Summary
In recent years the OECD has undertaken the evaluation of early childhood education and care (ECEC) on behalf of ministers of education in a number of countries in order to support quality improvement in this field. This article is based on a workshop for the national coordinators of early childhood policy in Sweden, 2003, which dealt with Curriculum and Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education. The five curricula presented were Reggio Emilia, Te Whãriki, Experiential Education, High/Scope and the Swedish National Curriculum for Preschool. The aim of this article is to compare these curricula, establishing similarities and differences discussing quality aspects and problematising the general and the cultural specifics of each curriculum per se and in relation to the others. A further aim is to raise awareness of curriculum questions in connection with children’s learning and development. The article is based on a pedagogical perspective of quality, which takes the perspective of the child and focuses on what is best for a child’s learning and development in a specific culture. The results of the analysis show that the five curricula are of high quality in relation to each country’s culture. High quality in preschool means giving the children a good start in life. The unique and competent child has rights of its own and should be treated with respect. In focus are the individual child’s opportunities for building up knowledge and expressing their understanding of the surrounding world. High quality is also related to the competent and professional teacher with theoretical and pedagogical knowledge.
Résumé
Pendant ces dernières années, l’OECD, au nom des ministres de l’Education de différents pays, s’est chargée d’évaluer l’Education préscolaire (ECEC) à fin d’améliorer sa qualité. Cet article a son origine dans un atelier qui a réunit les coordinateurs nationaux de l’Education préscolaire en Suède en 2003. L’atelier fut consacré aux Programmes et à la Pédagogie de l’école maternelle. Les cinq programmes présentés étaient les suivants: Reggio Emilia, Te Whãriki, Experiential Education, High/Scope et le Programme suédois du niveau préscolaire. L’objectif de cet article est de détecter les similitudes et les différences existant entre les programmes, de discuter leur niveau de qualité et d’analyser les aspects culturels, généraux et spécifiques de chacun des programmes. Un autre but de cet article est d’accroître la conscience autour des questions relatives à l’apprentissage et au développement des enfants dans le cadre des programmes d’éducation. L’article est centré sur le thème de la qualité du point de vue pédagogique, en prenant la perspective de l’enfant, et il donne priorité au sujet à ce qui est le mieux pour l’apprentissage et le développement de l’enfant dans une culture spécifique. Les résultats de l’analyse montrent que les cinq programmes sont de haute qualité, par rapport à la culture de chaque pays. Haute qualité signifie ici que l’éducation préscolaire est capable de donner à l’enfant un bon point de départ pour la vie. L’enfant, unique et compétent, a des droits par lui-même, et devrait être traité avec respect. On vise ici, en premier lieu, les possibilités de l’enfant de connaître et d’exprimer leur compréhension du monde qui l’entoure. La haute qualité est aussi en rapport avec le fait d’avoir des instituteurs compétents et professionels possédant des connaissances théoriques et pédagogiques.
