Abstract
This chapter provides a review of the historical accomplishments and the current challenges for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in early childhood in the Sweden. Specific references are made to progress being made with regard to environmental education, economic education and education for social equity. The chapter also reports on the research trials carried out using the Environmental Rating Scale for Sustainable Development in Early Childhood (ERS-SDEC) instrument that was developed by the authors in collaboration with international colleagues in the World Organisation for Early Childhood Education (OMEP).
Swedish preschools have had a long tradition of addressing sustainability issues and the ERS-SDEC scores demonstrated relatively high standards of provision. The research found that the ERS-SDEC promoted the adoption of a wider understanding of ESD and that it had particular value in promoting questioning and inquiry by the teachers. The major challenges that were identified in the study concern developing i) transformative whole institution approaches and ii) the interconnectedness of ecological, social and economic sustainability.
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Notes
- 1.
- 2.
In Sweden, the term preschool covers early childhood education for children between the ages 1 and 5.
- 3.
This project was part of an OMEP (Organisation Mondiale pour l´Èducation Prescolare) project on education for sustainability with preschool children (Engdahl et al. 2013).
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Kultti, A., Larsson, J., Ärlemalm-Hagsér, E., Pramling-Samuelsson, I. (2016). Early Childhood Education for Sustainable Development in Sweden. In: Siraj-Blatchford, J., Mogharreban, C., Park, E. (eds) International Research on Education for Sustainable Development in Early Childhood. International Perspectives on Early Childhood Education and Development, vol 14. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42208-4_9
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