Purpose
The study explores and maps concepts and conditions that can provide psychosocial support in kindergartens, across two different countries, Palestine and Norway. The research questions are: 1. How do kindergarten teachers describe psychosocial support for children in Palestine and Norway? 2. How do kindergarten teachers describe their knowledge and skills in providing psychosocial support to children in kindergarten? 3. What are the kindergarten teachers' experienced challenges in providing psychosocial support?
Result
Despite widely differing contexts, the analysis revealed some important commonalities.
Kindergarten teachers in both countries link psychosocial support conceptually to
psychological and emotional knowledge. Kindergarten teachers in both countries are concerned with psychosocial support provided in everyday situations, such as establishing routines, paying extra attention, reassuring children and creating safe everyday spaces. Sufficient time and space are crucial challenges in both countries, and kindergarten teachers are calling for more knowledge about mental health. One main difference between the two countries was the role of the community and the relationship with parents. The Palestinian kindergarten teachers defined psychosocial support as a ‘set of community services’ and were frustrated by the lack of parental cooperation. The Norwegian kindergarten teachers believed that fellowship with parents and the local community was less important.
Design
A randomised sample of kindergartens resulted in a total of 26 female respondents from the two countries, with 20 from Palestine (10 from Hebron and 10 from Gaza) and six from Norway. The data collection took place through interviews.
References
El-Khodary, B., Christensen, I., Abou-Dagga, S., Raji, S., & Lyden, S. (2021). “Palestinian and Norwegian Kindergarten Teachers' Perspectives on Psychosocial Support: A Qualitative Study”. Frontiers in Psychology, 12:761303.
Financed by
Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills, Norway