While academic interest in belonging in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings has increased in recent years, the interplay between parental and educators' notions of belonging is under-researched. This article explores preschool educators' experiences of working with families of young children and their perspectives of parental…

The study examines the views of children and educators with regards to belonging in one diverse preschool setting in Iceland. It builds on the ideology of the politics of belonging, referring to children's relationships in the community of preschool, children's participation, and the process of inclusion and exclusion among the children. This…

As the first level of schooling, preschools are part of the educational system in Iceland. All preschools operate according to Preschool Act. No. 90/2008 and the National Curriculum Guidelines, where the emphasis is on children's learning through play and high-quality practice. The aim of this study was to shed light on how the first wave of…

Many refugee families face challenges in their new educational environments. This qualitative research study aims to explore the experiences of six Syrian refugee families who arrived in Iceland from Lebanon in 2016 and settled in three municipalities (Stjórnarráð Íslands 2019) and their children in their preschool settings; and to explore the…

This study explored how practitioners interpreted educational practices from the perspective of values in Nordic preschools. Drawing data from group interviews in five Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden), practitioners reflected on an observational episode about children dressing for outdoor play in a Swedish preschool.…

This study aims to enhance awareness of what young children want to do outside and their preferences regarding their outdoor environment. Views of children as active participants, the affordance of the environment and the importance of place for children's learning constitute the theoretical background of the study. The study was part of a…

The current study was conducted with groups of first grade children (aged six years) in two primary schools in Reykjavik in an endeavour to ascertain how they recalled and reconstructed their playschool experiences. The children's playschool teachers were co-researchers participating in the data generation; they were, at the same time participants…

Investigated the role of educational personnel in children's dramatic play in Icelandic preschools, how they intervened, and their views on dramatic play and their own role and function. Findings indicated that adult participation in children's dramatic play was not common and most frequently occurred outside the theme of play, although personnel…

This study examined the teaching methods of two Icelandic preschool teachers, their beliefs about early childhood curriculum, and the goals of their programs, emphasizing the connection between the context of the preschool teachers and their pedagogical work. Participating in the qualitative study were two preschool teachers from the city of…

Investigated working methods of two Icelandic preschool teachers, their beliefs about early childhood education, and goals of their programs. Found that their methods, goals, and beliefs reflected a romantic view of children and childrearing. One teacher had more content-oriented goals than the other, more in line with contemporary U.S. early…

This study examined the teaching methods of two Icelandic preschool teachers, their beliefs about early childhood curriculum, and the goals of their programs, emphasizing the connection between the context of the preschool teachers and their pedagogical work. Participating in the qualitative study were two preschool teachers from the city of…

In its 80 years in Iceland, preschool has evolved from caregiving to the first level of schooling in the nation with a national curriculum organized by the Ministry of Education. This study used a cultural psychological perspective to examine whether Icelandic core cultural beliefs such as freedom and independence are evident in the daily…