Educators’ interpretations of children’s belonging across borders: Thinking and talking with an image.

The study explores how kindergarten teachers from five European countries – Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden – interpret children's sense of belonging in kindergarten. The research question is: How do kindergarten teachers interpret children's sense of belonging in kindergarten across national borders?

Although kindergarten systems vary between countries, the findings showed many common perceptions among kindergarten teachers. They highlighted children's emotional interactions, such as joy and conflict, as being central to children's sense of belonging. Furthermore, it was pointed out that diversity in kindergarten is valuable, but it also requires teachers to reflect on how they promote inclusion and fairness for all children. The study underlines the importance of strengthening a common professional understanding across European borders in order to support children's sense of belonging in kindergarten.

38 kindergarten teachers from ten kindergartens in five European countries, Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, participated in the study. The research material was collected through group discussions among the kindergarten teachers, inspired by a particular picture. The discussions were then transcribed, and the material consisted of 285 pages of written text.

Puroila, A. M., Emilson, A., Pálmadóttir, H., Piškur, B., & Tofteland, B. (2021). "Educators’ interpretations of children’s belonging across borders: Thinking and talking with an image". European Educational Research Journal. DOI: 10.1177/14749041211065878