Finnish Early Childhood Education and Care Leaders’ Conceptualisations and Understandings of Pedagogical Leadership

This is a self-archived version of an original article. This version may differ from the original in pagination and typographic details. Author(s): Title: Year: Version: Copyright: Rights: Rights url: Please cite the original version: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Finnish Early Childhood Education and Care Leaders’ Conceptualisations and Understandings of Pedagogical Leadership © the authors 2023 Published version Fonsén, Elina; Ahtiainen, Raisa; Heikkinen, Kirsi-Marja Fonsén, E., Ahtiainen, R., & Heikkinen, K.-M. (2023). Finnish Early Childhood Education and Care Leaders’ Conceptualisations and Understandings of Pedagogical Leadership. In M. Modise, E. Fonsén, J. Heikka, N. Phatudi, M. Bøe, & T. Phala (Eds.), Global Perspectives on Leadership in Early Childhood Education (pp. 11-26). Helsinki University Press. https://doi.org/10.33134/HUP20-2 2023 CHAPTER 1 Finnish Early Childhood Education and Care Leaders’ Conceptualisations and Understandings of Pedagogical Leadership Elina Fonsén University of Jyväskylä Raisa Ahtiainen University of Helsinki Kirsi-Marja Heikkinen University of Helsinki Abstract Since the 2010s, the field of early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Finland has gone through several changes. Leaders working in ECEC have a crucial role in developing pedagogy and practices in their centres. Pedagogical leadership is one of the key concepts in educational discourse around leaders’ work; however, the field lacks a unified definition for pedagogical leadership in terms of both research and practice in ECEC. Therefore, it is necessary to examine how leaders conceptualise pedagogical leadership and how they see their own roles as pedagogical leaders. The data are five focus group interviews How to cite this book chapter: Fonsén, E., Ahtiainen, R., & Heikkinen, K.-M. (2023). Finnish Early Childhood Education and Care Leaders’ Conceptualisations and Understandings of Pedagogical Leadership. In M. Modise, E. Fonsén, J. Heikka, N. Phatudi, M. Bøe, & T. Phala (Eds.), Global Perspectives on Leadership in Early Childhood Education (pp. 11–26). Helsinki University Press. https://doi.org/10.33134/HUP-20-2. 12 Global Perspectives on Leadership in Early Childhood Education with ECEC leaders (N=15) that were conducted in 2019. The data were analysed by employing the discursive institutionalism approach. The discourse analysis revealed how ECEC leadership tasks were reflected in relation to the importance of pedagogical leadership competence and the use of ‘pedagogical lenses’. Further, leaders described the ECEC curriculum as a strategic tool. Pedagogical leadership was seen as a means for leaders and teachers to jointly interpret and implement the curriculum. In light of these findings, it may be stated that ECEC pedagogical leadership is a concept that appears to be taking shape theoretically in ECEC leaders’ discourses. However, its daily implementation requires clarification before a shared understanding of the matter can be reached. Keywords: early childhood education leadership, pedagogical leadership, discursive institutionalism Introduction The Finnish education system is characterised by equal opportunities for all children irrespective of background, gender, capability, ethnicity, and place of residence. Recent education policy changes in Finland have formed a national framework for more systematic practices in the realisation of early childhood education and care (ECEC). The National Core Curriculum for ECEC (Finnish National Agency for Education [FNAE], 2018) and the Act on Early Childhood Education and Care (Act, 540/2018) are aimed at giving structure to and clear objectives for the pedagogy and care provided by public and private ECEC centres. These changes emphasise ECEC pedagogy and pedagogical leadership, and leadership as a concept has been connected to both ECEC centre leaders and teachers in the process of realising the curriculum (Soukainen, 2019). Consequently, the ECEC centre leaders are at the centre of leading and supporting the work community in the implementation of the new curriculum. In this study, we have used the approach of discursive institutionalism to examine the domestication of the governance guidance on implementing the curriculum (Schmidt, 2008). Pedagogical leadership has become a central concept for educators working in Finnish ECEC; yet it is challenging to find a common way to define the concept (e.g. Male & Palaiologou, 2017) and to understand it as a practice (Soukainen, 2019). Therefore, it is crucial to Finnish Early Childhood Education and Care Leaders’ Conceptualisations… 13 examine how Finnish ECEC centre leaders, having a central role in leading the change, understand the concept of pedagogical leadership and how they perceive themselves as pedagogical leaders. It is necessary to depict the variety of aspects related to the concept if we want to support the creation of a common definition of the matter among leaders working in ECEC. Our investigation has been built on five focus group interviews with ECEC centre leaders. Leadership in Early Childhood Education and Pedagogical Leadership Leadership in ECEC has a strong impact on the quality of the pedagogy and, through that, on children’s learning and well-being (Fonsén et al., 2022; Keung et al., 2019). Leading the human resources and teachers’ pedagogical work in ECEC centres is considered to be the main responsibility of the leaders (Hujala & Eskelinen, 2013). The National Core Curriculum for ECEC (FNAE, 2018) sets the guidelines for pedagogical work. The implementation of high-quality pedagogy in an ECEC centre requires mastery of pedagogical leadership from the leader (Fonsén & Vlasov, 2017). However, there seems to be less and less time for leaders to focus on pedagogical leadership (Hujala & Eskelinen, 2013). Pedagogical leadership can be defined as the process of leading the implementation of the ECEC