Conference Agenda

As European societies become increasingly diverse and democracy faces growing pressure, early childhood classrooms play a crucial role in fostering inclusion and equal opportunities. Creating learning environments where children from different origins, national backgrounds, socio-economic contexts, genders, and abilities feel valued is essential for supporting their development and participation. Unacknowledged biases among educational professionals can negatively affect inclusion and diversity in education and may lead to creating a hostile learning environment in which children from certain groups are marginalized and deprived of equal learning opportunities, and stereotypes and prejudices are reinforced. Studies across Europe found, for example, that prejudiced teacher attitudes enlarge the achievement gap between ethnic minority and majority pupils (Costa et al., 2021); that educators’ biases can decrease their attention towards children with lower language skills or lower socio-economic status (Albers et al., 2013; Duthois et al., 2026) or children with special needs (Schell et al., 2025). While there is a consensus that greater inclusion and diversity in classrooms cannot be achieved without qualified teachers equipped with anti-bias competences, multiple studies have shown that practitioners often feel insufficiently prepared to teach in diverse contexts and require further professionalization (OECD, 2025).

These considerations have informed an ongoing research and development project, 'Anti-Bias Education for Early Childhood Teachers: Learning Through Video Coaching' (ABC4T), which will be the focus of this symposium. Conducted by researchers from Belgium, Norway, Poland, Austria and Spain within the Erasmus+ framework, the project aims to contribute to the strengthening of early childhood educators' anti-bias competences by constructing a professional development program (PDP) based on video coaching. The procedure employed is the Educational Design Research (McKenney & Reeves, 2012), comprising three phases: analysis, design and evaluation. Video coaching is a professional development approach in which educators record teaching episodes and engage in sustained, video-based one-to-one or group discussions under the guidance of a coach (van der Linden & McKenney, 2020). This procedure is promising in deepening early childhood educators' understanding of their own implicit beliefs and daily practices, thereby supporting learning about diversity and inclusion (Migliarini et al., 2019).

The objective of this symposium is to share and discuss the project's insights and preliminary results. The symposium comprises six papers divided into two sessions, guided by the following research questions:

• What are the needs of early childhood educators in Austria, Belgium, Norway, Poland and Spain in the field of anti-bias education? (Session 1),
• How can video coaching be employed in a professional development program to support educators’ anti-bias competences? (Session 2).

The three papers in the first session focus on the findings from the initial phase of the PDP project, in which the needs of early childhood educators regarding anti-bias education were assessed through quantitative (Paper 1) and qualitative (Papers 2 and 3) research with educators and student teachers in the five participating countries. The second session concerns the PDP design process, with a specific focus on video coaching as an approach to supporting teachers’ professional learning. The first paper discusses the findings from a scoping review of literature on video-based guidance in early childhood education. The remaining papers concentrate on the process of developing the PDP. Paper 2 discusses the results of a pilot of a video coaching program conducted in Belgium, while Paper 3 presents the development process and the preliminary version of a PDP constructed in the framework of the present international project in Belgium, Norway and Poland. Taken together, these papers offer a comprehensive overview of a novel approach to supporting educators in developing competences necessary for working in diverse classrooms, in the interest of social justice in early childhood education.

In this part of the symposium, we will present the quantitative analysis of the survey data collected for the Erasmus+ project 'Anti-Bias Education for Early Childhood Teachers: Learning Through Video Coaching' (ABC4T). The survey included early childhood educators, teacher assistants, school leaders, students of ECE university programs, and other professionals from five countries: Austria, Belgium (Flanders), Norway, Poland, and Spain. The aim of the survey was to explore how early childhood educators work with and understand diversity in classrooms, and how they assess their practice in relation to anti-bias education. In particular, we asked the respondents about what needs they have regarding: (1) knowledge development in key diversity-related subjects (e.g., cultural, religious, gender, (dis)ability, neurodiversity); (2) practical issues, such as the use of inclusive language, teaching children to recognize and respond to unfairness and to value diversity, as well as discussing diversity and bias with parents and colleagues; (3) educational, social and policy resources that would help them organize conversations or activities about diversity and anti-discrimination in ECE. The survey draws on conceptual frameworks (e.g., Derman-Sparks et al., 2020; Gawlicz et al., 2015) that inform our approach as an international team, and is in keeping with previous research on educators’ needs in this field (Banko Bal & Akman, 2024; Moses, 2024). Our presentation will highlight the results by country and by selected characteristics of respondents. We will also discuss methodological issues that we encountered during the study design and data collection phases, such as linguistic and conceptual aspects (cultural adaptation of the instrument) across the participating countries. Moreover, since the study is intended as applied research, we will also link the results to the overall practical objectives of the ABC4T project, namely, the design of the professional development program. Overall, in most countries, only about one-fifth of respondents indicated having received professionalization related to diversity and anti-discrimination (Norway being an exception, with two-thirds indicating so). The vast majority in each country were interested in learning more about this field. Cultural diversity was among the top three most frequently selected topics of interest in all countries, alongside diversity in (dis)abilities or neurodiversity, linguistic or religious diversity, and diversity in family compositions. On more specific and practical matters, apart from the need for concrete teaching materials, the respondents showed a particular interest in learning how to discuss diversity with children, teach them skills to value diversity, and recognize and respond to unfairness.

