Suchergebnisse

This ethnographic study, carried out in public kindergartens in Finland, traces the enactments of the societal roles of early childhood education. It highlights how the intertwining of governing tools and discourses related to early childhood education's societal role participates in the formation of daily life in kindergarten. The concept of "imaginary" is used as an analytical tool. The study argues that intensification measures together with the individualistic rights discourse have substantially challenged the social justice agenda of early childhood education in Finland. Furthermore, it suggests that an ethnographic examination of the enactments of societal roles of early childhood education and the concept of "imaginaries" provide valuable insights vis-a-vis the continuing theoretical and political discussions concerning early childhood education policies and governance.

In this article, we utilize an application of Deleuze and Quattari's (1987) concept of assemblage to explore and better understand the interconnectedness and materiality of the policies of early childhood education and care (ECEC). To exemplify how directing our focus to assemblages can further the understanding of policies in the everyday life of families, we will present a Finnish case of entitlement to ECEC. Since 1996, children under school age have enjoyed the entitlement to full-day ECEC provided by local authorities. In 2016, the Finnish parliament enforced new legislation that allows municipalities to limit this entitlement to 20 hours per week unless the child's parents work or study full-time. By drawing on interviews with parents of one-year-old children (n=14), we will illuminate the component parts of ECEC arrangements. The case offers empirical insights in terms of how constructing ECEC policies as "assembled" can aid us in contesting two beliefs that have a firm position in the public debate: the idea of the parent's "free choice" and the notion of national policies having a hegemonic role in determining opportunities for agency. ; peerReviewed

In this article, we utilize an application of Deleuze and Quattari's (1987) concept of assemblage to explore and better understand the interconnectedness and materiality of the policies of early childhood education and care (ECEC). To exemplify how directing our focus to assemblages can further the understanding of policies in the everyday life of families, we will present a Finnish case of entitlement to ECEC. Since 1996, children under school age have enjoyed the entitlement to full-day ECEC provided by local authorities. In 2016, the Finnish parliament enforced new legislation that allows municipalities to limit this entitlement to 20 hours per week unless the child's parents work or study full-time. By drawing on interviews with parents of one-year-old children (n=14), we will illuminate the component parts of ECEC arrangements. The case offers empirical insights in terms of how constructing ECEC policies as "assembled" can aid us in contesting two beliefs that have a firm position in the public debate: the idea of the parent's "free choice" and the notion of national policies having a hegemonic role in determining opportunities for agency.

AbstractThis paper presents an account of how children's sense of agency is produced in machinic assemblages. The ethnographic data used in this study originated in one elementary school classroom. By utilising children's own expressions of their agency and by examining the machinic assemblages in which these expressions were produced, we demonstrate that school policies are not merely a background for schools' mundane practices. Rather, when combined with other elements in a school setting, policies have heterogeneous consequences for children's sense of agency.

In Finland, children below school age have enjoyed the right to attend subsidised full-time early childhood education and care (ECEC). However, the attendance rate in Finland is low in comparison to other Nordic countries. Furthermore, the entitlement was restricted to 20 h per week in 2016 unless the child's parents work or study full-time or unless it is believed that the child will benefit from full-time ECEC. The debates concerning restrictions in ECEC entitlement in three municipal councils serve as the data for this study. By using the framework of epistemic governance, we identify three differing constructions of the ECEC's societal functions in the municipal policy debates. The similarities and differences between these constructions aid us to understand recent changes in ECEC policies. This case illustrates how focusing on epistemic governance on local-level policy debates opens interesting insights in policy changes more generally. ; peerReviewed

Early childhood education's role in increasing equality in society has been highlighted by international organizations. However, it is unclear what is meant by the concept of equality in different situations, as the meaning fluctuates and reflects the cultural political contexts in which it is embedded. In this paper, we analyse the equality discourses of local early childhood education and care (ECEC) policymakers in Finland, drawing on different conceptualizations of equality and social justice. In doing so, we show that the way in which equality is conceptualized differs – along with the suggested remedies – depending on whether the subjects of equality are adults, children at the border of an institutional setting, or children within the ECEC institution. ; peerReviewed

1 Introduction -- Introduction -- The Nordic Welfare Model -- The Share of Public, Nonprofit, and For-Profit Welfare Providers -- ECEC in the Nordic Countries -- Three Sets of Goals for ECEC -- Challenges Facing ECEC in the Nordic Countries: Demographic Changes, Accessibility, and Educational Approach -- Explaining Institutional Change -- Approaches to the Provision of Welfare Services -- The Three Actors in the Welfare Mix -- Public Provision or Privatization? -- The Welfare Sector as a Quasi-Market -- The Role of Nonprofit Providers as Part of the Welfare Mix -- The Remainder of This Book: ECEC From a Comparative Nordic Perspective -- References -- 2 Shared Roots—Private Initiatives Along Two Trajectories -- Introduction -- The Dual Trajectory of the ECEC System -- Trajectory 1: Charities Establish Children's Asylums as Protectors from the Dangers of Streets -- Trajectory 2: Philanthropic Kindergartens and For-Profit Child Residential Homes for Wealthy Families -- The Merging of the Two Trajectories -- Fostering a Nordic ECEC Model Through Kindergarten Teacher Education -- Chapter Summary -- References -- 3 From the Fringes to the Heart of the Welfare State—Growth in ECEC Coverage -- Introduction -- Legislative Foundation -- Consolidation and Growth -- Full Coverage -- Chapter Summary -- References -- 4 Changes in the Role of Commercial and Nonprofit ECEC Providers—Deviations from the Nordic Welfare Model? -- Introduction -- Private Growth -- Explaining the Growth of Private Actors: Framework Conditions, Financing, and Public Debates -- Chapter Summary -- References -- 5 Reigning in Provider Diversity? Regulation, Steering, and Supervision -- Introduction -- Educational Promotion—The Rationale for State Steering -- National Policies Pursued in Terms of Regulation and Curriculum -- Securing Compliance—Supervision -- Soft Steering—Manuals and Evaluations -- Chapter Summary -- References -- 6 Does It Matter? Quality Differences Among Public, Nonprofit, and For-Profit Providers -- Introduction -- Theoretical Underpinnings of Different Ownership and Quality -- Quality of ECEC -- International Experiences: Quality Differences Among Public, Nonprofit, and For-Profit ECEC? -- Research in the Nordic Countries on Quality Differences Among Public, Nonprofit, and For-Profit Providers -- Chapter Summary -- References -- 7 Conclusions -- Introduction -- Why Private Growth in Nordic ECEC? -- How to Respond to Adverse Effects From Marketization? Nordic Attempts to Reign in Quasi-markets -- Governance Challenges in the Welfare Mix -- Why Diversity in Provision? -- A Nordic Dimension in ECEC Governance? -- References.