Research ethics often grapple with the delicate balance between the potential benefits of knowledge acquisition and thesafeguarding of personal integrity. This dichotomy becomes pronounced when considering the need for insights intocaregiving practices of the youngest children to inform early childhood pedagogy, while respecting the fundamental rights ofchildren, including their integrity and agency in research processes (Alderson & Morrow, 2020). In the context of heateddebate regarding Sweden's evolving juridical research landscape, this article aims to scrutinize the ethical dilemmasentwined with children's rights to integrity and the necessity for understanding bodily cleanliness practices. Within anongoing research project on bodily cleanliness practices in preschool, supported by the Swedish Research Council, thisanalysis embarks on mapping this multifaceted ethical terrain.

Theoretical framework

The research project is based in a relational developmental systems perspective, highligting development and learning asfundamentally embodied within the context of everyday practices (Wetherell, 2012).

Methodological design

Applying the digital maps metaphor, suggested by Frankenberg (2018), this study delineates three interconnected territories:Expected conclusions/findings1. The territory of children’s integrity encompasses the intricate nuances of children's fundamental right to integrity(Pugh, 2023), their evolving sense of self-regulation of integrity and the ethical responsibilities of caregivers in safeguarding their integrity.2. The territory of legal research ethics illustrates the ethical research landscape in relation to recent regulatorychanges, following the EU GDPR legislation and the Maccarini affair, such as raised penalties and the establishment of asupervisory authority causing significant anxiety in the research community.3. The territory of social research and the sub-territory of researching infant and toddler perspectives f ocuseson the ethical complexities and challenges specific to qualitative social research and ethnography investigating theperspectives of infants and toddlers.

Relevance to Nordic educational research

Through this analysis, it becomes evident that children rights to making their voices heard when it comes to matters thatconcern them and to pedagogical support for development and learning might be disregarded when arbitrary legal frameworks encroach upon researchers' ethical judgment.

The discussion underscores the importance of trust in researchers'ethical practices and the necessity for cautious navigation when exploring young children's integrity, learning anddevelopment in relation to bodily cleanliness. This study seeks to prompt dialogue and reflection on ethical considerations inresearch involving young children, advocating for an approach that upholds both ethical research standards and the need forknowledge regarding holistic development of infants and toddlers within educational contexts.

Alderson, P., & Morrow Virginia. (2020). The Ethics of Research with Children and YOung People: A Practical Handlbook (2nded.). Sage Publications Ltd.

Frankenberg, S. J. (2018). Mapping Ethics With the Digital Maps Metaphor: Addressing Raised Eyebrows and Bolded Question Marks in Relation to Developmental Test Methodology: Mapping Ethics with the Digital Maps Metaphore. Mind, Brain, andEducation, 12(1), 2–11. https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12161

Pugh, J. (2023). The child’s right to bodily integrity and autonomy: A conceptual analysis. Clinical Ethics,14777509231188817. https://doi.org/10.1177/14777509231188817

Wethrell, M. (2012) Affect and Emotion: A new social science understanding. Sage. 

Syftet med denna rapport är att presentera ett ramverk för att bedöma undervisningskvalitet för barns utveckling och lärande i förskolan med särskilt fokus på stöttat lärande. Frågan om bedömning är aktuell i både forskning och pågående förskoledebatt mot bakgrund av utmaningar vad gäller att erbjuda alla barn en likvärdig utbildning i förskolan. Studien tar sin utgångspunkt i ett forskningsprojekt om stöttat lärande och utvecklingen av the Early Childhood Scaffolding Scale (ECSS). Den teoretiska utgångspunkten tas i det så kalladerelationella utvecklingssystemperspektivet som synliggör undervisning i form av lärprocesser mellan barn och pedagoger i riktning mot olika former av utvecklings- och lärandeinnehåll. Potentialen vad gäller ECSS som bedömningsverktyg diskuteras i relation till ett ramverk för holistisk bedömning av utbildnings- och undervisningskvalitet. Ramverket synliggör olika dimensioner för bedömning så som: 1) målsättningen med bedömningen, 2) vem som genomför bedömningen, 3) formen av bedömning, 4) vem som bedöms, 5) innehållet i bedömningen, 6) tidsmässiga dimensioner och slutligen 7) statiska kontra dynamiska bedömningar av det fenomen som mäts. För att fånga komplexiteten i förskolans utbildnings- och undervisningsuppdrag behöver ett fokus på didaktiska lärprocesser kompletteras med bedömningar av vilka effekter dessa har på olika barn i termer av lärande, utveckling och välbefinnande både på kort och lång sikt. Kunskap om bedömning av undervisningskvalitet och hur den kan stärkas hos pedagoger och lärare i förskolan kan potentiellt bidra till att öka likvärdigheten i förskolans undervisning. Mer tillämpad praktiknära forskning med utgångspunkt i ett multidimensionellt perspektiv på bedömning erbjuder betydande möjligheter till kunskap som kan bidra till en mer likvärdig förskola för alla barn.

