Methods in the curricula of Finnish early childhood education and care

Authors

• Jarmo Kinos Turun yliopisto
• Leif Rosqvist Turun yliopisto
• Hanna Alho-Kivi Turun yliopisto
• Riitta Korhonen Turun yliopisto

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33350/ka.99664

Keywords:

early childhood education, pedagogy, methods, curriculum

Abstract

This article is a study of the methods used in the curricula and steering documents in Finnish early childhood education and care. Implementing a content analysis, we aim to present a detailed description of the use of the concept. The period of study ranges from the entry into force of the Act on Child Care (36/1973) to the entry into force of the new Act on Early Childhood Education and Care (540/2018). The research question asks how kindergarten methodologies developed into the present-day pedagogies. Two phases present themselves in the use of methods: the child-centered Froebelian era from the seventies to the mid-nineties, and the era of child-initiated pedagogies from that point onwards. The Froebelian use of methods has partially persisted to this day.