Swedish Early Childhood Preservice Teachers and Inclusive Education

Abstract

Inclusive education is an important foundation of Nordic society. It is considered a key pillar in the ‘education for all’ policy and has become an important foundation for shaping pedagogy and practice. This chapter shows how inclusive education is taught and enacted in Swedish early childhood teacher education. A specific focus lies on local legislation documents as a precursor for actions. A case study is shared from a study of Swedish early childhood preservice teachers’ beliefs to include all children in Swedish classrooms to show current understanding of these practices. Consideration is also given to raising concerns of segregation in Swedish education in terms of socioeconomic status, immigrant background and special education. The rapidly changing profile of society in Sweden requires that the teacher education sector be reformed to prepare educators who are competent in including all learners. The key points for consideration for future teacher education policy and practice are given.