Religious Education in Secularist Kindergartens? Pedagogical Leaders on Religion in Norwegian ECEC

Olav Hovdelien,Helje Kringlebotn Sødal

doi:10.3390/rel13030202

Olav Hovdelien, Helje Kringlebotn Sødal

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13030202

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Abstract

According to the legal framework, religion forms a certain part of Norwegian early childhood education in publicly owned kindergartens. As the only Scandinavian country where this is the case, the object clause (statement of purpose) for Norwegian kindergartens defines basic values in the Christian and humanist heritage and tradition as the value foundation for the institution. In this article we explore the impact of the processes of secularization and pluralization on the pedagogical content of early childhood education, and how some pedagogical leaders understand the religious elements. Empirically, the article is partly based on qualitative interviews targeting seven public kindergartens in the counties of Oslo and Agder, and partly on interpretations of their planning documents, of which many are publicly available. The pedagogical staff express loyalty to the legal framework regulating early childhood education but seem to be more concerned with religious diversity and religious minorities than with majority religion and religion as an expression of Christian heritage and traditions.

Highlights

This article explores reflections of the transmission of religious tradition in kindergartens based on the following research question: How do pedagogical leaders in a sample of public Norwegian kindergartens interpret the religious aspects of the legal framework, and how do they reflect upon their own implementation of it? The aim of the article is to expand knowledge about religion in Norwegian early childhood education and care (ECEC)
In structuring the empirical analyses, we followed the formal hierarchy in the legal framework: first the relevant paragraphs in the Kindergarten Act, and secondly the relevant learning outcomes from the Kindergarten
There were, striking similarities between most of our informants. They tended to downplay the Christian aspect in the object clause, and they did not stick to a literal interpretation of the formulations on learning outcomes on Christianity, other religions and secular worldviews in the Framework Plan

Summary

Introduction

This article explores reflections of the transmission of religious tradition in kindergartens based on the following research question: How do pedagogical leaders in a sample of public Norwegian kindergartens interpret the religious aspects of the legal framework, and how do they reflect upon their own implementation of it? The aim of the article is to expand knowledge about religion in Norwegian early childhood education and care (ECEC)partly by interviewing pedagogically responsible staff in selected kindergartens owned by the local municipality or the state, and partly by interpreting planning documents and legal documents such as The Kindergarten Act and The Framework Plan for Kindergartens in Norway.Like the other Nordic countries, Norway has undergone a secularization process since the end of World War Two. This article explores reflections of the transmission of religious tradition in kindergartens based on the following research question: How do pedagogical leaders in a sample of public Norwegian kindergartens interpret the religious aspects of the legal framework, and how do they reflect upon their own implementation of it? Partly by interviewing pedagogically responsible staff in selected kindergartens owned by the local municipality or the state, and partly by interpreting planning documents and legal documents such as The Kindergarten Act and The Framework Plan for Kindergartens in Norway. A large majority of the 5.3 million Norwegian citizens, i.e., approximately 69 percent, still belong to the Church of Norway, a state church until 2012.

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