Economic sustainability in Swedish preschools - Preschool teachers and preschools as politicaleconomic actors

Abstract

The aim of this article is to scrutinize education for sustainability (EfS) in Swedish preschools, and especially how preschool teachers have articulated their work with economic sustainability objectives in practice. In this study we used an action-research methodology, and six preschool teachers from three preschools participated in the study. The theoretical framework was guided by critical theory, which was also used as a conceptual tool to explore agency and shared understandings as different ways of dealing with economic sustainability. The findings demonstrated that at the beginning of the project the preschool teachers did not view economic sustainability as part of the preschool’s objectives and activities, or the children’s learning. Nevertheless, in the dialogues between preschool teachers and researchers it became clear that the preschool teachers worked with these issues daily in their routines and in children’s activities and play.

Keywords

• early childhood education
• economic sustainability
• economic sustainable development
• preschool.