teacher education denmark

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International

Explore. Exchange. Experience. Bring the world home

• Teacher Education

Challenge yourself and shift your expectations

• 01 Introduction
• 02 What will you learn?
• 03 Admission
• 05 Study environment
• 06 Language
• 07 Become a student for a day
• 08 Contact us

Introduction

We invite you to Denmark to accomplish an international BA in Education in a wide variety of subjects.

Combine your study with unforgettable cultural experiences:

• meet new friends from all over the world
• learn new languages to broaden your career opportunities
• gain independence and confidence while living away from home
• challenge yourself and shift expectations of what you are able to achieve!

Open International counselling via zoom

We invite you to open online counselling It is important that you participate from the start, as there will be a joint presentation.

If you have any log-in problems, you can send an email to [email protected]

• 23 April 2.30-4.00 PM
• 12 June 2.30-4.00 PM
• 25 June 2.30-4.00 PM
• 7th August 2.30-4.00 PM

Click here to attend a meeting (opens a Zoom meeting)

Why Denmark?

If you are still considering whether you should choose Denmark as the country of your international study experience, we would advise you to research on the Danish Educational System and consider the following statements:

• Our qualifications are recognized all over the world
• We concentrate on your unique personality and talents
• We promote creativity and innovation 
• We provide a fair balance between theory and practical experience
• You are safe here (Denmark is the safest country in Europe)

Four students experiences of Denmark

International student

Meet Melina: ‘Living abroad has made me realise I am more German than I thought I was’

Meet Marcus: ‘I feel happier than I have been in a very long time’

Meet Priya: ‘I can’t help but ask myself, “why do I deserve a better life than the schoolchildren I left behind in India?”’

Meet Flóra: ‘When my Slovak friends told me about life in Denmark, I didn’t believe them’

What will you learn?

Structure and curriculum.

If you would like some more general information about the Bachelor of Education programme, please check here .

For our specific programme, there will be a specially designed syllabus for the incoming international students. Here is an overview of the structure. 

Bachelor of Education is a four-year program, which qualifies you to be a teacher of primary and lower secondary levels in Denmark (see facts on Danish educational system) in three subjects of your choice. This program is a mixture of theoretical instruction and educational studies combined with the practical experience of teaching.

During your first year you are taught to become an English teacher. You will be integrated in a class of Danish students.

You may have heard of former students who had German as their first subject. There have been new rules, and from August 2023 you must start with English. You can then choose German as your second or third subject.

You will also be studying subjects in psychology and education taught in English, as well as participating in the first period of teaching practice at a school.  During the first year, you will receive intensive training in the Danish language at the local language center, planned in cooperation with the college (read more about language). As a student at this international teacher education, you must live in Denmark. For all living in Denmark, you have free Danish Lessons at the local language center. UC SYD will pay the deposit for you at the Haderslev Language center. Living in Denmark supports your learning of the Danish language. In addition, it is free for you to study Danish. However, you must have lived in Denmark for a maximum of two years before starting the teacher training course if you are not good at Danish.

From the second year and onwards you will follow most of the curriculum in Danish; however, you will still have English as a teaching subject at second year. Furthermore, you are to choose two more subjects as your teaching subjects: science, physics/chemistry, geography, biology, German, art, music, home economics, sports (PE), history, social science, religion (RE). (Read more about the Structure and Curriculum).

The academic year runs from Mid-August to January (autumn semester) and from Mid-January to Mid-June (spring semester). Exams take place in June and January.

Teacher education in Haderslev has a strong profile in using new technologies in teaching and learning, thus, for example, the use of interactive boards, blended learning. One of the characteristics for the Danish way of teaching and learning is a friendly and informal atmosphere, which is highly appreciated by our international students. The syllabus is a mixture of lectures, group work, student presentations, and project-oriented learning. Read more here.

Florence and Julia interned at Starup School

Florence from Kenya and Julia from Finland interned at Starup School

Post-graduation opportunities

After graduating the Danish Bachelor of Education, you have a great variety of job possibilities. First of all, you are fully prepared to be a teacher in Danish primary and lower secondary schools: public, private and international. Moreover, as a native language speaker you have even better chances to get employed as a foreign language teacher compared to Danish students.

A Danish Bachelor of Education Degree is fully recognized and accepted in Europe and all over the world. However, you might need to take some additional courses or practical lessons connected with teacher education, according to the requirements of the country in question. In case you are not planning to work straight after graduation, you can apply for Master's Degree based on your Bachelor of Education at Universities in Denmark or other countries.

No matter what you choose to do after graduation, you can be sure you are well prepared for a future full of new horizons and opportunities!

Admission requirements

The admission requirements for international students can include one of the following certificates:

• The European Baccalaureate (EB)
• The International Baccalaureate (IB)
• Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife (Abitur)
• The Option Internationale du Baccalauréat (OIB)
• Baccalauréat Français International (BFI)
• Another foreign qualifying examination certificate that can be equated with a Danish upper secondary school leaving certificate.

You are also welcome to apply if you are in the final year at secondary school.

To see if your qualifications fulfill the requirements for Higher Education programmes in Denmark, please check the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Higher Education .

In addition to these high school requirements, you must also

• Take up residence in Denmark

Specific requirements

Applicants applying for the International Teacher Education Programme must have an average mark of 7,0 according to the Danish grading scale. 

If the average mark is below 7,0, or if you come from a high school not recognized by us, you will have to participate in an online admission interview. Furthermore, if you are just finishing your upper-secondary school in June and do not have the final results yet, you will also have to participate in an online admission interview.

The purpose of the admission interview is an individual screening of your suitability for study in relation to both academics and profession. 