This study reports on work undertaken to develop a framework and rating scale for the assessment of process quality in terms of scaffolding in preschool settings. The aim was to develop the Early Childhood Scaffolding Scale (ECSS) for the assessment of interaction quality in different types of early childhood teaching practices. The ECSS was developed based on the analysis of video-recorded data from 26 preschools randomly assigned to three different pedagogical practices; 1) Social and Emotional Material Learning, 2) Digital Individual Learning and 3) Practice as usual. The scale was developed in a series of iterative steps and an abductive approach to theory and video-recorded data involving preschool practice, resulting in the specification of the framework components and the formulation of items and rating guidelines. The functionality of the scale was assessed by four raters who assessed a selection of the data. Interrater reliability (Cohen’s kappa) analyses indicated multiple challenges to the construction of a reliable scale. To inform the further improvement of the framework and scale, a cognitive interview methodology was used, including think aloud and verbal probes. The findings inform the further development of the scale and factors that need to be considered in order to reach satisfactory psychometric robustness and interrater reliability, including 1) intentions of different pedagogical methods, 2) the importance of a clear conceptual framework, 3) units of analysis and the selection of ecologically valid video-recorded sequences, 4) the interpretation of items, and 5) definitions of scale values. The discussion focuses on the challenges of assessing high quality scaffolding in situated preschool settings using observational ratings and video methodology, training of raters, and the characteristics of the Swedish national preschool curriculum. Directions for future research are also suggested.

Nyfikenhet ges en central plats i förskolan och betraktas som en nyckel till lärande, särskilt inom pedagogik som tar sin utgångspunkt i barns utforskande. Samtidigt saknas teoretisk och empiriskt grundad kunskap om hur nyfikenhetsdrivet lärande kommer till uttryck och kan stöttas i förskoledidaktisk praktik. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur pedagoger stöttar nyfikenhet på kunskap inom ramen för Reggio Emilia-inspirerad utforskandepedagogik. Detta undersöks med hjälp av ett teoretiskt ramverk för stöttning av nyfikenhetsdrivet lärande där utgångspunkten är att nyfiket lärande kan förstås som en cykel där (1) informationsgap uppmärksammas av barnet, (2) barnet söker eller inväntar information och som (3) fullföljs när information som fyller informationsgapet erhållits. Analysen utgår från ramverket kombinerat med detaljerade multimodala interaktionsanalyser av videoinspelad interaktion från utforskande aktiviteter inom ramen för den förskoledidaktiska praktiken socioemotionellt materiellt lärande (SEMLA). Resultaten visar att stöttande av nyfikenhetsdrivet lärande utgörs av komplexa samspelsprocesser som kan brytas ner i termer av att vara riktade mot olika faser i nyfikenhetscykeln vilka underhåller nyfikenhetscykelns momentum och gör att barnet erhåller valid information. Resultaten visar vidare att det är av vikt för pedagoger att vara medvetna om barns förståelsehorisont när ambitionen är att sätta igång och stötta deras nyfikenhet i riktning mot ett specifikt lärande.

Curiosity has a central place within Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) and is considered valuable for learning, especially in pedagogies that take children’s explorative and discovery learning as a starting point. At the same time, there is a lack of empirical knowledge regarding how curiosity-driven learning emerges and is supported in ECEC. The aim of this study is to investigate how ECEC teachers scaffold curiosity-driven learning within Reggio Emilia inspired practices. This is achieved with a framework for curiosity-driven learning combined with detailed multimodal interactional analyses of video sequences taken from Socio-Emotional, Material Learning practices (SEMLA) in Sweden. The theoretical framework posits that the scaffolding of curiositydriven learning consists of scaffolding during the different stages of the child’s curiosity cycle that begins with (1) the child placing attention on an information gap, (2) the child seeks or awaits information, and which is concluded when (3) information is reached that satisfies the information gap. The results show that the scaffolding of curiosity-driven learning can be broken down in terms of support during the different stages of a curiosity cycle and that supporting the momentum of this process and enabling children to reach valid information is of importance. Moreover, the results indicate the need for teachers to be aware of children’s pre-existing knowledge when the aim is to initiate children’s curiosity.

