Integration of education for sustainability in the preschool curriculum: A comparative study between the two latest Swedish curricula

Abstract

The aim of this study is to provide a content analysis of the new Swedish preschool curriculum in comparison with the previous preceding curriculum to investigate how sustainability and education for sustainability (EfS) have been described, and whether there have been any changes in terms of the scope of their inclusion in the new curriculum. The study adopts a holistic view of sustainability, meaning that the environmental dimension, social dimension, and economic dimension, along with a pluralistic and transformative view of EfS, form the analytical framework. Using content analysis, the frequency of explicit and implicit descriptive words for sustainability and EfS in both curricula were investigated. A contextual analysis was also conducted that involved an interpretation of the meaning of the implicit words. Two main findings could be identified in the new curriculum in comparison to the previous curriculum. The first was that the term sustainability is now used from an explicit and holistic perspective that includes all three dimensions. The second was that the new curriculum provides guidance as to how to incorporate EfS where such words as investigating, participation, collaborate and develop are used. Together with the context in which these words appear, a picture forms of a pluralistic teaching tradition in preschool curricula. Overall, the analysis provides a picture of change in the Swedish preschool curriculum that is in line with the intentions of international policy and research relating to a need for increased focus on sustainability and EfS.

Kritisches Denken im Kontext von BNE in Lehrplänen für den Sachunterricht

“…Studies on education for sustainable development (ESD) in the subject show that the critical thinking that is necessary to deal with topics of (non-)sustainable development in the classroom is often not associated with ESD (cf. Munkebye & Gericke 2022;Ohlsson, Gericke & Borg 2022). Since, as various studies show, General Studies teachers use General Studies curricula as a guide when planning their lessons (cf.…”

“…Niermann 2016;Litten 2017;Tänzer 2020), the question arises as to whether the curricula contain indications for the implementation of ESD and what intentions are associated with ESD in the sense of instrumental and / or critical-emancipatory ESD in the German General Studies curricula. Following the approach of Johanneson, Norðdahl, Óskarsdóttir, Pálsdótti & Pétursdóttir (2011), Elliott and McCrea (2015) and Ohlsson, Gericke & Borg (2022), content analyses of the curricula for General Studies were carried out. Initial analysis results show that critical thinking as a key competence for critical-emancipatory ESD is not explicitly formulated in the curricula analysed, with the exception of the General Studies curriculum for Schleswig-Holstein (2019).…”

“…Die Analyseergebnisse belegen, dass kritisches Denken nicht als Schlüsselkompetenz für BNE im Sinne einer kritisch-emanzipatorischen BNE aufgeführt wird. Diese fehlende Verbindung zeigt sich, abgesehen von zwei Hinweisen im Lehrplan für Schleswig-Holstein (2019), in allen Lehrplänen und deckt sich mit den Ergebnissen skandinavischer Untersuchungen (Ohlsson et al 2022;Scheie et al 2022)…”

In Alternativen denken. Kritik, Reflexion und Transformation im Sachunterricht

“…Munkebye & Gericke 2022;Ohlsson, Gericke & Borg 2022). Since, as various studies show, General Studies teachers use General Studies curricula as a guide when planning their lessons (cf.…”

“…Niermann 2016; Litten 2017; Tänzer 2020), the question arises as to whether the curricula contain indications for the implementation of ESD and what intentions are associated with ESD in the sense of instrumental and / or critical-emancipatory ESD in the German General Studies curricula. Following the approach of Johanneson, Norðdahl, Óskarsdóttir, Pálsdótti & Pétursdóttir (2011),Elliott and McCrea (2015) andOhlsson, Gericke & Borg (2022), content analyses of the curricula for General Studies were carried out. Initial analysis results show that critical thinking as a key competence for critical-emancipatory ESD is not explicitly formulated in the curricula analysed, with the exception of the General Studies curriculum for Schleswig-Holstein (2019).1…”