Forskningstrender i norske doktorgradsavhandlinger innen barnehagefeltet: en litteraturgjennomgang fra 2012 til 2022

Abstract

Doctoral theses are central research contributions that can develop new and improved knowledge for the field of early childhood education and care (ECEC). Hence, this literature review aims to get an overview of trends in ECEC research. More precisely, we have investigated which research themes have been prioritized and which methodological approaches have been used in doctoral theses in Norway. We searched Cristin for doctoral dissertations, supplemented by Google searches and the snowball method. The final selection consisted of 109 theses. The results showed that qualitative design was used in 78 of the theses, with observation and interview as typical data collection methods. A quantitative design was used in 17 theses and a multi-method design in 14. The participants were most often ECEC teachers (88) and/or ECEC children (77). Most of the doctoral students (96) were female. Around half (59) of the doctoral students themselves had ECEC teacher training (bachelor’s degree), which suggests that much of the dissertation work has an inside perspective. We identified 13 themes across the included thesis, where 'subject areas from the framework plan as research focus', 'general professional practice', and 'inclusion, diversity, and special needs education' were the most frequently investigated, while the themes 'scientific methods' and ‘ECEC teacher training' were the least investigated. Overall, the literature review shows the thematic breadth of the doctoral theses during this decade. Between nine and 11 theses have been approved annually during the period, most of which were article-based and written in Norwegian. There is a call for increased method variation and more studies where the youngest children, parents, and/or managers are included as participants in the research.