When we have assessed your application, you will receive more information on how to book an online admission interview on nemStudie.dk.

Just for information, you also have to attend a guidance interview in addition to the admission interview

English language requirements:

The International Teacher Education Programme is taught in English the first year, therefore it is required for applicants to submit proof of English proficiency equivalent at least to English B level in Denmark to enter the program.

We need your school leaving certificate with a specialization document of English or certificates in one of the following English tests:

• ets.org : minimum score 83
• coe.int : minimum score B2 (for students studying to become English teacher)
• ielts.org : minimum score 6,5

If you haven´t completed one of the above tests, you must submit a verification form from your school. The verification form must show how many English lessons you have or will completed during the final three years of your high school.

You can use the following verification form if your school doesn’t provide one.

• Verification form

1) Login to www.optagelse.dk (open from February 1st) and apply under the red arrow “Søg videregående uddannelse” (apply for higher education). Remember to upload all your documents.

You can read a guide here .

2) Send your signature page no later than 15 March at 12:00 noon to [email protected]  

3) Upload a brief letter of motivation for applying to become a teacher in Denmark and your CV to your application.

If you have any questions you can write an e-mail to [email protected] or [email protected]  

Facing an online admission interview?

If your average grades are under 7, or if you do not know your final average grades yet, you will have to attend an online admission interview. You might think that sounds a bit scary. But an entrance interview is not an exam. It’s an interview and a discussion in which you can tell us why you want to apply for teacher training.

Most interviewees (over 90%) are offered a place after attending an admission interview, which means there is every good chance of you being accepted.

You will be issued a case for the first part of the interview and an article for the second part. You will attend two different interview rounds, each lasting 15 minutes, plus preparation time.

One interview will focus on your personal motivation for applying to teacher training and for wanting to become a teacher. It will be based on a case with dilemmas that common in the work of a teacher. These can be a conflict from the playground, or a situation in the classroom. You will take the role of the teacher to deal with the problems in the case.

The second interview, which follows straight after the first one, focuses on your ability to read texts that address aspects from school. What you need to demonstrate is that you can identify key points in those texts. Your ability to analyse will be in focus here.

You will be assessed based on your:

• Cognitive ability
• Ability to work with others, and your personal integrity
• Communication ability
• Ethical approach
• Understanding of vocation-related texts, and how you deal with them

The admission interview will be conducted in English, and the texts will be in English.

All interviews will be carried out online.

The admission interviews usually take approximately one hour and 15 minutes overall, you may experience extended time for example if there are connection problems. 

Make sure your webcam and audio are working and that you have a stable Internet connection before your online admission interview.

The day before the admission interview, you will receive an e-mail with a link to participate the online admission interview.

Please note that the invitation will be send to the e-mail you have given when you applied on optagelse.dk .

Furthermore, think about why you want to be a teacher. What is it that attracts you? What kind of teacher do you want to become? What challenges are you prepared to tackle?

The interviewer will not tell you whether you have passed or failed. After the interview you will receive a notification e-mail informing you that your score is ready. In order to see your total score, you must use the link you received when you booked your online admission interview. You cannot use the notification e-mail.

To bed admitted to the teacher training programme, you must score a minimum of 30 points.

All applicants who have been accepted to the teacher training programme will be notified of this on 26th July at nemStudie.dk. 

If you have been to an online admission interview and your score was below 30 points, you will prior to the above date be informed that your application has been rejected.   

Our concept for pre- and onboarding

Read more about our pre- and onboarding of all accepted students here.

Students within the EU/EAA/Switzerland are not required to pay tuition. 

There is a tuition fee for all full-time degree students who hold a citizenship from outside EU/EAA/Switzerland. The tuition fee is approx EUR 5000 per semester.

If you want to learn more about the cost of living in Denmark and accommodation we have collected this information on our page for incoming students.  Click here if you want to learn more.

Study environment

The college campus is situated in the centre of Haderslev. The oldest buildings date back to mid 19th century, and our campus is a charming mixture of old and new. You will have around 650 fellow education students.

Haderslev is a medieval town with about 30,000 inhabitants, beautifully situated at the east coast of Southern Jutland on a 12-kilometer-long fjord and surrounded by an extensive lake system, 50 km north of the Danish-German border. There are many leisure time possibilities like sports, concerts, cinema, cafés, etc.

Read more about Haderslev.

Alongside the usual course offered to all teacher students, you will receive intensive training in the Danish language. The Danish language training is free of charge if you reside in Denmark.

During the first year, all lessons are taught in English.

As part of the degree course, you must choose 3 teaching subjects (your specialized subjects).

First teaching subject, English

During the teacher education, you must choose 3 teaching subjects (your specialized subjects).

All our international students must choose English as the first teaching subject. You must be sufficiently fluent to participate in classes where English is the language and be able to become a teacher of English. During the first year, all lessons are taught in English.

An intensive course in Danish

During the first year you must take an intensive course in Danish alongside your other studies, preparing you to be taught in Danish from your second year.

If you already live in Denmark, you must be aware if you can be offered free Danish lessons, as it is only free for up to 5 years after you have arrived in Denmark. At study start you must have at least 3 years left of this offer, in order to finish learning Danish for free. After 5 years you must pay for your lessons yourself and the price is app. 20,000 DKK per semester. If you have any questions in relation to the above, you can contact Haderslev Sprogcenter - Dansk i centrum as your training in the Danish language will be held here. For more information on Danish language education, you can visit Danskuddannelse til voksne udlændinge m.fl. | UddannelsesGuiden (ug.dk). At speakdanish.dk you will find a few links to online Danish lessons so you can start in advance.