Banko Bal, Ç., & Akman, B. (2024). The impacts of culture and diversity considering anti-bias education: preschool teachers’ views and needs. International Journal of Early Years Education, 33(3), 610–628. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669760.2024.2414995 Derman-Sparks, L., Olsen Edwards, J., & C. M. Goins. (2020). Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. National Association for the Education of Young Children. Gawlicz, K., Rudnicki, P., & M. Starnawski (eds.). (2015). Dyskryminacja w szkole – obecność nieusprawiedliwiona. O budowaniu edukacji antydyskryminacyjnej w systemie edukacji formalnej w Polsce [Discrimination at school – unexcused presence: on building anti-discrimination education in the system of formal education in Poland]. Towarzystwo Edukacji Antydyskryminacyjnej. Moses, J. (2024). Better Together: Expanding Ideas of Anti-Bias Education Through Early Childhood Educator Professional Development [Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1720385886635321

This presentation focuses on the results of a qualitative study of the experiences and needs of early childhood educators regarding diversity and anti-bias education in Belgium, Norway and Poland. The study was conducted as part of the first phase of the process of designing a professional development program (PDP) in the ABC4T project. In line with Educational Design Research principles (McKenney & Reeves, 2012), we began the process by exploring educators’ existing practices, perceived needs, challenges, and questions related to diversity and inclusion. Individual interviews were conducted with 30 educators, varying in age, work experience, and ethnic/national origin. The interviews followed a structured guide shared across the participating countries to ensure consistency. They were recorded with participants' consent, transcribed, anonymized, and translated into English. To increase reliability, two researchers in each country conducted a thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022). In the presentation, we will discuss the results of the comparative analysis of the interview data and demonstrate their application for the subsequent phases of the PDP development. Although early childhood educators in all participating countries have experience working in diverse settings, they often feel insecure and uncertain about how to carry out anti-bias work. In line with prior research (e.g., Daniel & Escayg, 2019; Van Lombergen et al., 2022), early childhood educators face dilemmas regarding how to address diversity, including whether such topics should be discussed explicitly with young children or approached more implicitly to avoid unintentionally stigmatizing certain individuals, and whether to take a proactive or reactive approach in guiding such conversations. Moreover, while educators stress the importance of parental engagement, they struggle to connect with parents from different cultural backgrounds. Across participating countries, educators lack both “general diversity knowledge” and “diversity pedagogical knowledge” (Dursun et al., 2021). There are some significant differences related to political, cultural and societal specificities among the three countries concerning the attention paid to specific areas of diversity and anti-bias practice. For instance, in Belgium, there has recently been greater focus on multilingualism; in Poland and Sweden, neurodiversity attracts significant attention among educators; and gender expression emerges more prominently in the narratives of Belgian and Norwegian educators than in those of Polish educators. While there are many similarities in educators’ needs across the participating countries, the differences identified pose challenges for designing a shared professional development program. In the presentation, we will reflect on possible ways to address these challenges.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. SAGE. Daniel, B. J. J., & Escayg, K. A. (2019). But, I don’t believe it’s about race’: Challenging fallacies of race and racism amongst early childhood educators in Ontario. Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education, 4(2), 14. Dursun, H., Claes, E., & Agirdag, O. (2021). Diversity pedagogical content knowledge: A new conceptual framework and assessment across different teacher education programmes. Multicultural Education Review, 13(4), 303–322. McKenney & Reeves, (2012). Conducting educational design research. Routledge. Van Lombergen, L., Devlieghere, J., Vanrobaeys, H., Roets, G., & Van Houtte, M. (2025). Preschool teachers’ beliefs and perspectives on gender in education: a qualitative study in Flanders. Gender and Education, 37(2), 244-260.