Resumen
En los últimos años, la OECD, por iniciativa de un grupo de ministros de Educación, ha asumido la tarea de evaluar la Política de Educación Pre-escolar. Este artículo se basa en un taller que en el año 2003 reunió a los coordinadores nacionales de la política de Educación Pre-escolar en Suecia. El tema del taller eran los Programas y la Pedagogía de este nivel de educación. Los cinco programas presentados fueron los siguientes: Reggio Emilia, Te Whâriki, Experiential Education, High Scope y el Programa sueco para el parvulario. Este artículo se propone detectar semejanzas y diferencias existentes entre ellos, discutir aspectos de calidad de los mismos y analizar aspectots culturales, tanto generales como específicos, de cada uno. Otro objetivo es el de incrementar la conciencia de los problemas ligados al aprendizaje y desarrollo del niño, dentro del marco de los programas de educación. El artículo enfoca el tema de la calidad pedagógica desde la perspectiva del niño y se plantea qué es lo mejor para el aprendizaje y desarrollo del éste en una cultura específica. Los resultados del análisis muestan que los cinco programas son de alta calidad, en relación con las culturas de sus respectivos países. Alta calidad significa que el parvulario provee a los niños de un buen punto de partida en la vida. El niño, único y competente, tiene derechos propios y debería ser tratado con respeto. Como foco de primordial interés aparecen las posibilidades para cada niño de conocer y expresar su comprensión del mundo que lo rodea. El concepto de alta calidad se relaciona también con la competencia y profesionalidad del maestro poseedor de conocimientos teóricos y pedagógicos.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Alvestad, M. & Pramling Samuelsson, I. (1999). A Comparison between the National Preschool Curricula in Norway and Sweden.Early Childhood Research and Practice,1(2). http://www.ecrp.uiuc.edu/v1n2/index.html
Asplund Carlsson, M., Kärrby, G. & Pramling Samuelsson, I. (2001).Strukturella faktorer och pedagogisk kvalitet i barnomsorg och skola: En kunskapsöversikt. [Structural aspects and pedagogical quality in preschool and school: A review.] A Report to the Ministry of Education and Science in Sweden. Skolverkets monografiserie. Stockholm: Liber.
Bjurek, H., Kjulin, U. & Gustafsson, B. (1992).Efficiency, productivity and determinants of inefficiency at public day care centres in Sweden. Göteborg University: Department of Economics.
Bruce, T. (1990).Tradition och förnyelse i förskolepedagogiken. [Tradition and renewal in preschool pedagogy.] Stockholm: utbildningsförlaget.
Bruner, J. (1996).The Culture of Education. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
Carr, M. (2001).Assessment in Early Childhood Settings. London: Paul Chapman Company.
Carr, M., May, H. & Podmore, V. (2000).Learning and Teaching Stories: Action research on evaluation in early childhood. Final report to the Ministry of Education. Wellington: New Zealand Council for Educational Research.
Dahlberg, G., Moss, P. & Pence, A. (1999).Beyond Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care — Postmodern Perspectives. USA: Falmer Press, Taylor & Francis Inc.
Dysthe, O. (1996).Det flerstämmiga klassrummet. [A class-room for many voices.] Lund: Studentlitteratur.
Elkind, D. (1988). The Resistance to Developmentally Appropriate Education Practice with Young Children: The Real issue. In C. Wanger (Ed.),Public School Early Childhood Programs. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
EU. (1996).Council for cultural co-operation. Strasbourg: Education committee.
Froebel, F. (1863/1995).Människans forstran. [The fostering of humans.] Translated by: J-E. Johansson. Lund: Studentlitteratur.
Gesell, A. & Ilg, F. (1961).Barnen värld och vår. [Children’s world and ours.] Stockholm: Natur och Kultur.
Göteborgs stadskansli. (2003).Kvalitetsredovisning avseende år 2002 — för utbildningsområdet i Göteborgs kommun, Drn 222/03. [Quality report for year 2002.] Göteborgs stadskansli: Enheten för Välfärd och utbildning.
Hewes, D. (2005).Froebel’s Contribution to Reggio Emila. Paper presented at San Diego Association for the education of Young Children. San Diego, July 13.
Hewes, D. (2001).W.N. Hailmann: Defender of Froebel. USA: Froebel Foundation USA.
Hundeide, K. (1999).From early interaction to class-room communication. University of Oslo. Draft 17/6.
Hundeide, K. (2001).Vägledande samspel. [Guiding interplay.] Stockholm: Rädda Barnen.
Johansson, E. (2003).Möten för lärande. Pedagogisk verksamhet för de yngsta barnen i förskolan. [Encounters for learning. Pedagogical practice for the youngest in preschoo.] Skolverkets monografiserie. Stockholm: Skolverket.
