Browsing by Subject "kaksivuotinen esiopetus"

In the Finnish society, the trial of two-year pre-primary education implemented by the Ministry of Education and Culture began in 2021. The trial, which will run until 2024, will involve children from four to seven years old from selected municipalities. The basis of the trial is the law and the experimental curriculum developed for it. The purpose of this study is to describe the experiences of children's parents from the trial of two-year pre-primary education and their participation. The aim is to analyze what kind of meanings parents give to the implementation of the two-year pre-primary education trial. In addition, the study will examine how the parents perceive their own participation in the cooperation with daycare centre. The research is a continuation of my earlier research related to two-year pre-primary education. The study was conducted as qualitative research, the material of which was collected interviewing parents with a semi-structured thematic interview. A total of 16 parents from the trial daycare centers in the city of Helsinki participated in the individual and group interviews. When focusing on people's experiences, the research is phenomenological-hermeneutic in nature. The parents' conversation was analyzed using content analysis. The results showed that the parents mostly had a positive attitude towards the pre-primary trial. The trial was seen as an opportunity for the child and as a reinforcement of the learning path. On the other hand, the communication concerning of the trial was perceived as unclear, the resources insufficient, and the expectations and obligations directed at families were perceived as concerns. Some of the parents did not see the activity during the trial as different from their previous experiences related to early childhood. The parents were quite committed to the trial, even though they felt their involvement was minimal what they have wished. Parental experiences of the participation was also associated with uncertainty and feelings of trust. The results of the study can be used in making further plans for developing two-year pre-primary education. In addition, research results can contribute in creating new practices for informing parents. The article “The realization of two-year pre-primary education trial and participation from the parents' point of view” is to be published in the Journal of Early Childhood Education Research.