates and examine obstetric intervention rates for twin births during the study period. METHODS: The study included all births (N = 94 028) in Iceland during 1997-2018. Twin birth rates and obstetric intervention rates were compared over birth year periods using modified Poisson regression adjusted for confounders. RESULTS: An observed decrease in the twin birth rate trend was most notable from 2006 until 2009. Twin birth decreased in 2009-2013 (prevalence ratio [PR] 0.74, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.64-0.86) and in 2014-2018 (PR 0.74, 95% CI 0.64-0.86) compared with 1997-2002. This decrease was only evident for women aged 30+ years in stratified analysis. Induction of labor rates increased from 26% in 1997-2002 to 44% in 2014-2018 (adjusted rate ratio [ARR] 2.10, 95% CI 1.72-2.57) whereas elective cesarean section (ARR 0.80, 95% CI 0.59-1.07) and urgent cesarean section (ARR 0.79, 95% CI 0.63-1.00) rates appeared to decline. CONCLUSION: Twin births decreased during the study period. International guidelines published before the Icelandic regulations may have affected twin birth rates in Iceland. Induction of labor rates for twins increased while cesarean section rates decreased.Peer reviewe

Trends in labor induction indications : A 20-year population-based study

© 2022 The Authors. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology (NFOG). Funding Information: This study was funded by the University of Iceland Research Fund (Rannís). Helga Zoega was supported by a UNSW Scientia Program Award. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology (NFOG).INTRODUCTION: Use of labor induction has increased rapidly in most middle- and high-income countries over the past decade. The reasons for the stark rise in labor induction are largely unknown. We aimed to assess the extent to which the rising rate of labor induction is explained by changes in rates of underlying indications over time. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was based on nationwide data from the Icelandic Medical Birth Register on 85 620 singleton births from 1997 to 2018. The rate of labor induction and indications for induction was calculated for all singleton births in 1997-2018. Change over time was expressed as relative risk (RR), using Poisson regression with 95% confidence intervals (CI) adjusted for maternal characteristics and indications for labor induction. RESULTS: The crude rate of labor induction rose from 12.5% in 1997-2001 to 23.9% in 2014-2018 (crude RR = 1.91, 95% CI 1.81-2.01). While adjusting for maternal characteristics had little impact, adjusting additionally for labor induction indications lowered the RR to 1.43 (95% CI 1.35-1.51). Induction was increasingly indicated from 1997-2001 to 2014-2018 by gestational diabetes (2.4%-16.5%), hypertensive disorders (7.0%-11.1%), prolonged pregnancy (16.2%-23.7%), concerns for maternal wellbeing (3.2%-6.9%) and maternal age (0.5%-1.2%). No indication was registered for 9.2% of inductions in 2014-2018 compared with 16.3% in 1997-2001. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that the increase in labor induction over the study period is largely explained by an increase in various underlying conditions indicating labor induction. However, indications for 9.2% of labor inductions remain unexplained and warrant further investigation.Peer reviewe

Frábær skólaföt á hressa krakka! : rannsókn á umfjöllun fjölmiðla um börn við upphaf grunnskólagöngu

Markmið rannsóknarinnar var að varpa ljósi á hverjir fjalla um grunnskólabyrjun og flutning úr leikskóla í grunnskóla í fjölmiðlum, hvernig grunnskólabyrjunin er kynnt og hvaða sýn á börn endurspeglast í fjölmiðlum. Fréttaflutningi, umræðum og textum um grunnskólabyrjunina var safnað úr fréttum og fréttatengdum þáttum í Ríkissjónvarpi, Stöð 2, hljóðvarpi, dagblöðum og tímaritum haustið 2008. Orðræðugreiningu var beitt til að rannsaka og greina gögnin. Niðurstöður sýna að auglýsendur taka mikið rúm í fjölmiðlum, umfjöllun um skólaföt, skólatöskur og skólavörur ýmiskonar var áberandi. Fjölmiðlafólk er jafnframt áhrifamikið og velur það sem fjallað er um. Raddir barna, foreldra og skólafólks heyrðust sjaldan. Undantekning var umfjöllun um skort á plássi á frístundaheimilum sem foreldrar settu svip sinn á. Litið var á foreldra sem mikilvæga stuðningsaðila fyrir börn sín. Þeir voru hvattir til að undirbúa börnin fyrir grunnskólagönguna m.a. með því að þjálfa þau til sjálfsbjargar og í að fara eftir fyrirmælum. Ekki var lögð áhersla á stuðning félaga eða á samfellu og tengsl skólastiganna. Greina mátti fjölbreytt viðhorf til barna en mest áberandi var sýn á börn sem saklaus og varnarlaus. Þetta viðhorf endurspeglaðist í myndefni, ráðleggingum til foreldra, umfjöllun um þær hættur, sem stafa af umferðinni og umfjöllun um gæslu barna á frístundaheimilum eftir að skóla lýkur.The aim of the study was to shed light on what groups discuss children starting primary school and the transition from playschool to primary school in Icelandic mass media. The study also seeks to explore how starting primary school is presented and what views of children are reflected in the media. News coverage, discussions, and texts about starting school were generated from the following sources: television news and news related programs at two of the major television channels; radio news and news related programs on the radio; three major national newspapers; as well as in magazines and local papers. Content analysis was used to systematic categorize and analyze the data. The results show that advertisers take a great deal of space in the media, such as in discussions about school clothes, school bags, and school supplies. Media personnel were influential as they choose what is covered in the media. The voices of children, parents, and school professionals were seldom heard. Exceptions were discussions about shortage of spaces in after- school centers, a discussion that parents were active in. Parents were seen as important supporters of their children. They were encouraged to prepare them to start primary school by training them for self-reliance and following instructions. No emphasis was placed on support of peers or on continuity between the two school levels. Diverse views on children were noted with the most notable the view of children as innocent and in need of protection. This view was noted in photos, in advice given to parents, in discussions about the danger in traffic, as well as in discussions about looking after children in after-school centers

Leikskólakennaramenntun í mótun

Greinaflokkur um kennaramenntun til heiðurs Ólafi J. Proppé sjötugum á tíu ára afmæli Netlu – Veftímarits um uppeldi og menntunÍ þessari grein er fjallað um leikskólakennaramenntun á Íslandi, einkum þróun síðustu ára frá því að námið fluttist á háskólastig og varð hluti af menntun annarra kennara. Þróun námsins er skoðuð í ljósi breytinga sem orðið hafa á leikskólakennaramenntun á Norðurlöndum. Jafnframt er varpað ljósi á stöðu leikskólakennaranámsins og fagmennsku leikskólakennara nú þegar námið hefur verið á háskólastigi í rúman áratug. Höfundur bendir á ýmsar áskoranir sem sú öra þróun sem orðið hefur á náminu hefur haft í för með sér. Mat höfundar er að Íslendingar hafi að ýmsu leyti verið í forystu á Norðurlöndum hvað varðar skipulag og tilhögun leikskólamála.This paper focuses on preschool teacher education in Iceland, particularly on recent developments since the program was transferred to the tertiary level and became part of the education program of other teachers. The development of the program is viewed in light of changes that have occurred in preschool teacher education in Scandinavia. Also discussed is the status of preschool teacher education and the professionalism of teachers since the program has been taught at the university for over a decade. The author points out several challenges that this development has led to in the program and argues that Iceland has in many ways been a leader in the Nordic countries in terms of the organization and arrangement of early childhood education