Karlsson Lohmander, M. & Pramling Samuelsson, I. (2002). Les cadres pédagogiques de la petite enfance en europé. Une comparison entre malte, la Norvège, l’Écosse et la Suède. /Pedagogical Frameworks for Early Childhood Education in europé. A comparison between Malta, Norway, Scotland and Sweden./Politiques d’Èducation et de formation. Analyses et comparaisons internationales.Les politiques éducatives de la petite enfance, 3(6), 39–55.
Karlsson Lohmander, M. & Pramling Samuelsson, I. (Eds.) (2003).Researching Early Childhood: Care, play and learning. Curricula for early childhood education, 5. Göteborgs universitet: Institutionen för Pedagogik och didaktik.
Korczak, J. (1986).Janusz Korczak. En humanistisk pedagog. [A humanistic pedagogue.] Stockholm: HLS.
Laevers, F. (1994). The innovative project Experiential Education and the Definition of Quality in education. In F. Laevers (Ed.),Defining and Assessing Quality in early Childhood Education. (Studia Paedagogica, No. 16.) Belgium: Leuven University Press.
Lenz Taguchi, H. (1997).Varför pedagogisk dokumentation? [Why pedagogic documentation?] Stockholm: HLS Förlag.
Ministry of Education. (1996).Te Whãriki. Early Childhood Curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.
Ministry of Education. (1998).Quality in Action. Implementing the Revised Statement of Desirable Objectives and Practices in New Zealand Early Childhood Services. Wellington: Learning Media.
Ministry of Education and Sciences in Sweden. (1998).Curriculum for the pre-school (Lpfö 98). Stockholm: Fritzes.
Moss, P., Dahlberg, G., & Pence, A. (2000). Getting Beyond the Problem with Quality.European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 8(2), 103–115.
Oberheumer, P. (2005). International Perspectives on Early Childhood Curricula.International Journal of Early Childhood, 37(1), 27–38.
OECD (2001).Starting Strong. Early childhood education and care. Education and skills. Paris: OECD. (www.SourceOECD.org).
OECD (2004).Starting Strong. Curricula and Pedagogies in Early Childhood Education and Care. Five Curriculum Outlines. Directorate for education. Paris: OECD. (www.SourceOECD.org).
Olfman, S. (2003). (Ed.).All work and no play …: How Educational Reforms Are Harming Our Prescoolers. Westport: Praeger Publishers.
OMEP & ACEI. (1999).Early Childhood Education and Care in the 21 st Century: Global Guidelines and Papers From an International Symposium Hosted by the World Organization for Early Childhood Education (OMEP) and the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI). Ruschlikon, Switzerland, 5–8 July.
Pedagogisk Forskning i Sverige. (2003). Temanummer: Barns perspektiv och barnperspektiv, Vol. 8, nr. 1–2. [The child’s perspective or child perspective.]
Piaget, J. (1975).The child’s conception of the world. New Jersey: Litterfield, Adams & Co. (Original 1929.)
Pramling, I. (1990).Learning to learn. A study of Swedish preschool children. New York: Springer Verlag.
Pramling, I. (1994).Kunnandets grunder. Prövning av en fenomenografisk ansats till att utveckla barns sätt att uppfatta sin omvärld [The basis of knowledge.] Göteborg: Acta Universitatis Gothoburgensis.
Pramling, I. (1996). Understanding and Empowering the Child as a Learner. In Olson, D. R., & Torrance, N. (1996).Handbook of Education and Human Development: New Models of learning, teaching and schooling. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
Pramling, I. Klerfelt, A & Williams Graneld, P. (1995).Först var det roligt, sen blev det tråkigt och sen vande man sig.” Barns möte med skolans värld. [It’s fun at first, then it gets boring, and then you get used to it… Children meet the world of school.] (Rapport nr. 9) Göteborgs universitet: Institutionen för metodik.
Pramling Samuelsson, I. & Asplund Carlsson, M (2003).Det lekande lärande barnet — i en utvecklingspedagogisk teori. [The playing learning child — in a developmental pedagogic theory.] Stockholm: Liber.
