Purpose
The study investigates how employees in Norwegian kindergartens assess factors that affect the well-being of three- to six-year-olds and how they facilitate children's well-being in kindergarten. Given the increasing focus on children's cognitive development, the researchers were particularly interested in investigating how staff assessed the importance of cognitive factors for children's well-being.
Result
The results show that kindergarten employees assess well-being differently, which challenges the field of practice and children's well-being in kindergartens. Most of the employees perceive physical, mental and social conditions as being very important for children's well-being, while just over half considered cognitive factors to be important. The kindergarten's outdoor environment was assessed as being better adapted for children's well-being than the indoor environment. Employees with more seniority considered that they better safeguard and promote children's well-being compared to employees with less seniority.
Design
A survey was distributed to employees in 25 randomly selected kindergartens in Central Norway. 105 employees responded to the survey. The questions were based on theories and research on children's well-being, as well as the curriculum for kindergartens.
References
Bjørgen, K., & Moe, B. (2021). "Ansattes vurdering av barns trivsel i barnehagen". Barn, 39(1):55-68.