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51 Country Overviews

Iceland  

Author(s)

  • Margarita Kolcheva
  • Silvia Krasteva-Coburn

Abstract

The educational system in Iceland is very progressive regarding the integration of social and emotional skills (SES) into the official educational system. Moreover, the country has developed a welfare model, which includes equal access to Early Childhood Education Centers (ECEC) for all children. As defined by the 2008 Preschool Act, ECEC is a paramount part of childhood education, with established practices for the implementation and evaluation of SES skills. Furthermore, each municipality is empowered to decide how to integrate SES into the basic educational system, which allows freedom and flexibility for schools and teachers to experiment and adapt.Although there has been much talk about restructuring the curriculum around having the last year of preschool to be more academic-oriented, free play has remained the status quo. A study by Einarsdottir (2016) showed that parents approve the ideas laid out in the National Curriculum Guidelines for Preschools and are satisfied with the level of competence, self-reliance, self-confidence and independence their children have adopted. Moreover, they emphasise that social and emotional skills are of paramount importance to their children’s education. Although the study does not include the opinion of the growing number of immigrants in Iceland, it does echo the sentiments of parents interviewed on the same issues about a decade before.The value of play underlines the principles of ECEC in Iceland and underscores all related educational practices. Social and emotional skills are taught through cooperation, encouragement and care, and educators help develop children’s abilities to both collaborate and be more self-reliant.

References

  • Dyrfjord, K.. (2014). The Icelandic Preschool System – Origins, Influences, Development and Curriculum Reforms. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299483004_The_Icelandic_preschool_system_-_origins_influences_development_and_curriculum_reforms
  • Einarsdottir, J. (July, 2011). Training of Preschool Teachers in Iceland. Haskoli Islands: http://vefir.hi.is/kennaramenntun/files/2011/08/Training-of-Preschool-Teachers-in-Icelandjóhanneinarsdótir.pdf
  • Einarsdottir, J. (2019). Much changes, much remains the same: Icelandic parents’ perspectives on preschool education. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 17(3), 220–232.
  • Jakobsdottir, K. (2019). Iceland's Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Government of Iceland
  • (2012). The circle of skills. Nam Til Framtidar. https://namtilframtidar.is/#!/
  • O’Brien, L. (2015). Children’s Play in Icelandic Preschools. Childhood Explorer. https://www.childhoodexplorer.org/childrens-play-in-icelandic-preschools
  • Samband íslenskra sveitarfélaga, (2011). Leikskólar - gjaldskrár – reglur, Reykjavík. [Icelandic Association of Local Authorities]
  • White Paper on Educational Reform, (2015). www.government.is/education

Download document

CO-102-Iceland.pdf