Unfreezing the discursive hegemonies underpinning current versions of “social sustainability” in ECE policies in Anglo–Celtic, Nordic and continental contexts.

The study explores how the concept of social sustainability is understood and integrated into kindergarten steering documents in twelve countries. The researchers investigate how concepts such as belonging, local affiliation and cultural diversity are portrayed, as well as the kindergarten's collaboration with the children's parents or guardians. The research question is: How is social sustainability integrated into kindergarten curricula in twelve different countries?

The study shows that kindergarten curricula in different countries approach social sustainability in different ways. Comparing these curricula reveals variations in how each country understands sustainability. The study does not conclude that one approach is better than another, but highlights the importance of continuous reflection on how we view sustainability in kindergartens.

The data material includes kindergarten steering documents from twelve countries: Australia, Croatia, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, and England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom. The goal was to understand how social sustainability is portrayed. The researchers analysed the relationship between words (signifiers) and their meanings, and how certain meanings are either included or excluded in the text. In particular, they concentrated on four concepts: belonging, diversity, local affiliation and collaboration with parents/caregivers.

Sadownik, A. R., Bakken, Y., Gabi, J., Višnjić-Jevtić, A., & Koutoulas, J. (2021). "Unfreezing the discursive hegemonies underpinning current versions of “social sustainability” in ECE policies in Anglo–Celtic, Nordic and continental contexts". Sustainability, 13(9):4758.