Pramling Samuelsson, I., & Sheridan, S. (2004). Recent Issues in the Swedish Preschool.International Journal of Early Childhood, 36(1), 7–22.
Rinaldi, C. (1993). The Emergent Curriculum and Social Constructivism. In C. Edwards, L. Gandini, & G. Forman (Eds.),The Hundred Languages of Children. The Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Childhood Education, p. 101–111. Norwood, New Jersey: Ablex Publishing Corporation.
Rinaldi, C. (2000).Subjectivity and Intersubjectivity in Children’s Learning. Paper presented at The NAEYC conference, Atlanta, 7–10 November.
Rogoff, B. (2003).The Cultural Nature of Human development. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Rosén, G. (2001).Utvärdering i förskolan. [Evaluation in preschool.] Stockholm: Fritzes.
Rye, H., Smebye, H. & Hundeide, K. (1987).Aktiv lœring i førskolealder. En presentasjon av High/Scopes barnehageprogram. [Active learning for preschool ages.] Oslo: Universitetsforlaget.
Schweinhart, L., Barnes, H., & Weikart, D. (1993).Significant Benefits. The High/Scope Perry Preschool Study through Age 27. (Monographs of the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, No. 10). Michigan: The High/Scope Press.
Shameem, J. N. (2004).Children in difficult circumstances — the Fijian Experience. Paper presented at OMEP’s World Congress — One World: Many childhoods, Melbourn, 22–25 July.
Sheridan, S. (2001).Pedagogical Quality in Preschool. An issue of perspectives. (Göteborg studies in Educational Sciences 160.) Göteborg: Acta Universitatis Gothoburgensis.
Sheridan, S. & Pramling Samuelsson, I. (2001). Children’s Conceptions of Participation and Influence in Preschool. A perspective on pedagogical quality.Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 2(2), 169–194. (http://www.triangle.co.uk/ciec/)
Sheridan, S. (manuscript).A theoretical perspective of pedagogical quality in educational settings.
Siraj-Blatchford, I., Sylva, K. Muttock, S. Gilden, R. & Bell D. (2002).Researching Effective Pedagory in the Early Years. Research Report No 356. University of Oxford: Department of Educational Studies.
Skolverket (2001). BRUK—för kvalitetsarbete i förskola och skola. Stockholm: Fritzes.
Sommer, D. (1997).Barndomspsykologi. Utveckling i en förändrad värld. [Childhood psychology. Development in a changed world.] Stockholm: Runa.
Sommer, D. (1998). The reconstruction of childhood — implications for theory and practice.European Journal of Social Work, 1(3), 311–326.
Sommer, D. (2005).Barndomspsykologi. [Childhood psychology.] Stockholm: Runa förlag
Sylva, K. (1994). School Influences on Children’s Development.Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 35(1), 135–170
Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Sammons, P., Siraj-Blatchford, I. & Taggart, B. (2004).The Effective Provision of Pre-school Education (EPPE) Project: Findings from Preschool to end of Key Stage 1. University of London: Institute of Education.
Säljö, R. (2000).Lärande i praktiken. Kultur, kommunikation och tänkandets redskap. [Learning in Practice.] Stockholm: Prisma.
Tietze, W., Cryer, D., Barrio, J., Palacios, J. & Wetzel, G. (1996). Comparisons of Observed process Quality in Early Child Care and Educational Programs in Five Countries.Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 11, 447–475.
UN Convention. (1989).The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. New York: United Nations.
Vallberg-Roth, A-C. (2006). Early Childhood Curricula in Sweden from the 1850’s to the Present.International Journal of Early Childhood, Special theme: Children’s rights, 37(3), pp. XX.
Valsiner, J. (1990).Culture and Development of Children’s Actions. New York: John Wiley.
Vygotskij, L. S. (1978).Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Vygotskij, L. (1986).Thought and Language. (Original published 1934). Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Samuelsson, I.P., Sheridan, S. & Williams, P. Five preschool curricula —comparative perspective. IJEC 38, 11–30 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03165975
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03165975