Registration
Participation in the seminar is open to all interested participants, subject to registration. PhD candidates who wish to take the PhD course (1 ECTS) register via the same form.
Registration closes April 10.
Tentative program
- 9.00-9.15 Welcome and introduction
- 9.15-10.15 Lecture by Professor Franziska Egert: Supporting Language Learning in ECEC – Challenges and Perspectives
- 10.15-10.30 Questions and discussion
- 10:30-10:45 BREAK
- 10.45-11.45 Lecture by Professor Pauline Slot: Quality and inclusiveness in ECEC - optimizing the organizational and classroom context
- 11.45-12.00 Questions and discussion
- 12:00-12:45 LUNCH
- 12.45-13.15 Presentation from Elise Øksendal, Postdoctoral Fellow, Oslo Early Education Study (Språksterk): Changes in Teacher–Child Classroom Talk Following a Two Year Multicomponent Professional Development Intervention
- 13.20-16.00 Workshop: PhD presentations with feedback and discussion:
- Ingvild Aas Grove (Universitetet i Oslo): Leadership Matters: Linking Implementation Leadership to ECEC Teachers’ Use of Classroom Observation in Professional Development
- Kari Mæland Strømsøe (Dronning Mauds Minne Høgskole for barnehagelærerutdanning): Special Education at a Distance? Preschool Directors’ Assessments of Quality with a Focus on Competence, Resources, and Flexibility in the Organization of Special-Education Work
- Mariken H. Weisser (UiT Norges arktiske universitet): Norwegian and Multilingualism in Kindergarten – what about English
- Sviatlana Kharkevich (OsloMet): Directors’ Perceptions of Staff Multilingual Competence in Norwegian Kindergartens: Contributions and Obstacles
Overview
This one-day event brings together an open seminar and an accredited PhD course on early childhood education and care (ECEC). It is aimed at researchers, practitioners and policymakers, with a particular focus on quality, inclusion, professional development, and language in ECEC.
The morning offers plenary lectures by invited international experts, Professor Franziska Egert (Catholic University of Applied Sciences Munich) and Professor Pauline Slot (Utrecht University), followed by discussion. In the afternoon, the focus shifts towards ongoing research in Norway through a presentation from Oslo Early Education Study (Språksterk), and a research workshop primarily aimed at PhD candidates, where participants present and discuss ongoing or planned research projects.
PhD candidates who participate in the full day and either give a presentation in the workshop or submit a short paper can have their participation accredited as a PhD course (1 ECTS).
The event is organized by the research group DEAL (Development, Equity and Literacy in learning contexts) and the Department of Education, Faculty of Educational Sciences, and is coordinated by Associate Professor Siri Steffensen Bratlie and Professor Veslemøy Rydland.
Target groups
Morning (open seminar): Researchers, PhD candidates, master’s students, practitioners, and policymakers with an interest in ECEC quality, inclusion, language and multilingualism, and professional development.
Afternoon (PhD course workshop): PhD candidates in education, special needs education, early childhood education, or related fields. Other participants are welcome to attend the workshop as audience members.
Content
Early childhood education and care (ECEC) is a central arena for addressing social inequality, inclusion, and children’s well-being and learning. At the same time, the field is characterized by diverse institutional contexts, professional traditions, and policy expectations. Questions of what counts as high-quality ECEC, how inclusion is understood and practiced, and how professional development is designed and evaluated are therefore both empirically and normatively complex. Research in ECEC must navigate methodological challenges, heterogeneous knowledge bases, and tensions between evidence-based approaches, local practices, and professional judgement.
The aim of the seminar and PhD course is to provide theoretical and methodological perspectives on ECEC quality, inclusion, and professional development in ECEC. The event will focus on how ECEC quality and inclusive practices can be conceptualized, studied, and supported. Central themes include the design and evaluation of professional development, the role of language and multilingualism in inclusive ECEC, collaboration with parents, and the use of empirical and evidence-based approaches (including systematic reviews and meta-analyses) in developing the field. The seminar will invite participants to critically discuss how different research designs, quality frameworks, and professional development models shape the knowledge base and future directions of ECEC.