If you need further information which is not provided in English, you can use the automatic translator from online translations.

Become a student for a day

Take the opportunity to visit us at Campus Haderslev and follow an ordinary study day along with the current students, so you can get a sense of what the lectures and the educational environment are really like. During the day students and teachers are available for a chat. You can ask all the questions you need answers to.

For more information about your options, please do contact us (email [email protected] ). We are always ready to help. We look forward to meeting you!

Do you have any questions? Please contact us

Contact our international department.

[email protected]

Contact our team of counselors

[email protected] 7266 2250

Press enter to search

Teacher Education

Profession- and development-oriented primary and lower secondary teaching

About the BA teacher education

Our full degree programme at bachelor level is taught in Danish. If you are fluent in Danish, Swedish or Norwegian, you may study our full degree programme.

The BA in Teacher Education at KP offers an open and inviting study environment both academically and socially. The teaching incorporates different methods, including group work, innovative project work, discussions and lectures, and its primary focus is to provide you with the skills to plan both the academic as well as the educational aspects of your future teaching.

If you want to become a teacher, you must be skillful and knowledgeable within your subject area, authoritative, empathetic and compassionate in your actions and most importantly wanting to see others succeed.

Each semester, we welcome exchange students from our partner institutions.

Courses are offered both at Campus Carlsberg and Nyelandsvej in Copenhagen. The two addresses are close to each other.

Please be aware that only students who apply for 30 ECTS will be accepted

Autumn semester 2024

Courses for exchange students:

Courses taught in English

• Processes in language acquisition and communication skills (English)
• Cultural Studies
• Creativity and Experimental processes (Arts and Crafts, Visual Arts)
• Didactics of dialogue and reconciliation (History, Religious studies)
• Integration of physical activity in everyday teaching practice
• Musical expression in Teaching and Learning
• International practicum*

KP does not guarantee admission to the courses. Module availability is dependent on a minimum and maximum number of registered participants.

*Notes about International Practicum

The practicum takes place in Danish public schools, in which the main language of teaching is Danish. Exchange students will teach in either English, German or French. Students may teach a wide range of different subjects. Due to language barriers, international students can only teach children between the ages of 9 and 16 (3 rd to 9 th grade). The practicum takes place in groups of international students. The group members go to the practicum school together and plan and perform their teaching activities collaboratively. Please note that the practicum schools are situated in the Greater Copenhagen area, which means student must expect some travel time and transportation expenses.

Course taught in German:

• Deutsch als Fremdsprache: Sprachlehr- und Lernprozesse in Deutsch als Fremdsprache

Courses taught in Danish

• Please find course descriptions on our website

Spring Semester 2025

Courses are subject to change. An updated course list will be available in August 2024 at the latest.

KP does not guarantee admission to the courses. Module availability is dependent on a minimum and maximum number of registered participants

• Processes in language acquisition and communication skills (english)
• International practicum

Application for exchange students

Students must get nominated by their home institution. Please nominate your students through our online nomination survey.

If you haven’t received a link for that survey, please write to [email protected] .

Nominated students will receive an e-mail with information about application and accommodation.

Autumn Semester 2024

Deadline for nomination.

15 th March 2024

Deadlines for application

Students who need a study visa: 1 st April 2024 Students who do not need a study visa: 1 st May 2024

Semester dates

Mid August – end of December 2024 (including welcoming week)

September 15th 2024

Students who need a study visa: October 1st 2024

Students who do not need a study visa: November 1st 2024

Start date: In mid -January 2025

End date: At the beginning of June 2025

• How to apply

Please find information about application, accommodation, visa, insurance etc. on our How to apply-page.

International coordinator: Sabine Lam [email protected]

Teacher Education in the Nordic Region pp 195–208 Cite as

Teacher Education in Denmark

• Lis Madsen 4 &
• Elsebeth Jensen 5  
• Open Access
• First Online: 14 March 2023

1870 Accesses

Part of the book series: Evaluating Education: Normative Systems and Institutional Practices ((ENSIP))

One recurrent feature of the four-year Danish teacher education programme at university colleges is the challenge of attracting and retaining qualified student teachers. Many changes have been implemented to address this and other challenges. To gain a better understanding of the developments from the recent reforms and the subsequent solutions to educational issues, the authors of this chapter examine the various teacher education laws written during this period. The purpose is to explore changes in Danish teacher education, primarily after the turn of the millennium. The main trends are (1) a more profession-oriented teacher education and (2) an increased focus on academic subjects, reflected in the demand for a stronger knowledge base throughout teacher education. However, the development of Danish teacher education must also be viewed in light of several major national and international societal changes. Several areas of teacher education are intended to be developed in the coming years, including improvements in teaching methods in teacher education, better collaboration with practice schools, improvements in student teachers’ opportunities for in-depth studies in subject areas, and a renewed focus on Bildung in education and teacher education.

You have full access to this open access chapter,  Download chapter PDF

1 Introduction

The development of Danish teacher education cannot be understood in isolation but must be viewed in light of several major national and international societal changes. In this chapter, we focus on the changes in Danish teacher education, primarily after the turn of the millennium. These changes are part of a long historical development, and in many ways, they reflect trends that are also seen in other countries. Educational policy development is described elsewhere in this edited volume, so we touch upon this aspect only briefly. First, we examine the characteristics of the changes in Danish teacher education effected through recent reforms. One recurrent feature in several Nordic countries is the challenge of attracting and retaining qualified student teachers. We therefore highlight the enrolment and retention challenges over several years, along with the political initiatives for the past two reforms to address these challenges. Finally, we investigate the current situation and discuss possible further steps.

