Education, motivation for learning, and social competence of 6-year-olds in kindergarten in Denmark and the United States

Abstract

On the basis of ethnological research methods, the everyday life of one Danish and one American kindergarten class in school is described. In the American kindergarten class teaching of the three Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic) is predominant, whereas play constitutes the life in the Danish classroom. The study shows that the American teacher-controlled ‘academic’ practice and the children's concrete cultural background contribute to the development of motivation for learning at the age of 6 years. On the other hand, the American children are very egocentric and have difficulties in participating in group activities. In contrast, the more ‘child-controlled’ practice in the Danish kindergarten develops social competence but neglects the development of motivation for learning. With comprehensive development as the educational aim, neither the American teacher-controlled ‘academic’ practice nor the Danish child-controlled ‘play’ approach is quite adequate, which calls for a new paradigm in early childhood education.