Pedagogy, policy and preschool: A discourse analysis of early literacy in the field of preschool teacher education in Denmark

The aim of this study is to conduct a discourse analysis on how global, national and local policy documents influence preschool teacher education and the practical pedagogical work in preschools. The study is part of a larger Nordic research study (Gjems, Vatne, Schrøder and Kornerup). Previous studies of preschool teacher education (Vatne, Gjems 2014) shows that professionalknowledge vary according to the consolidation act of education and that there seems to be connections between both global and national policy and the educational field (Kornerup, 2011). The discourse analysis is an integrated part of the larger study, due to the methodological approach (Fairclough 1992). Discourse is theoretically understood as three dimensional and will be analysed as text, discursive and social practice. The analysis will draw upon quantitative data (questionnaires conducted as part of the larger study) and qualitative data, conducted as text analysis of global and national policy documents combinedwith observations in the field of education & practice and interviews with professionals. The purpose of observations and interviews is to investigate the discursive and social pedagogical practice. The observations and interviews will be anonymous. We also secure permission for conducting observations in practice. Politically there has been an insistent global attention on monitoring equality in ECEC (OECD 2001, 2015). Specifically the focus on language and literacy has been a strong component of the implementation of the learning curriculum in Danish preschools. This focus has affected both preschools and education. During this century, the preschool teacher education has been revised three times.