Purpose
The study investigates how immigrant children are included in kindergartens in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. The purpose is to map the main research topics that deal with immigrant children in kindergarten, as well as how inclusion is understood in the various Nordic contexts. The research question is: What topics are key to the inclusion of immigrant children in Nordic kindergarten research?
Result
The researchers divide the main findings from the review into four main themes: 1) language and literacy skills, 2) parental collaboration, 3) specific ethnic groups, and 4) challenges and dilemmas in integration processes. Many studies focus on language development, especially multilingualism, as a critical factor for inclusion. Several studies also point to the importance of parental collaboration and the cultural expectations the parties have. Several challenges related to cultural differences and how kindergarten teachers manage these were also identified.
Design
The study is a scoping review of existing Nordic research in the field. The article reviewed 15 peer-reviewed articles published between 2018 and 2022 that investigated the inclusion of immigrant children in kindergarten. The articles were identified using keywords such as ‘immigrant children’ combined with countries.
References
Garvis, S., & Harju-Luukkainen, H. (2022). Inclusion and special needs education for immigrant students in the Nordic countries. I S. Garvis & H. Harju-Luukkainen Inclusion of Immigrant Children and Families in Nordic Early Childhood Education (s. 182–195). Routledge.
Online year: 2023
Issue year: 2023
Review year: 2023