2 The External Framework for Teacher Education

Chapters 1 and 2 present several issues of major importance for the development of teacher education in Nordic countries. In Denmark, it is crucial that education policy has become ‘highly political’ and is perceived as central to the country’s competitiveness in the global market. In this context, international assessments and comparisons have become key factors for understanding which countries have exemplary education systems and which have inadequate systems. Political demands for uniformity expressed in the Bologna Process with the introduction of a European qualification framework had a decisive influence on the development of teacher education in Denmark. New measures included the common European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) from 2001, which emphasized management according to clear and measurable objectives and a focus on output rather than outcomes.

Over the past 30 years, the Teacher Education Act has been amended four times: in 1991, 1997, 2006 and 2012 (with subsequent implementations in 1992, 1998, 2007 and 2013, respectively). During the same period, the Act on the Folkeskole, covering Danish primary and lower secondary schools, underwent major changes in 1993, 2003, 2006 and 2014, and in this area, there were several major and minor adjustments at the executive order level as well.

These frequent reforms of teacher education have been part of a major reform of the public sector in Denmark since the beginning of the 2000s. Thus, they are not special to teacher education but can be regarded as indicators of the major changes that characterise the public sector, which is currently being reinvented (as discussed by Pedersen et al., 2008 ). To gain a better understanding of the developments during the recent reforms and the subsequent solutions to educational issues, we will examine the content of the various teacher education laws during this period more closely.

3 The Struggle for the Professional and Educational Content of Teacher Education

The issue of what teacher education should comprise is reflected in the tension between the academic mission and the professional mission. Since 1930, teacher education has had a four-year duration but has changed from a teacher training college programme to a professional bachelor’s degree (2000) for primary and lower secondary school teachers. In parallel with this development at the structural level, a similar development has occurred in the content areas. The two developmental strings are interrelated in that they both entail a shift to a more academic orientation and a clearer professional line of education. A review of the past four laws clearly shows that education has been evolving and that the various reforms can be viewed as steps in this constant process of change.

Denmark participated in the first large international literacy survey in 1991. Politicians lost their confidence in schools, as Denmark unexpectedly received a rating very close to the bottom, whereas the other Nordic countries were at the top. The author, Mejding ( 1994 ), aptly called the survey Den grimme ælling og svanerne ( The Ugly Duckling and the Swans ). Since then, politicians have paid close attention to schools’ national and international evaluations and comparisons to document the extent to which they deliver the quality and standards of education required. Over the same period, an overhaul of teacher education has also been underway, motivated by the assumption that if learners fail in literacy and numeracy, something might also be wrong with teacher education. In particular, the reforms have focused on three key issues:

Should a teacher primarily be a generalist who is competent in many school subjects or a specialist who can teach only a few subjects?

What is the range of teaching practice in teacher education? What is the proper ratio between theory and practice in student teachers’ professional development?

What is the proper ratio between academic school subjects and pedagogical subjects (general teaching qualifications)?

However, this is not a straightforward account of the reforms or changes that are explicitly based on research knowledge of teaching skills. Rather, it is a study of different notions of what it takes to educate qualified teachers (e.g. whether to focus on school subjects or on teaching pedagogy in general). The reforms clearly reflect different political attitudes towards the requirements for qualified teachers. This means that the various reforms have been characterised by political compromises instead of a settled pedagogical approach. Moreover, they have primarily emphasised structural and academic content elements rather than pedagogical changes in teaching and work methods. Below, we take a closer look at how the three issues have been weighted in recent reforms.

4 The Teacher as a Generalist (with Teaching Competence in Many School Subjects) or a Specialist (with Teaching Competence in a Few Subjects)?

In the late 1990s, there was a shift in views on whether curriculum of teacher education should be broad or deep, basic or specialised. Until 1997, teachers were trained as unit teachers who could teach various subjects at the primary school level and two subjects in lower secondary school. Teacher training was divided into two parts: a basic part and a specialisation part. In the basic part, student teachers took a number of basic subjects, which qualified them to teach primary school classes. In the specialisation part, they took two majors, which qualified them for lower secondary education. With the 1997 Act, a break with the former unit schoolteacher concept occurred, with student teachers taking four school subjects named majors but no subjects for primary school.

With the 2007 reform, the number of majors was reduced to two or three (typically two). In 2013, the number of majors remained the same, but with a shift towards qualifying in three subjects. With the 2007 Act, grade specification was introduced in the two majors (Danish and mathematics), and in 2013, it was expanded to include English and sports. This development can be considered an example of the change in views on teacher and teaching skills and as part of a shift towards increased specialisation and a more academic orientation in teacher education.

5 Teaching Practice and the Role of the Profession in Teacher Education

The proportion of practice in teacher education has not changed considerably in the past four teacher education laws. The duration of internships has been approximately half a year’s work (30 ECTS), divided into three to four internship periods. Despite this steady theory-to-practice ratio, there have been changes in internship placements, the length of individual obligatory practice periods and the interrelation between academic school subjects, pedagogical subjects and internships.

With the most recent amendment of the teacher education programme in 2013, internships received a boost, not in proportion but in formal requirements, namely the introduction of final teaching practice exams after all internship periods. In addition to teaching practice in all modules, practice tasks must be included in the curriculum of each module. Such tasks can be anything from observation of classes taught by professional teachers to student teachers practising their own academic subjects in schools or participating in specific school activities. Thus, there is now a sharper focus on various opportunities for student teachers to perform teaching practice tasks throughout their education and, therefore, on increased collaboration with schools, even though the internships have not been extended.

