Research topic/aim

High-quality Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services play a pivotal role in fostering resilient societies, particularly in alignment with the Nordic ECEC values and traditions. As municipalities in the Nordic countries grapple with the challenge of governing and evaluating ECEC services effectively, a recent study underscores the need for more extensive evaluations of ECEC practices (Urban et al., 2023). In Sweden, the ECEC profession attests to the challenges in fulfilling the mission as specified in the national curriculum (Skolverket, 2018) and underscores the necessity for clarity in systematic quality assessment methods that promote the well-being, learning, and development of all children within the 1-5 years age group. The national curriculum sets the guidelines for these services, and each municipality or independent organizer, following the principles of decentralized governance, is entrusted with the responsibility of interpreting and implementing the 33 curriculum goals and 51 guidelines. This study seeks to enhance our understanding of how comprehensive evaluations of the mission of Swedish ECEC can be conducted by scrutinizing the logic inherent in the curriculum.

Theoretical framework

A program theory approach based on a dynamic relational systems perspective (Fisher et al., 2020) is employed, encompassing inputs in terms of resources, activities, outputs concerning mechanisms for change and process quality, outcomes in terms of development and learning, and long-term impacts.

Methodological design

To illustrate the opportunities and challenges of this program logic, the curriculumn text was coded and categorized accordning to content analysis. Three specific examples were analysed indepth: language development, integrity, and sustainable development.

Expected conclusions/findings

The analysis underscores how the large number of curriculum goals and the complexity of their formulations contribute to interpretive difficulties, challenges in prioritization, and evaluation, particularly in the context of available resources. These findings emphasize the critical need for a more structured and accessible approach to comprehensively evaluate the Swedish ECEC system, aligning with its core mission of fostering child well-being, learning, and development.

Relevance to Nordic educational research

By dissecting the curriculum logic, this study aims to provide insights for policymakers, educators, and stakeholders in enhancing the Swedish ECEC system. The study presents a contribution to the ongoing discourse on ECEC services, highlighting the imperative of comprehensive evaluations in meeting the educational and developmental needs of young children. The curriculum analysis offers valuable guidance for navigating the complex landscape of ECEC governance and argues for the need of further research on how preschool policy can be formulated and applied in order to support high quality education and lay the foundation for learning adventures for all.

Fisher, P. A., Barker, T. V., & Blaisdell, K. N. (2020). A Glass Half Full and Half Empty: The State of the Science in Early Childhood Prevention and Intervention Research. Annual Review of Developmental Psychology, 2(1), 269–294. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-devpsych-121318-084958

Skolverket [The Swedish National Agency for Education]. 2018. Curriculum for the Preschool Lpfö 2018. The Swedish National Agency for Education. Stockholm: Skolverket

Urban, M., Reikerås, E., Eidsvåg, G. M., Guevara, J., Saebø, J., & Semmoloni, C. (2023). Nordic approaches to evaluation and assessment in early childhood education and care. Global Studies of Childhood.