A Critical Analysis of Education for Sustainability in Early Childhood Curriculum Documents in China and Norway

Abstract

Purpose: This article examines how early childhood curriculum documents in two culturally different contexts are associated with current concepts of sustainability and principles of early childhood education for sustainability (ECEfS) in China and Norway.

Design/Approach/Methods: Applying critical document analysis, the study explores a number of landmark curriculum documents from China and Norway, comparing the ways in which ECEfS is conceptualized, including the concept of sustainability, children as agents of change for sustainability, and sustainability in young children’s everyday lives.

Findings: Corresponding to the analytical framework, China and Norway attach different importance to the three dimensions of sustainability—social-cultural, economic, and environmental. For example, Norway has a more autonomous view of children’s agency, while China gives more emphasis to teachers’ support. The two countries also have different perspectives on how to work with families and communities based on significantly different traditions and institutions. The comparative document analysis argues that predominant cultural dimensions in each context, such as collectivist and individualistic factors, may shape the understandings of sustainability in each country’s early years’ curriculum documents.

Originality/Values: By broadening the focus on the social-cultural aspects of sustainability, this study extends the development of a culturally inclusive understanding of the concept of sustainability and contextualized/localized approaches to ECEfS across the globe.