6 Basic Subjects: The Pedagogical Area

In the 1991 law, the pedagogical field was weighted to comprise approximately an entire year’s studies. This was almost halved in the 1997 law and then adjusted in 2007 and again slightly more in 2013. However, it is more important to examine the content of the subject area than its scope. Before examining the shifts in various laws, we will take a brief look at the pedagogical subject area of teacher education as a whole. Over time, it has been difficult to determine a concise content and knowledge base for this area. Several issues have been the subject of constant debate: Should it preferably consist of philosophical and ethical approaches to learners’ upbringing and general formation? Should it include political and sociological analyses of the school’s function in society? Should it introduce psychological issues related to children’s general development and various learning theories? Should it primarily comprise pedagogical approaches and methods for effective teaching?

In his PhD dissertation, Hans Harryson asks, ‘What is the purpose of the pedagogical subjects in teacher education in the 2010s? How do the pedagogical subjects contribute to the development of student teachers’ teaching competences?’ ( 2018 , p. 17; translated by the authors). The questions are examined, among other ways, through a comparative analysis of the subject area in Denmark, Norway and Iceland. Although it is impossible to present an in-depth discussion of all the results here, we would like to emphasise that we are far from finding a clear answer regarding the content and purpose of the pedagogical subject area. Teacher educators view it primarily as a theoretical subject which should preferably keep some distance from practice (p. 198), whereas student teachers mainly expect to acquire tools and methodologies that they can use in practice. Another interesting result is that, to a great extent, both student teachers and teacher educators see the justification of the subject area as ‘closely linked to (1) the inadequacy of the academic subjects and (2) the inadequacy of teaching practice’ (p. 191). According to Harryson ( 2018 ), it remains somewhat unclear what the subject teachers’ purpose and content are. Teacher educators use words and phrases such as the following: ‘The subject area helps shape the student teachers’, ‘DNA, backbone, identity’, ‘Professional maturation’, ‘Professional vocabulary’, ‘Grasp of the profession’, and ‘Student teachers’ ability to view teaching and learning in nuanced ways and from different perspectives’ (p. 203).

Harryson’s thesis ( 2018 , p. 45) shows that: (1) There are few (and scattered) studies focusing on pedagogical subjects in teacher education, (2) There are even fewer studies focusing on pedagogical subjects in integrated teacher education, and (3) Most available studies are based on educational psychology and not on other ‘non-specific courses’ (Lohse-Bossenz et al., 2013 , p. 546).

Just as it has been difficult to grasp and clearly define the pedagogical subject areas, it has also been difficult to clearly define the subject area’s knowledge base. These difficulties have been a recurring theme in the recent changes to the subject area. The greatest change took place between the 2006 Act and the 2013 Executive Order, namely the replacement of traditional subject pedagogy, psychology and general methodology. The teacher’s foundational competences are subdivided into two clusters: ‘Pedagogy and the teaching profession’ and ‘General education’. ‘Pedagogy and the teaching profession’ consists of four areas of competence: (1) pupils’ learning and development, (2) general teaching proficiency, (3) special needs and remedial training, and (4) Danish as a second language. The other cluster, ‘General education’ (‘almen dannelse’ in Danish) consists of the study of Christianity/philosophy of life/citizenship and prepares student teachers to implement the mission statement of the Danish school system: to develop professional ethics and deal with complex challenges in the teaching profession in the context of cultural, value-based and religious pluralism.

The shift to a competence–goal orientation in school practice has challenged the Danish pedagogical field, which has been characterised by a tradition of philosophical–analytical and sociological–critical perspectives on school and teaching and a lesser emphasis on student teachers’ specific competence development in relation to the teacher’s work. For example, a comparative analysis of the content of teacher education programmes in Canada, Denmark, Finland and Singapore found that normative philosophical literature was considerably more prominent in Denmark than in the other countries (Rasmussen et al., 2010 ).

With each amendment of the law, there have been new and more time-consuming problems for any new teacher education to solve. Along with the aforementioned shift to a more academic orientation, teacher education has become increasingly oriented towards the profession. In the majors, and subsequently in the teaching subjects, methodology has increasingly become an integral part of the academic subjects, which have moved away from being mini university studies. The 1992 Act on teacher education primarily focused on theoretical and analytical approaches to education. In the subsequent changes, the future profession of the student teachers gradually came into focus. In 2007, as a concrete result of this movement, a compulsory pedagogical element was introduced into the academic majors. As mentioned above, the 2013 Executive Order also requires continuous collaboration with schools for school practice in all disciplines. At the same time, there has been a shift from content-driven to goal-driven education in terms of the competencies that a qualified teacher needs.

7 Enrolment in Teacher Education

During the period in question, it has been challenging to attract the most talented students to teacher education and to reduce the dropout rate. Furthermore, there has been a shortage of qualified teachers during some years. Currently (2022), 10–17% of the permanent teachers in Danish schools do not go through the regular teacher education channel. In 2002, people with different degrees and work experiences were given the opportunity to qualify as teachers in a shorter time by pursuing merit teacher education. Initially, there was great concern about this new type of schoolteacher, not least on the part of The Danish Union of Teachers. However, merit teacher education has now a good reputation. Merit teachers are older when they graduate than those with an ordinary teacher education and have experience from other areas, which they bring into the school. Merit teacher education does not lead to a professional bachelor’s degree but is supplementary education of 150 ECTS, pursued under the Law on Open Education. The programme consists of academic and pedagogical subjects and an internship period of 10 ECTS. The number of applicants has varied over time. During periods of teacher shortages, political pressure to train more merit teachers has intensified. For instance, there is currently strong political interest in recruiting more people to become merit teachers (for instance, by developing attractive education models that combine studies and employment). However, merit teacher education can reduce but not solve the enrolment problem.