Liberalernas förslag om obligatorisk språkbedömning av tvååringar som inte är inskrivna i förskolan saknar vetenskapligt stöd. I stället behövs fler utbildade förskollärare i utsatta områden och mer samarbete mellan föräldrar och samhällets instanser, skriver sju forskare.

The paper presents a systematic examination of data from two early math interventions, involving 188 children aged 3,5-6,5 and their teachers. The aim is to cast light on how a digital early math game can be spontaneously extended into the physical environment by children and by teachers. Questions were: i) how the math content was extended to the physical room, ii) which elements of the game and the interventions inspired and provided affordances for the extensions iii) implications for children’s learning of early math. The analyses revealed a great variety of ways in which children and teachers – acting on their own or together – brought the game out to the physical room. Among the underlying factors for this were everyone’s experiences with the game, familiar narratives, and simple game design in terms of rules and visual features. Finally, positive influences on early math learning from the extensions were identified.

Background

During the preschool years, children’s development of skills like language and communication, executive functions, and socioemotional comprehension undergo dramatic development. Still, our knowledge of how these skills are enhanced is limited. The preschool contexts constitute a well-suited arena for investigating these skills and hold the potential for giving children an equal opportunity preparing for the school years to come. The present study compared two pedagogical methods in the Swedish preschool context as to their effect on language and communication, executive functions, socioemotional comprehension, and early math. The study targeted children in the age span four-to-six-year-old, with an additional focus on these children’s backgrounds in terms of socioeconomic status, age, gender, number of languages, time spent at preschool, and preschool start. An additional goal of the study was to add to prior research by aiming at disentangling the relationship between the investigated variables.

Method

The study constitutes a randomized controlled trial including 18 preschools and 29 preschool units, with a total of 431 children, and 98 teachers. The interventions lasted for 6 weeks, preceded by pre-testing and followed by post-testing of the children. Randomization was conducted on the level of preschool unit, to either of the two interventions or to control. The interventions consisted of a socioemotional and material learning paradigm (SEMLA) and a digitally implemented attention and math training paradigm (DIL). The preschools were further evaluated with ECERS-3. The main analysis was a series of univariate mixed regression models, where the nested structure of individuals, preschool units and preschools were modeled using random variables.

Results

The result of the intervention shows that neither of the two intervention paradigms had measurable effects on the targeted skills. However, there were results as to the follow-up questions, such as executive functions predicting all other variables (language and communication, socioemotional comprehension, and math). Background variables were related to each other in patterns congruent with earlier findings, such as socioeconomic status predicting outcome measures across the board. The results are discussed in relation to intervention fidelity, length of intervention, preschool quality, and the impact of background variables on children’s developmental trajectories and life prospects.

Within the field of developmental science, there is a general agreement of the need to work together across academic disciplinary boundaries in order to advance the understandings of how to optimize child development and learning. However, experience also shows that such collaborations may be challenging. This paper reports on the experiences of bidirectional collaboration between researchers in a multidisciplinary research team and between researchers and stakeholders, in the first randomized controlled trial in Swedish preschool. The objective of the trial was to investigate the effects of two pedagogical learning strategies evaluating language, communication, attention, executive functions and early math. The interdisciplinary team includes researchers from early childhood education, linguistics, developmental psychology and cognitive neuro science. Educational researchers and theorists within the field of early childhood education in Sweden have during the last two decades mainly undertaken small-scale qualitative praxis-oriented and participative research. There is a widespread skepticism with regards to some of the core principles in controlled intervention methodologies, including a strong resistance towards individual testing of children. Consequently unanticipated disagreements and conflicts arose within the research team, as RCT methodology requires the measurement of effects pre and post the intervention. The aim of this article is to discuss the conditions for bidirectional collaboration both between researchers and stakeholders and between researchers in the research team. The findings illustrate strategies and negotiations that emerged in order to address ontological and epistemological controversies and disagreements. These include (a) the negotiation of research ethics, (b) making divergences visible and learning from each other, (c) using a multi-epistemological and methodological approach as a complement to the RCT design and (d) the negotiation of research problems that are shared between educators and researchers.