curriculum (FNAE, 2018). Lahtero and Kuusilehto-Awale (2015) use the concept of broad-based pedagogical leadership, which consists of elements of direct and indirect leadership that all focus on the pedagogical goals of teaching and learning. That is, school leaders need a pedagogical view on which they can base their leadership. Equally, the foundation for leadership in ECEC is on the leaders’ pedagogical competence (Fonsén, 2013). Further, Fonsén (2014) argues that pedagogical leadership focuses on professional development and organisational learning. Moreover, pedagogical leadership, by its nature, needs to be distributed, which means that the responsibility for leading curriculum work and implementing pedagogical improvements is shared and enacted with the teachers (Cheung et al., 2019; Heikka, 2014). Pedagogical leadership requires human capital that is constructed with both knowledge of the curriculum and pedagogical thinking. Besides this, pedagogical leadership requires skills to manage and evaluate the pedagogy to be implemented, and 14 Global Perspectives on Leadership in Early Childhood Education most importantly, the capability to argue for pedagogical values that guide the pedagogy (Fonsén, 2014). Distributed Pedagogical Leadership According to Heikka (2014), distributed pedagogical leadership at the level of the ECEC centre is a shared understanding between all members of the work community concerning the purpose of the work and pedagogy. Therefore, because of their pedagogical knowledge, ECEC teachers have an important role in pedagogical leadership (FNAE, 2018). Teachers can absorb the role of a teacher leader and be significant actors in distributed pedagogical leadership (Heikka, 2014). Being a teacher leader has positive effects on the teachers themselves, their colleagues, and their community, as it improves atmosphere, democracy, and organisational commitment (Nguyen et al., 2020). In addition, teacher leadership can form a part of teacher professional development (Fonsén & Ukkonen-Mikkola, 2019). Research Question In this study, our aim is to clarify the concept of pedagogical leadership by examining Finnish ECEC leaders’ discourses. The research question is: How do ECEC leaders describe pedagogical leadership and what discourses emerge from these descriptions? Research Methodology and Design This study is based on five group interviews with ECEC leaders in 2019. The interviewees were recruited from a group of ECEC leaders participating in an 18-month in-service training programme about educational leadership targeted at leaders from all levels of the Finnish school education system (e.g. ECEC, upper secondary education). In the middle of the training, all ECEC leader-participants (N=42) were sent an invitation to participate in the group interviews. Fifteen leaders responded to the invitation, and they were divided into five groups. The interviews were based on five themes: training of leaders, future directions of educational leadership, leading curriculum, pedagogical leadership, and leading change. The group interviews were aimed at creating a place for ECEC leaders to discuss and share their experi- Finnish Early Childhood Education and Care Leaders’ Conceptualisations… 15 ences and knowledge in a safe environment. All interviews were audio recorded and later transcribed for further analysis. During institutional changes, the lenses of discursive institutionalism provide an approach for analysing conceptualisations of pedagogical leadership and curriculum implementation as a part of pedagogical leadership. Discursive institutionalism has an explanatory power for the domestication of cognitive or normative ideas (Schmidt, 2008). In the case of institutional speech, micro-level interpretations of leadership may differ from the macro-level understanding about an organisation’s higher-level leaders. By using discourse analysis, the local meanings can be distinguished from the global interpretations of phenomena (Alvesson & Kärreman, 2000; Schmidt, 2008). Further, at a time of pressure arising from neo-liberal governance, it is crucial to notice the impact of global financial and marketing policies for leadership in education (Moos, 2017). We used discourse analysis to trace the contextual meanings from the interviews, to identify the differences in the meaning-making of the leadership, and to find the contradictions in them that could be detrimental to the organisation’s operations. Ethical Considerations At the University of Helsinki, in which this research was conducted, researchers follow the ethical principles of research in the humanities and social and behavioural sciences issued by the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity (TENK; http://www.tenk.fi/en). A statement of the ethics of a research design must be requested from the University of Helsinki’s ethical review board if a study features any of the following items specified by the TENK: participants under the age of 15; exposure of participants to exceptionally strong stimuli; or research involving a risk of causing mental harm or involving a threat to the safety of participants or researchers or their family members or others closest to them. Our research did not include any of these items. In this study, we have followed the process of informed consent. All the ECEC leader groups we interviewed were provided with information concerning their rights as research participants (e.g. the right to withdraw). The data have been pseudonymised, and all names (i.e. people, workplaces, cities) have been replaced with artificial identifiers. Leaders’ voices are included in the findings by adding quotations, 16 Global Perspectives on Leadership in Early Childhood Education and individual leaders are referred to by using their individual number (e.g. L3) in a certain focus group (e.g. FG2). Findings Leadership Discourse through Pedagogical Lenses ECEC leaders defined pedagogical leadership as ‘looking at leadership through pedagogical lenses’. Leaders considered pedagogical reflection