Ordinary teacher education is dimensioned to ensure (among other things) a balance between training sites and a balance of teacher education located in urban and rural areas. However, at the national level, the required dimensions have not been achieved, and few university colleges (in Danish: professionshøjskoler) have had more applicants than could be admitted. To meet the challenge of attracting the best students and reducing the dropout rate, the past two reforms have paid attention to tightening the teacher education admission requirements.

8 Admission Requirements

With the 2007 reform, changes to the admission requirements for teacher education courses were introduced despite problems with enrolment. The then-Minister of Education, Bertel Haarder, argued that the reform might initially lead to a decline in the number of applicants but would make teacher education more attractive in the long term. One admission requirement was linked to the academic majors, not to the pedagogical subjects. There were also requirements for a minimum grade in a particular subject in upper secondary school to take the corresponding academic subject in teacher education programmes. For example, to take Danish literature and language, a student should have an A-level grade of 7 in that subject. (A-level is the highest secondary school level, and 7 is an average grade on a 7-step scale from −3 to 12).

The most recent reform of 2013 was still aimed at raising the admission level, but this time, the requirement was changed to a grade of 7 as the minimum average of the total upper secondary school grades. Students who do not have an average grade of 7 can apply for admission in ‘quota 2’ and be admitted through an admission interview. The admission interviews drew inspiration (among others) from the University of Southern Denmark and the so-called multiple mini-interview concept, in which the applicants visit two stations as part of the admission interview. The applicants are tested qualitatively, and the interviewers assess their answers in six content domains: motivation, ethical ability, cooperative ability and integrity, communicative ability, cognitive ability, and text comprehension and word processing.

An evaluation of the admission interviews by the Danish Evaluation Institute ( 2013 ) drew the following overall conclusions:

The dropout rate among those admitted through quota 2 has fallen slightly.

The average grade for admitted students has risen, and more students with high grades are recruited and retained than before.

There is a significant inverse correlation between the content domain of motivation and the likelihood of a student dropping out.

Another evaluation of the admission interviews (The Danish Evaluation Institute, 2017 , p. 5) draws these conclusions:

The admission interviews have helped reduce the dropout rate among students admitted via quota 2.

Of the six interview content domains, only motivation indicates the probability of a student dropping out with some certainty.

Following the introduction of admission interviews as part of the new quota 2 admission requirements in 2013, students with high grades have increasingly been recruited and retained.

After the introduction of the new admission system in 2013, nationwide intake decreased by approximately 25% but subsequently rose again. In 2012, 3660 students enrolled nationally. In 2013, the number dropped to 2936. Later the number of applicants increased, but not since 2014 have so few applied for teacher education via quota 2 as in 2022. Compared to 2021, 17% fewer have applied for teacher education (Bjerril, 2022 ). Although the introduction of the new admission system cannot fully explain the decline, it has certainly been a contributing factor. For example, we find that some applicants do not show up for the interviews. One of the reasons for the introduction of the new admission system was the assumption that better and more competent students would mean better retention. However, this assumption has been supported only partially (see the next section).

9 Dropout from Teacher Education Programmes

The dropout rate in teacher education remains high. Moreover, it remains high throughout the course of teacher education, whereas in other professional programmes, it falls significantly after the first year. The reasons for dropping out vary widely among students, and it is rarely possible to identify a decisive factor. However, a study conducted by the Danish Evaluation Institute ( 2013 ) found slightly different reasons for dropping out of teacher education programmes depending on when students chose to drop out. Early dropouts cited a wide variety of reasons, such as poor introductory courses, lack of knowledge about the education provided, parallel employment and distance to the educational institutions. For late dropouts, the distance to practice schools and the perceived low academic level appeared to be important factors.

10 Current Status of Teacher Education in Denmark

The discussion about teacher education has been ongoing for a long time but has intensified with the recent reforms. One of the problems is politicians’ disagreements over what kind of education they want. This means that laws and regulations are the result of compromises between competing goals (e.g. more or fewer academic subjects or pedagogical subjects). The rationale behind the teacher education reform of 2007 was the desire for in-depth academic studies, especially in the major school subjects (mathematics and Danish) and science. At the same time, there was a recognition of the sharp difference between teaching primary and lower secondary school classes. This difference led to the division of the major subjects into two levels so that they became broader in scope. An evaluation of the 2007 reform by a follow-up group (The Danish Evaluation Institute, 2011 ) identified several strengths (e.g. the in-depth academic studies) and weaknesses (e.g. a lack of opportunities for internationalisation). Although the group’s criticism was not particularly harsh, a new reform followed in 2013.

The 2013 reform marked a new break in several areas and is perhaps best understood in light of international calls for governance according to competence goals and a modular structure, as was known from other educational programmes in Denmark and abroad. At the same time, the shift towards more profession-oriented education initiated with the 2007 reform continued. Moreover, the trend towards an increased focus on academic subjects (which started in 2001, when formal education became a professional bachelor’s degree programme) was strongly reflected in the demand for a stronger knowledge base throughout the programme.

Interestingly, neither the evaluation of the 2007 reform nor that of the 2013 reform identified challenges in education sufficiently serious to call for major revisions. Nevertheless, the teacher education programme introduced in 2013 broke with previous programmes in essential areas. An expert group’s evaluation of the 2013 reform (Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science, 2018 ) highlighted five strengths and three weaknesses. The general conclusion was: ‘Teacher education is thus well underway but will require continued development in several areas to ensure that, as a whole, it lives up to the goals of high quality and clear relevance to the Danish school’ (p. 10, translated by the authors).

