Purpose
The article identifies and reviews recent Nordic research on special needs education in kindergartens. The research question was “What characterises Nordic research on special needs education in kindergartens between 2006 and 2014?”
The sub-questions are: (1) What characterises the purpose of the research in terms of proximity to the field of practice?, (2) What type of data collection methods are used in the research and what characterises the approaches to types of data and analysis in the research?, (3) What types of theories are applied in the research? And (4) Which participants express their opinions most in the research?
Result
The results of the literature review indicate that the included studies are characterised by intimacy with and depth in the kindergarten field of practice. The research consists mostly of qualitative data created through interviews with varying theoretical frameworks. The kindergarten teacher’s voice is dominant, but the voices of special needs teachers and parents are also heard to some extent. Children’s voices are rarely heard, and then only through video recordings in which the adult interprets the child.
Design
The analysis method was configurative, and the procedures included a content analysis. The empirical material consisted of 31 publications. More specifically, 13 scientific articles and 18 academic theses. Five of these theses were article-based (consisting of 2–4 articles that were either published or were awaiting publication) and the rest were monographs.
References
Palla, L. (2019). “Characteristics of Nordic research on special education in preschool: a review with special focus on Swedish conditions”. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 23(4):436-453.