Although young children are often involved in economic transactions of various kinds in their daily activities, research on their knowledge and behaviors in relation to sustainable economics is ...limited. Sustainable economics deals with, among others, equity, corporate responsibility and poverty reduction. This study explored preschool children's knowledge and behaviors concerning the use of money, their willingness to share resources with friends and the sources of knowledge about economic issues. A total of 53 final-year preschool children, aged five to six, from 12 preschools in Sweden were interviewed. The data were analyzed using content analysis and the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) Taxonomy. The results show that the children considered money to be used largely for the consumption of goods, while a few wanted to donate their money to the poor and to family members. With regards to sharing resources, most of the children wanted to share their candies with friends, and they viewed sharing as being a social responsibility or a moral obligation, or as being fair. Parents, teachers and the children themselves were reported as the main sources of knowledge. Further research is needed to enhance our knowledge about how to integrate economic sustainability issues in preschool.
Worldwide, preschool is recognized as an important arena for the implementation ofeducation for sustainability (EfS). In Swedish preschools EfS has been a part of thenational curriculum since 2019, ...but little is known about what this means in practice.Therefore, the purpose of this study is to increase our understanding about preschoolteachers’ perspectives on teaching for sustainability. Using individual semi-structuredinterviews with 16 randomly selected preschool teachers in Sweden, the results ofwhich were analyzed thematically and then quantitatively, this study examines howteachers put EfS into practice. Four teaching practices were identified: actively presentteachers, children’s experiences as a basis for learning, children’s opportunity for agency –a democratic approach, and communication between children and teachers. Takentogether, these four teaching practices demonstrate a pluralistic teaching tradition.The analysis also demonstrates a holistic perspective on subject content where environmental,social and economic issues are addressed. A third result is that EfS is carriedout using three teaching strategies planned, spontaneous and semi-spontaneous. Theidentification of semi-spontaneous teaching is an important finding which is madepossible in created learning environments aiming to stimulate children’s agency, whichis of central importance in EfS and an important contribution from this study.
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.
Although parents and preschool play important roles in developing children's behavior and attitudes, little is known about their influences on children's learning of environmental, social and ...economic aspects of sustainability. This study investigated the influences of home- and preschool-related practices and factors on children's declarative and functional knowledge of sustainability issues, and the extent to which eco-certified preschools promote beneficial practices. 'Eco-certified preschools' refers to schools that explicitly work with education for sustainability. Children (n=53), aged five to six years, and the directors (n=7) at six eco-certified and six non-eco-certified preschools were interviewed, while guardians (n=89) and teachers (n=74) filled out questionnaires. Children's responses were categorized and classified using SOLO Taxonomy. Multivariate analyses were performed in SIMCA P + 14. The findings indicate a positive relationship between children's declarative and functional knowledge of sustainability issues and the involvement of teachers and guardians in sustainability-related discussions and activities. Teachers' verbal interaction with children about sustainability issues, and the perceived high value of these issues among teachers and directors seem to be more beneficial for children's declarative knowledge than their functional knowledge. No statistically significant differences between eco- and non-eco-certified preschools in terms of children's declarative and functional knowledge were found.
This study explored preschool children's knowledge and views of other children's economic situation worldwide, and their self-reported sources of such knowledge. A total of 53 final-year preschool ...children, aged 5-6, from 12 preschools in Sweden were interviewed. Children's responses were analysed using content analysis and the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcomes Taxonomy. Most of them seemed to have knowledge about the lives and the economic situation of other children in the world. Many of the preschool children could justify their views with one or more relevant ideas or thoughts, and a few of them were also able to logically connect their arguments. Parents, media and observations of real-life situations were reported as major sources of knowledge, while preschool was mentioned by a few. Further research is needed to enhance our knowledge about how to integrate social and economic sustainability in preschool's pedagogical activities and to engage children meaningfully in such learning.
Although policy documents emphasize the importance of integrating social, economic, and environmental dimensions into education for sustainability (EfS), there is a lack of studies investigating how ...social sustainability can be included in preschool teaching. Therefore, this study aims to increase knowledge about preschool teachers’ teaching practices relating to social sustainability. This study uses EfS as a conceptual framework that includes a holistic view of sustainability addressing social, economic, and environmental aspects, as well as pluralistic teaching approach from a transformative perspective. To explore the views and teaching practices, individual interviews were conducted with 12 preschool teachers from eight preschools that took part in a school development project. The project included professional development workshops for teachers on EfS and local implementation efforts. Thematic content analysis was conducted. The interviews made it apparent that the teachers initially viewed sustainability from an environmental perspective; however, after involvement in the school development project, they began to integrate the social sustainability dimension into their teaching. The teachers associated local sustainability challenges with those faced internationally. To a certain extent, children’s agency was noted in pluralistic educational activities that supported children’s active participation. The level at which preschool teachers integrated social sustainability into their teaching varied.
Although children's participation and agency are highly prioritized in early childhood education for sustainability, both researchers and educators have paid little attention to this topic. This ...paper explores how the revised preschool curriculum Lpfö2018 in Sweden addresses education for sustainability (EfS) with regards to children's participation and agency. A sociocultural perspective on agency combined with a holistic view of sustainability was used, while a critical content analysis was conducted to investigate major changes in the curriculum in relation to both EfS and children's participation and agency. Findings show that the curriculum Lpfö2018 has explicitly introduced the concept of sustainability from a holistic perspective, integrating environmental, social, and economic dimensions. Children are recognized as competent beings who can actively participate in and influence their learning. Moreover, the notion of transformative learning has been observed in the curriculum, which emphasizes changes in the ways children think, act, and learn in relation to sustainability.
This study explored Swedish preschool children's knowledge about the environmental impact of various transport modes, and investigated whether or not eco-certification has any role to play in ...relation to this knowledge. Additionally, this study examined children's perceived sources of knowledge. Using illustrations and semi-structured questions, 53 children, aged five to six years, from six eco-certified and six non-eco-certified preschools were interviewed. Qualitative and quantitative data were analysed using content analysis and Orthogonal Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA), respectively. Findings revealed that most of the children had acquired some knowledge about the environmental impact of various transport modes, although some children were not familiar with the word 'environment'. Although the complexity of children's justifications for the environmental impact of different modes of transport tended to be higher at eco-certified preschools compared to non-eco-certified preschools, no statistically significant differences were found. Parents were reported to be a major source of knowledge.
In response to urgent global sustainability challenges, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Global Citizenship Education have been prioritized in the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 under SDG ...4.7. There is a growing awareness that treating concepts such as global citizenship, sustainable development, climate urgency, and health and well-being as separate subjects or topics to be added to a curriculum is ineffective as they are highly interconnected. Additionally, this approach is problematic as schools already have an overcrowded curriculum. This edited volume brings together a range of scholars and reflective practitioners from across the globe who are investigating and enacting a whole school approach (WSA) in education for sustainability. While the WSA and related approaches, such as those advocated by EcoSchools, are becoming more popular, there is a lack of understanding of their underlying principles and the different manifestations in diverging socio-cultural contexts at different educational levels. This collection of chapters provides a deeper understanding of the WSA, while also addressing its effectiveness, possibilities for upscaling, professional development needs for WSA practitioners, interlinkages with more conventional curriculum requirements, expectations of students and parents, and more. This is an open access book.
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