Despite the predominantly positive evaluations, there is general dissatisfaction with teacher education, both among politicians and more broadly in the public debate. In March 2019, the government formed a commission whose mission is to look fundamentally at whether Danish teacher education is appropriately structured, has a sufficiently high professional level and whether teacher education is otherwise in line with and follows international developments. The goal was for Denmark to have a long-term sustainable teacher education. Teachers should obtain a strong academic and methodological foundation to both deliver high-quality education and be equipped to apply and evaluate new approaches and methods in line with the development of the primary and lower secondary school in Denmark. Further, the government declared that it is not necessary to make amendments according to the changing trends in primary and lower secondary school (The Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science, 2019 ). This complex mission reflects the dual focus on academic subjects and professionalism that has become increasingly pronounced throughout the recent reforms.

In summer 2019, there was a change in government, the new government dissolved the commission before it began its work. However, the new government started in 2020 a revision of teacher education. The focus is on development within the frame of a four-year bachelor’s degree:

The government has a high level of ambition for teacher education in Denmark. There are a number of challenges that must be taken care of to make sure that teacher education will attract more talented and motivated students from all over the country. At the same time, it is necessary to develop concrete solutions in order to ensure better coherence and a higher professional level. It is also important to push students to study harder and establish a closer connection with practice in schools. Based on this, the government is starting a process of development in order to rethink teacher education (The Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science, 2020 ).

The development work was centred on three main themes:

Strengthened practice training and connection to practice.

Increased study intensity, better professional progression, and a better retention and enrolment

Stronger knowledge base for teacher education.

11 What Will the Next Steps Be?

The current political discussions partly concern the duration of education. The discussion on the level of education (Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree) has more or less been put on hold, and the focus is now on how to make teacher education more oriented towards the profession. The debate is taking place on many levels and in many contexts, and politicians, professionals, unions, universities and university colleges are contributing their own perspectives. A development group consisted of members from the University Colleges Denmark, The Danish Union of Teachers and their students’ organisation and KL - Local Government Denmark. This group has finished their work (The development group for teacher education, 2021 ). The development group for teacher education ( 2021 ) delivered its recommendations in November 2021, and the headlines are:

A more ambitious and professional demanding teacher education.

Extended and integrated internships and more exercise-based studies. The intention is to strengthen the coherence between the campus teaching and mentoring in the practice schools.

A renewed focus on so-called Bildung (‘dannelse’ or self-formation) in education and teacher education.

A teacher education with strong progression and coherence, which will ensure more professional teachers.

A reduction in the number of goals, and another way of formulating goals, so there will be more open frames to ensure local engagement and different profiles.

Since November 2021, The Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science has held meetings with the political parties about central themes, but when this is written (May 2022) negotiations have not started. Meanwhile, there are also political discussions about raising the funding of teacher education to increase student teachers’ time on task. There will be no new teacher education programme in 2022, but perhaps in 2023.

We are in the middle of a particularly important process: We have the chance to develop teacher education in various ways, and hopefully, we will be given the freedom, as professionals, to realise it in everyday practice. In our opinion, there is no contradiction between the academic and the profession-oriented content; on the contrary, the two areas must go hand in hand. With the last two reforms, we have seen the contours of an education that is finding its own professionalism and identity. Nonetheless, we have not yet reached the target. Several areas should be developed in the coming years, and there is a need to conduct research and develop a teacher education pedagogy that addresses the specific task of educating adults to teach children.

We are in the middle of a particularly important process: We have the chance to develop teacher education in various ways, and hopefully, we will be given the freedom, as professionals, to realise it in everyday practice. In our opinion, there is no contradiction between the academic and the profession-oriented content; on the contrary, the two areas must go hand in hand. With the last two reforms, we have seen the contours of an education that is finding its own professionalism and identity. Nonetheless, we have not yet reached the target. Several areas should be developed in the coming years, and there is a need to conduct research and develop a teacher education pedagogy that addresses the specific task of educating adults to teach children. Below, we list a few suggestions for four key areas that require further work.

Teaching and study methods in teacher education (on campus and in internships). Teaching and studying in teacher education are subject to the so-called double pedagogic gaze or second-order pedagogy (see, e.g., Goodwin & Kosnik, 2013 ), where students learn to teach others through teaching. Situated learning processes are of particular importance because of the immediate comparison between being taught as a student and being taught to teach. Thus, teaching in teacher education must be exemplary in the sense that teachers and students must be able to reflect, justify and often show in practice the connection between teaching aims, content and work methods. Therefore, a wide variety of work methods must be developed. Student teachers should not only become observant, reflective practitioners who can collect data and work empirically to develop their own practice (cf. the more research-oriented and academic competencies). Student teachers should also acquire and practise skills to deal with conflicts and facilitate diverse dialogues ranging from professional academic discussions in class to communication on pupils’ well-being at parent meetings (the more immediate practice and profession-oriented skills). University Colleges Denmark have formulated 10 ambitions for better teacher education. The tenth ambition focuses on ‘teacher education as a development laboratory’. (University Colleges Denmark, 2018 ).

Collaboration with practice schools. Many studies (e.g. Darling-Hammond & Baratz-Snowden, 2005 ) have shown that continuous collaboration and exchange between theoretical studies and a given professional practice offer considerable benefits. The 2013 reform has increased our focus on this aim, and we have made significant progress, but some aspects are still missing. We may need to further develop the internship model and ensure qualified internship counsellors to enhance both benefits and quality. Moreover, we need to develop a more diverse continuous collaboration with practice schools. This collaboration can be developed into short courses, such as teaching in a given grade for one or more days after careful preparation. The student teacher can later consider and process the teaching in collaboration with both the school teacher and the teacher educator. The collaboration with practice schools can also be developed into longer courses—for example, each student teacher can be assigned to a class during a year (e.g. for English) and provide feedback on the pupils’ written assignments, while the school teacher and the teacher educator can provide the student teacher with feedback on his/her feedback.

