The development of preschool teachers’ leadership in relation to a clarified responsibility for teaching
A new institutionalisation in preschool
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21718586 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Anna Öqvist (0000-0002-2732-107X, Luleå University of Technology, corresponding author), Sara Cervantes (0000-0002-6311-4959, Luleå University of Technology) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-02 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1463-9491 • E-ISSN: 1463-9491 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/14639491261450287 |
| OpenAlex | W7163422309 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 25 |
Since 2010, educational reforms in Sweden have introduced teaching in preschool as a new concept and clarified preschool teachers’ responsibility for leading teaching, alongside principals’ responsibility for creating enabling conditions for it. Despite this policy clarification, how leadership is interpreted and enacted in everyday preschool practice remains a complex and evolving issue. The article analyses how preschool teachers’ leadership develops in relation to this responsibility and how it contributes to the new institutionalisation of preschool as an educational institution. Drawing on new institutionalism and interviews with six preschool teachers, the findings show that preschool teachers’ leadership develops through systematic reflection, both individually and within professional networks. The results indicate movement from patterns associated with pre-institutionalisation towards semi-institutionalisation, where leadership becomes increasingly articulated and begins to gain legitimacy in everyday practice. These dynamics are visible in two domains: leadership in relation to children and leadership in relation to the work team. The study contributes to research on preschool teacher leadership in early childhood education by showing how leadership responsibilities introduced through policy become articulated and legitimised in everyday preschool practice
Early childhood · Early childhood education · Educational leadership · Institutionalisation · Legitimacy · Preschool education · Shared leadership · Early Childhood Education and Development · Innovative Education and Learning Practices · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies
What passes as a rigorous case study?
Principals in Preschool Management and Leadership
Planning, assessment, and development time through the lens of teacher leadership – Perceptions of Finnish early childhood education teachers
Pedagogical leadership and children’s well-being in Finnish early education
Understanding preschool teachers’ pedagogical leadership through individual and collective reflection
Preschool teachers and caregivers’ lack of repositioning in response to changed responsibilities in policy documents
Formative interventions in leadership development in early childhood education
The Role of Institutionalization in Cultural Persistence
Three Approaches to Qualitative Content Analysis
Institutionalized Organizations
| Highly cited | No |
|---|