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Childhood and early years education

The primary objective of the research group Childhood and Early Years Education (CEE) is to create research-based knowledge that expands our understanding of children, childhood and professional practice in early childhood education. 

Established:
2017
Affiliation:
Faculty of Education
Academic discipline:
Upbringing and education

The picture shows a blancket laid out in the grass, where a child acts together with straw and sticks, and a child's drawing (Photo: Agnes Westgaard Bjelkerud)

The Childhood and Early Years Education Research Group strive to create research-based knowledge about childhood and for both kindergarten teacher’s education programmes and early childhood education practices. Furthermore, the group will participate in national and international contexts where research about children, childhood and professional practice in early childhood education is discussed and developed.

The research group also seek to contribute to interdisciplinary projects and projects based on a wide range of diverse theoretical perspectives and methodologies.

 

What we research

The groups overarching goal stems from an interest in exploring cutting edge critical questions related to educational policy and central values in a Nordic field of education in general, and more specifically in the field of early childhood education. Overall values include democracy, equality, gender equality, justice, diversity and sustainable development, while the intrinsic value of childhood and play are examples that are specific to early childhood education.

More about the research group

Research is performed in the context of kindergarten teacher education, professional education, professional practice, professional ethics and pedagogical practice in early childhood. Some of the groups research projects also inquires how philosophy, theory of science and methodology affect scientific knowledge-producing processes.  The research group's projects use various critical and pedagogical theories and philosophy.

Ongoing projects focus on

  • kindergarten teacher education and sustainable development
  • conceptualisations of kindergarten teachers’ professionalism
  • kindergarten teacher students’ processes of bildung
  • contours of children in theoretical perspectives on children and childhood 
  • kindergarten teacher's embodied knowledge 
  • the concept of co-creation in a regional collaborative development project aimed at developing kindergartens staff’s pedagogical competence 
  • kindergarten pedagogy as a science subject and a professional subject 
  • expansion of children’s 'language development'
  • racialisation and social inequality in early childhood education
  • gender- and sexuality diversity in early childhood education

CEE’s projects are in dialogue with several research fields, such as kindergarten pedagogy, childhood studies, professional studies, pedagogical science, educational science, cultural studies, environmental sciences and pedagogical philosophy. In some projects, we strive for an interdisciplinary approach.  

Childhood and Early Years Education (CEE) has been active since January 2017. The members are PhD students in the PhD program Professional Teacher Education, scientific staff at the Department of Educational studies in Teacher Education, and associate members with different backgrounds. The group collaborates with several international researchers and research communities.