Traditions and Trends: Two Icelandic Preschool Teachers' Practices, Goals, and Beliefs About Early Childhood Education

The study shows that, in general, Helga and Kristin's methods, goals, and beliefs are in many ways similar. They emphasize social skills, play, child-initiated activities, happiness, body-contact, nourishment, well-being, and environmental awareness. This reflects a romantic view of children and child rearing, a view that the traditional Icelandic view of raising children shares. Their pedagogical work differs in other ways, with Helga underscoring more content oriented goals, focusing on preparation for school, on language, and on literacy development. Her methods and goals are more in line with the ideology presented in the contemporary literature on early childhood education, especially coming from the United States. Kristin's goals, on the other hand, are more global and related to the Scandinavian and Icelandic preschool tradition, focusing on freedom and creativity, and on less structured and more informal methods.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Einarsdottir, Johanna

Contributors dc:contributor

• Spodek, Bernard

• Education, Early Childhood

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI9989985

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/80430