on daily decisions and actions to be more important than the implementation of official regulations in employees’ activities. Furthermore, they appreciated their own presence in the centres and daily observation of pedagogical practices. Because of the child-centred nature of ECEC, leaders perceived pedagogy as the core task of their work. It [pedagogical leadership] is the most important, including all dimensions of ECEC leadership. It is there when you recruit staff and build up the working teams. It is how you talk about matters and what you focus on in your leadership. It is embedded everywhere: the ECEC goals, centre structures, the discussions with the staff. (FG4, L1) Mutual vision was seen as crucial for pedagogical leadership. Pedagogy was described as a ‘common thread’ for the ECEC leader and the ECEC teams being led by teachers. Pedagogy was also seen as one way to guarantee the quality of ECEC. Leaders also pointed out that pedagogy covered only one part of their duties and that there was not enough time for pedagogical leadership, which is a well-recognised problem in the field (Hujala & Eskelinen, 2013). Moreover, leaders were concerned about how the Finnish Act on Early Childhood Education and Care (2018) shapes pedagogical leadership and about what changes the field will encounter in the near future. Let us consider that regulations [concerning the qualification requirements for ECEC staff] come into full effect in 2030. I am very excited about the time before this: how changes in the staff structure will appear, how it is going to affect the ECEC leadership and how I’ll manage to go through all this in my own ECEC centre. (FG2, L1) Questions and uncertainty arose as a result of the need for pedagogical competence and knowledge. Pedagogical knowledge was pivotal, but Finnish Early Childhood Education and Care Leaders’ Conceptualisations… 17 at the same time the ECEC field suffered from a lack of qualified ECEC teachers. Having high-quality ECEC was seen to be based on teachers’ pedagogical competence, as ECEC pedagogy is the core know-how of professional teachers. This caused hardship, especially in the recruitment process for ECEC teachers and in leaders’ ability to share leadership and to lead the centre’s pedagogics. This first discourse constituted the basis of the strong pedagogical view behind leadership. It resonates with earlier research (Fonsén, 2014; Lahtero & Kuusilehto-Awale, 2015) that defined pedagogical view and competence form the foundation of leadership. Pedagogical Leadership as a Means for Interpreting the ECEC Core Curriculum ECEC leaders stated that the curriculum facilitates pedagogical leadership and provides the basis for justifying leadership and leaders’ decisions. The leaders considered themselves as pathfinders and role models in relation to the implementation of the ECEC curriculum. They also stated that leading the curriculum required the ability to inspire and motivate employees with a positive attitude. The main work [is leading the curriculum]. The curriculum forms the basis for the leadership and our main duty is to lead the employees to realise the curriculum in their work. (FG1, L1) ECEC leaders implied that the curriculum has provided a solid value base for pedagogical work and leadership in ECEC. The most important value was the children’s overall well-being. Leader FG4, L1 narrated that every decision in her work should be based on child welfare and ECEC quality. Other significant values were equality, diversity, and a high-quality learning environment. The staff turnover rate was seen as problematic from the perspective of leading the curriculum. When new employees entered, the curriculum work started all over again. Leaders said that leading the ECEC curriculum required ongoing daily discourse in the work community, not just in pedagogical meetings or during the community’s in-service training. The high staff turnover rate is a challenge. A person might not work longer than six months as a team member. We have to take the curricu- 18 Global Perspectives on Leadership in Early Childhood Education lum work very slowly in order to become familiar with the curriculum. From a leader this requires continuous daily pedagogical discussion. (FG5, L3) The ECEC curriculum requires pedagogical thinking from leaders and teachers, as it changes the roles of leader, teacher, and ECEC nurse. In these discourses, leaders expressed relief, as the idea of ‘everyone does everything’, irrespective of education and competence, was no longer recognised. Leaders argued that the curriculum had to be both the tool and the ECEC core to diminish the homogeneity of the pedagogical work and affect employee participation positively. This second discourse arises from the understanding about the meaning of curriculum as a basis for pedagogy. The ECEC National Core Curriculum was seen as the main tool guiding pedagogical leadership and the leader was seen as being responsible for interpreting the curriculum for the work community. Leaders can justify their decisions with arguments based on the curriculum. Therefore, leaders need to have a background in the study of educational sciences, as that background forms the foundation for the extensive professional knowledge required in leading pedagogical practice and provides the ability to think critically about pedagogy and to interpret curriculum (see Autio et al., 2017). Implementing ECEC Curriculum Through Distributed Pedagogical Leadership Distributed leadership practices were often mentioned as necessary tools for ECEC curriculum implementation, and leaders emphasised the role of ECEC teachers as executors of the curriculum at the level of pedagogical practice. Leaders also indicated the importance of being a role model. Discussions and pedagogical modelling were important when implementing the curriculum at the level of the ECEC centre. Planning, scheduling, and overall orderliness were at the core of the strategically led curriculum. 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