Session Information
26 SES 03 B, School Leadership and Inclusive Education: Future Perspectives
Paper Session
Contribution
Migration and displacement because of poverty, war and conflict are the reality for many people, and many of these have found their way to Norway to seek asylum. The ongoing war in Ukraine will again provide professionals in educational institutions such as Early childhood education (ECE) and schools responsible for tasks and challenges dealing with refugees and minorities. As in Europe, Norway faces challenges in recognising children and parents with diverse cultural backgrounds, ensuring inclusive education for all. In 2021, the percentage of children with a minority language background in Norwegian ECE amounted to 19.3 per cent (Statistics of Norway, 2022).
A more culturally and socially diverse society acquires different and new modes of leadership to handle issues of inclusion and acknowledge different cultural and social backgrounds and identities. The framework plan for ECE in Norway states that cultural diversity should be recognised and used as a resource in pedagogical work (Ministry of Education and Research, 2017). Traditionally, schools and ECE are rooted in Eurocentric ideologies and philosophies embedded in school leadership and the educational inequalities within the school and ECE structure (Buras & Apple, 2008; Rizvi & Lingard, 2011). The cultural underpinning of schools and ECE in Norway is mainly congruent with middle-class, European values (Boykin, 1994; Nieto & Bode, 2011), causing many pedagogical leaders to ignore or downplay the strengths of culturally diverse children and their families. However, Norwegian society today is increasing demographic diversity within Eurocentrism’s political and social context. Hence, there is a need for culturally responsive leadership in culturally diverse settings, as in the coming years of ECE, evidence of even greater diversity than can be found today (Banks, 2013; Nieto & Bode, 2011). Further, leadership is underlined as essential to ensure the pedagogical tasks and contents of high-quality professional work of ECE.
The study explores the characteristics of culturally responsive leadership and inclusive education in Early childhood education in Norway. The research questions for this paper are as follows:
- What leadership practices and cultural diversity understandings foster inclusion and acknowledgement?
- What are the characteristics of culturally responsive leadership?
- How can culturally responsive leadership contribute to inclusive education and belonging in ECE?
ECE is essential in acknowledging cultural diversity, recognising different cultural backgrounds, and developing tolerance in all children. In the face of other horizons of understanding, cultural and religious affiliations, working with a culturally sensitive attitude may be a possible input.
The concept of cultural sensitivity comprises the images of culture and sensitivity. It indicates a sensitivity or attention related to cultural preferences, both one’s own and others, through an increased focus on culture, a higher degree of awareness, knowledge and understanding of working with people, especially minorities with different cultural backgrounds (Qureshi, 2009; Rugkåsa et al., 2017). Increased focus on culture, awareness and understanding of other people’s points of view means acknowledging the perspectives of others and placing oneself as culturally relativistic rather than ethnocentric in encounters with others. Cultural sensitivity is about becoming aware of one’s attitudes, life history and norms and acquiring knowledge about the background of the person we meet, i.e., cultural competence (Marianne Rugkåsa, 2017; Qureshi, 2009; Rugkåsa et al., 2017).
Method
The paper is based on qualitative data from four ECEs in the spring 2019. I used participant observation and interviews as methods. I spent 1-2 weeks in each ECEs and participated in all daily activities and meetings. Additionally, semistructured interviews with 20 pedagogical leaders and individual semistructured interviews with 4 kindergarten managers were conducted (Fangen, 2010; Grønmo, 2019; Thagaard, 2013; Tjora, 2017; Wadel, 2014). In addition, relevant government documents and the ECEs' annual plans have contextualised and enriched the data. The data was analysed thematically using Braun and Clarke's (2006) six-step analysis model. Ethical aspects are taken care of when obtaining written informed consent (participation, observations, use of sound recordings and use of the material in research). The safe storage of notes and audio recordings safeguards the duty of confidentiality. All data is anonymised, and the audio files will be deleted when the research is completed. Applications to the Norwegian Centre for Research Data have been approved and prepared following NSD's guidelines for research ethics.
Expected Outcomes
The findings show that essential elements of culturally sensitive pedagogical leaders are openness, strong leadership and critical thinking. Further, the ECE organisational culture characteristics are discussions, support, and reflections. Differences in opinion among the whole staff are highly appreciated, in line with a culturally responsive and sensitive practice and the political goal of Norwegian inclusive education policy. Hence, excessive focus on culture is referred to in the literature as “culturalization” and othering, while under-communication of culture is referred to as cultural blindness or being culture-blind (Boutte et al., 2011; Rugkåsa et al., 2017; Øzerk, 2008). This puts a responsibility on pedagogical leaders to be culturally relativistic in cultural encounters to develop their cultural competence towards cultural sensitivity. I argue that pedagogical leaders need to be aware of their own beliefs, what lies behind their actions and perceptions, and what consequences this may have on minorities’ sense of belonging in ECE. Pedagogical leaders must avoid too much or/and too little emphasis on culture and strive for cultural sensitivity when cultural encounters occur. Å more culturally sensitive leadership practices may contribute to individual and collective knowledge development towards a more inclusive and culturally sensitive ECE.
References
Banks, J. A. (2013). The nature of multicultural education. Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives, 3-24. Boutte, G. S., Lopez-Robertson, J. & Powers-Costello, E. (2011). Moving beyond colourblindness in early childhood classrooms. Early Childhood Education Journal, 39(5), 335-342. Boykin, A. W. (1994). Afrocultural expression and its implications for schooling. Teaching diverse populations: Formulating a knowledge base, 1944, 50-51. Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative research in psychology, 3(2), 77-101. Buras, K. L. & Apple, M. W. (2008). Radical disenchantments: neoconservatives and the disciplining of desire in an anti‐utopian era. Comparative Education, 44, 291 - 304. Fangen, K. (2010). Deltagende observasjon. Fagbokforlaget. Grønmo, S. (2019). Social research methods: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches. Sage. Marianne Rugkåsa, S. Y. o. K. E. (2017). Barnevern i et minoritetsperspektiv. Sosialt arbeid med barn og familier. Nieto, S. & Bode, P. (2011). (2011). Affirming diversity, The Sociopolitical context of multicultural education. Qureshi, N. A. (2009). Kultursensitivitet i profesjonell yrkesutøvelse. Over profesjonelle barrierer, et minoritetsperspektiv i psykososialt arbeid med barn og unge. Research", M. o. E. a. (2017). The framework plan for kindergarten. M. o. E. a. Research. Rizvi, F. & Lingard, B. (2011). Social equity and the assemblage of values in Australian higher education. Cambridge journal of education, 41(1), 5-22. Rugkåsa, M., Ylvisaker, S. & Eide, K. (2017). Barnevern i et minoritetsperspektiv: sosialt arbeid med barn og familier. Gyldendal akademisk. Thagaard, T. (2013). Den kvalitative metodens egenart. Systematikk og innlevelse, 4, 11-36. Tjora, A. (2017). Kvalitative forskningsmetoder i praksis. 3 red. Oslo: Gyldendal Norsk Forlag. Wadel, C. C. (2014). Feltarbeid i egen kultur (Rev. utg. av Carl Cato Wadel og Otto Laurits Fuglestad. utg.). Cappelen Damm akademisk. Øzerk, K. Z. (2008). Tospråklig opplæring og funksjonell tospråklighet. Flerkulturell virkelighet i skole og samfunn / Therese Sand (red.). 103-[129].
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