Belonging in preschool: The perspectives of children and educators

• Main Authors: Einarsdóttir, Jóhanna, Ólafsdóttir, Sara M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Icelandic
• Published: Menntavísindasvið Háskóla Íslands 2020
• Subjects: preschool; diversity; childhood research; belonging; leikskóli; fjölmenning; bernskurannsóknir; fullgildi; Juutinen; Iceland
• Online Access: https://ojs.hi.is/index.php/tuuom/article/view/3279

Icelandic society has changed rapidly in recent decades. Immigration to Iceland has been growing steadily, and the country has evolved to become a relatively diverse society. In 1998, only 3.8% of preschool children had a mother tongue other than Icelandic. By 2018, this had increased to almost 14% (Hagstofa Íslands, 2019 (Statistics Iceland)). In the city of Reykjavik, where the present study was conducted, this number is much higher. Preschools have a significant role to play for young children and their families in Iceland as preschools are where children spend most of their day. Preschools are often the first place where immigrant families meet other children and families. Among other things, children can learn about democracy, solidarity, equality and diversity (Evrópuráðið, 2019 (European Commission)). The present study examines how this is put into practice and experienced by a diverse group of children and their educators in one preschool setting in Iceland.The study is grounded in the fields of Childhood Studies and the Children’s Rights Movement. The study makes use of a model created by Lundy (2007) for the implementation of Article 12 of the UNCRC. The model has four features. The first is space, which means that children must be given a safe space and an opportunity to express their views. The second, voice, indicates that children must be provided with appropriate information and assisted in expressing their views. The third, audience, means that their views must be communicated to someone with the responsibility to listen. And the last is influence, which requires that children’s views be taken seriously and acted upon appropriately. The study is also informed by the concept of ‘belonging’ (Yuval-Davis, 2006; Juutinen, 2018). We regard belonging as a fundamental need of all people, one which is closely related to relationships and interconnections with people, social inclusion, and participation. The study also used the lens of multicultural education to analyse the preschool pedagogy. Nine ...