PhD course
Learning outcome
Participating PhD students will develop their understanding through lectures, workshops focusing on questions and discussion, and by using course resources (lectures and literature) for paper writing or in their presentations, as well as in commenting on their peers’ presentations.
After completing the course, PhD candidates are expected to be able to:
- Critically discuss different conceptualizations of ECEC quality, inclusion, and professional development.
- Relate their own research projects to current international research on ECEC quality and professional development.
- Reflect on methodological approaches, including the use of systematic reviews and meta-analyses, in building knowledge in ECEC.
Admission
This course has been developed for PhD candidates affiliated with the Faculty of Educational Sciences (UV), but other PhD candidates are also welcome to participate. Participation in the PhD course requires registration via the same form as the seminar (see “Registration” above).
Teaching format
Morning – open seminar
A half-day open seminar with plenary lectures from two internationally leading researchers in the field, followed by questions and discussion.
Afternoon –workshop
A presentation from the Oslo Early Education Study (Språksterk), followed by a research workshop with presentations from PhD candidates and feedback and discussions involving PhD candidates, the invited speakers, DEAL researchers, and other participants.
Required pre-readings
For PhD candidates and other participants who wish to prepare in depth.
Egert, F., Cordes, A. K., & Hartig, F. (2022). Can e-books foster child language? Meta-analysis on the effectiveness of e-book interventions in early childhood education and care. Educational Research Review, 37, 100472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2022.100472
Egert, F., Dederer, V., & Fukkink, R. G. (2020). The impact of in-service professional development on the quality of teacher-child interactions in early education and care: A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 29, 100309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2019.100309
Egert, F., Fukkink, R. G., & Eckhardt, A. G. (2018). Impact of in-service professional development programs for early childhood teachers on quality ratings and child outcomes: A meta-analysis. Review of educational research, 88(3), 401-433. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654317751918
Slot, P. L., & Bleses, D. (2018). Individual children's interactions with teachers, peers, and tasks: The applicability of the inCLASS Pre-K in Danish preschools. Learning and individual differences, 61, 68-76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2017.11.003
Slot, P. L., Bleses, D., Justice, L. M., Markussen-Brown, J., & Højen, A. (2018). Structural and process quality of Danish preschools: Direct and indirect associations with children’s growth in language and preliteracy skills. Early Education and Development, 29(4), 581-602. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2018.1452494
Slot, P. L., Penderi, E., Norheim, H., Pagani, V., Wyslowska, O., & Bulkowski, K. (2025). Teacher–parent relationships: what contextual and teacher characteristics contribute to relationships with parents of diverse backgrounds? European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2025.2543918
Slot, P. L., Willemsen, M. M., Bleses, D., & Downer, J. (2023). Individual toddlers' interactions with teachers, peers, and the classroom environment in Danish and Dutch childcare: First validation of the inCLASS Toddler. Learning and Individual Differences, 107, 102347. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2023.102347
Examination
Approved participation and either a plenary presentation or a short paper: 1 ECTS.
PhD candidates can choose between
Presentation
Presentations take place in the second half of the one-day course, after lunch. Each presentation is allocated 30 minutes in total: 15 minutes for the presentation and 15 minutes for discussion.
Paper
Alternatively, a short paper (approx. 1500 words) should be submitted within one week after the course.
For both forms of examination, PhD candidates should discuss problems or topics from their own (planned or ongoing) research in light of the course literature, including at least two of the assigned articles.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale.
Invited speakers
Prof. Dr. Franziska Egert
Professor Franziska Egert from the Catholic University of Applied Sciences Munich (KSH Munich) is a leading scholar with expertise in early childhood pedagogy, language development and support (including multilingualism), digital media, professional development, as well as evidence-based practices, meta-analyses and systematic reviews. Read more about Prof. Dr. Franziska Egert.
Prof. Dr. Pauline Slot
Professor Pauline Slot from Utrecht University is a leading scholar with expertise in ECEC structural and process quality, child development, professional development, cultural and linguistic diversity, and cross-national studies. Read more about Prof. Dr. Pauline Slot.
Teachers/course coordinators
Siri Steffensen Bratlie and Veslemøy Rydland
Contact
If you have questions about the seminar / PhD course, please contact Siri S. Bratlie.