Encounters in the outdoor environment : Understandings and practices from the Swedish preschool

• This survey explores Swedish preschool staff’s understandings of sustainability but also the relationship between their conceptual understanding and actual practices in early childhood contexts. These results will be used as a basis to develop future knowledge about sustainability in Swedish preschools. This research in the field of early childhood education for sustainability (ECEfS) is part in an international comparative study of education for sustainability at early childhood level(Australia, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Norway and Sweden). ECEfS as a research field isrelatively new and this international study is designed to develop a broad base of knowledge on the subject. This study has a sociocultural perspective on learning as well as a critical theoretical approach e.g. ecofeministic perspective on the interconnectedness between human and nature. The survey, an online questionnaire, was distributed during the spring of 2013 to 187 representative preschools in different municipalities all over Sweden. Ethical issues were taken into consideration according to the guidelines of the Swedish Research Council (2011) - information was given to the selected preschool's about the aims, design, methods, confidentiality, handling and use of data, and their participation was confirmed by a consent within the questionnaire. Theparticipants had also the right to withdraw their participation at any time. The findings of this survey are currently being analysed and preliminary findings will be analysed and reported at the EECERA conference 2014. This study has implications for theresearch fields environment education and early childhood education for sustainability, for teachers in early childhood education and student teachers.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap -- Pedagogik (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences -- Pedagogy (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Early Childhood Education

education for Sustainability

ecofeminism

outdoor play and learn ing

quantitative study

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kon (subject category)