Swedish Parents’ Perspectives of Belonging in Early Years Education

The study investigates Swedish parents’ perspectives on children’s sense of belonging in kindergarten, as well as their point of view on various factors and educational approaches that promote diversity and belonging.

The results show that parents generally had a high level of confidence in kindergarten staff and felt that their children experienced a sense of belonging. At the same time, 14% reported that their children experienced being excluded in kindergarten. Language was perceived as a major cause of exclusion. To strengthen children’s sense of belonging, parental involvement and engagement were considered important factors.

The researchers sent out a survey to parents and guardians from kindergartens in six municipalities divided into two different geographical regions in Sweden. The survey was answered by 454 respondents. Most respondents were born in Sweden and were between the ages of 31 and 60, of which 71% were women and 26% were men. The researchers used factor analysis to study the variables in the data material and Cronbach’s alpha to measure the reliability of variables.

Karlsudd, P. (2022). Swedish Parents’ Perspectives of Belonging in Early Years Education. Frontiers in Education, 7.