In this part of the symposium, we present research that employs discourse analysis (Foucault, 1972; Hammer, 2017) to explore the perspectives of ten Norwegian kindergarten teachers on anti-bias and diversity. The interviews reveal that competing discourses influence everyday life in kindergarten, at times creating tension and insecurity. These discourses enter kindergarten through the perspectives and practices of staff, parents and children. When it comes to gender, these competing discourses are visible in kindergarten practice and in the institution’s cooperation with parents, as seen elsewhere (Adriany, 2019). Many teachers express a professional stance aligned with the Norwegian Framework Plan for Kindergartens (Rammeplanen). Some parents, however, draw on a competing discourse rooted in a binary understanding of gender and traditional gender roles (Ekström, 2014; Jones & Aubrey, 2019). Interviews also show that such tensions are not limited to interactions with parents: competing discourses may arise among teachers. Some teachers navigate an internal tension as they shift between their own personal beliefs and the professional expectations articulated in the Framework Plan. Competing discourses also emerge around questions of cultural identity. The Framework Plan for Kindergartens states that teachers should respect diversity and support children in strengthening their identities by acknowledging their cultural heritage. Interestingly, the teachers report that many minority parents do not want kindergarten to focus on their child’s native language or cultural background. Their stance may be shaped by an assimilation discourse, in which learning Norwegian and “becoming Norwegian” are valued more than maintaining their language and identity (Lund, 2024). Teachers expressed uncertainty about culture, language and religion, fearing they might act inappropriately. These hesitations can be read discursively: teachers navigating an inclusion discourse promoted by the Framework Plan and an assimilation discourse voiced by some parents, alongside a professionalism as neutrality discourse. The resulting, often conflicting norms narrow what feels sayable and safe, producing uncertainty and avoidance. Racism emerged as the most avoided subject. We argue that this reluctance can be partly understood through the influence of “color evasiveness,” “egalitarian,” and “developmentalist” discourses. Within these discourses, acknowledging racism threatens the institution's and teachers' positive self-image (Loukola, 2023). Moreover, because developmentalism positions children as innocent, recognizing racism directly challenges dominant assumptions about childhood. The “professionality as neutrality” discourse further reinforces this avoidance: raising the topic introduces tension, obliges teachers and the institution to act, and risks offending parents or being perceived as taking a political stance.

Adriany, V. (2019). Being a princess: young children & negotiation of femininities in a Kindergarten classroom in Indonesia. Gender and Education, 31(6), 724-741 Belseth, K. (2021). «Han har ikke språk, han» – et fanoniansk perspektiv på flerspråklige barns posisjon i barnehagen Norsk pedagogisk tidsskrift, 105(1), 55-69 Edström, C. (2014). Pedagogues’ Constructions of Gender Equality in Selected Swedish Preschools: A qualitative study, Education Inquiry, 5:4, 24618 Foucault, M. (1972). The archaeology of knowledge (A. M. Sheridan Smith, Trans.). Pantheon Books. Hammer, S. (2017). Foucault og den norske barnehagen - introduksjon til Michel Foucaults analytiske univers. Fagbokforlaget Jones, C., Aubrey, C. (2019). How gender is constructed and experienced in the social world of the nursery school, International Journal of Early Years Education, 27(2), 153-169 Kunnskapsdepartementet. (2017). Rammeplan for barnehagen: Forskrift om rammeplan for barnehagens innhold og oppgaver [Framework Plan for Kindergartens]. Udir. https://www.udir.no/globalassets/files/barnehage/rammeplan/rammeplan-for-barnehagen-bokmal2017.pdf Loukola, S. (2023). "Not in Our Daycare"? Commitments and Obstacles to Antiracism in Finnish ECEC Early Childhood Education Journal Lund, H. H. (2024). "We try to give a good life to the children"-refugee parents and ECE professionals experiences of the early childhood education partnership in Norway Frontiers in Education, 9