The preschool curriculum in Sweden reflects children’s agency in education for sustainability

The preschool curriculum in Sweden – referred to as “Lpfö2018”– came into force in 1998. Since then, it has gone through four revisions, with the most recent revision designed to include the United Nations (UN) global goals for sustainability. This study investigated the extent to which the revised curriculum addresses both education for sustainability (EfS) and children’s participation and agency. Children’s agency refers to their ability to make their own decisions and to participate in matters concerning their own lives. It also includes the development of skills needed for contributing to a sustainable society.

Critical content analysis was used in conducting this investigation. The first step involved a digital search of the curriculum (in English and Swedish) using the search terms “participation,” “sustainability,” and “sustainable development.” Parts of the text where these terms appeared were then used as units of coding. These units and the contexts in which they were used were read and re-read to gain familiarity with the content, terms, and language. The entire curriculum was also read for additional information relating to EfS and children’s participation and agency.

The revised curriculum includes eight explicit mentions of sustainability and addresses all three dimensions of sustainable development – environmental, social, and economic. The curriculum reflects understandings consistent with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainability, including the idea that the different dimensions of sustainable development are inseparable and indivisible. Values relating to sustainability supported by the curriculum include democracy, care for others, child rights, creating global citizens and embracing common values and taking responsibility. The curriculum recognizes children as “competent beings” and “active agents” in terms of both environmental and social sustainability issues. Transformative learning – which emphasizes changes in how children think, act, and learn in relation to sustainability – is also evident in the curriculum.

This study was based on the understanding that education has an important role to play in developing a sustainable world and that such education should begin in the preschool years.