In Denmark, although internships in teacher education are also viewed as integrated, in most cases, they have taken place as long-term (e.g. six-week) courses only in practice schools. Therefore, integration primarily takes place in the preparation and post-processing phases in collaboration between campus and school. We believe that this is an important area for ​​development to strengthen cooperation between schools and teacher education through the development of even better internship models and models for integrated practice and collaboration.

Students’ opportunities for in-depth studies in subject areas (both teaching subjects and basic pedagogical subjects), including strengthened collaboration regarding academic subjects, the pedagogical field and internships. In a highly specialised education with many subjects and modules, there is a need to develop models that enable students to immerse themselves in specific subject areas. It is also important to ensure collaboration regarding academic subjects, the pedagogical field and practice, since, for example, the integration of classroom management and inclusion strategies in academic subjects provides better opportunities for student teachers to apply it in practice (see, e.g., Hedegaard-Sørensen & Grumløse, 2016 ).

A renewed focus on so-called Bildung (‘dannelse’ or self-formation) in education and teacher education .

To increase enrolment in teacher education, continued effort is needed not only to enhance teacher status but also to develop clear career paths for teachers. Moreover, to retain qualified teachers, work must be done on transitional arrangements to ensure good jobs for new teachers (see, e.g., Lunde et al., 2017 ). Unfortunately, there are no formal requirements for teacher induction programmes in Denmark. The frequent reforms, along with the fact that the evaluations of the two most recent programmes did not identify alarming issues, indicate that the reforms must (also) be viewed in a broader context as expressions of general developments in society. From one point of view, the globalisation and international trends together with the need for European standards, call for development, while from the another point of view, there is a political need for immediate action.

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Madsen, L., Jensen, E. (2023). Teacher Education in Denmark. In: Elstad, E. (eds) Teacher Education in the Nordic Region. Evaluating Education: Normative Systems and Institutional Practices. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-26051-3_7

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Denmark: Agreement on a reform of the primary and lower secondary school teacher education programme

On 13 th September 2022, the Danish government and a broad majority of the Danish Parliament agreed on a new and better primary and lower secondary school teacher education programme. In 2020, the government had set up a committee whose recommendations on how to improve the teacher education programme now form the basis of the agreement.

The agreement comprises three objectives for the new teacher education programme:

• higher quality, enhanced professional standards, and an increased depth of studies;
• more teaching practice and an improved interaction between the teacher education programme and a teacher’s day-to-day life in the classroom;
• greater autonomy to implement the education programme at the local level, and less regulation from the national level.

To achieve higher quality, enhanced professional standards, and an increased depth of studies, the agreement includes the following initiatives, among others, for the benefit of student teachers:

• up to four more hours of instruction per week;
• more practice-based instruction, for example through training in classroom management, inclusion, home-school collaboration, etc.;
• more academic feedback and guidance, including via an annual status meeting that aims to give students individual feedback and guide them in relation to their professional development and motivation;
• more opportunities to complete part of one’s education abroad.

Initiatives to increase the amount of teaching practice and improve the interaction between the teacher education programme and a teacher’s day-to-day life in the classroom include:

• more extended time dedicated to teaching practice, so that students can acquire teaching experience in school settings during all four years of the education programme;
• more focus on practice in the final examination, which consists of a written examination and an oral examination;
• the reintroduction of Special Needs Education and Danish as a Second Language as core subjects in the teacher education programme.

Initiatives to ensure that the education programme is implemented with greater autonomy at the local level, and that there is less regulation from the national level, include the following actions:

• the many and detailed objectives presently listed in the course descriptions will be simplified and replaced with clearer objectives, so that each individual institution’s curricula and lecturers can enjoy greater autonomy;
• the current modules-based system will be replaced by one where students will all follow the same courses, in order to ensure professional progression, improved coherence, and stronger social integration.

The new primary and lower secondary school teacher education programme is scheduled to be launched in August 2023.

M ore information (in Danish)

Please consult the agreement at the following link: En ambitiøs læreruddannelse tæt på folkeskolen og til gavn for folkeskolen .

Source : Eurydice Unit Denmark

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International Class in Teacher Education

If you are interested in acquiring relevant professional competences, studying new innovative teaching approaches in an international study environment and doing fieldwork in Danish Schools, then International Class in Teacher Education is perfect for you! 

From 2025, this exchange programme will only be available in the spring semester.

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About the exchange programme International Class in Teacher Education

Structure and content, application deadlines:.

Spring semester: 1 November

Fall semester: 1 May

The programme is taught in English

The semester consists of one mandatory module, plus two modules chosen by you. You can take maximum three modules equivalent of 30 ECTS in total.

You will be studying in an international study environment at VIA University College at Campus Aarhus C. The Campus is new and located in the city centre of Aarhus. 

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Teaching methods

Our teaching methods consist of different and varied work and study forms, such as lectures, dialogue-based communication, discussions, student presentations and group activities. The innovative teaching approaches are all process-based.

Collaboration between teachers and students is partly based on student initiative and independent work. We see active student participation and fieldwork as valuable and important components of studying a profession.

The practical perspective: Danish school culture

As an international student, you will study Danish school culture close up as a part of your semester. We consider the practical perspective of the teaching profession to be very important. 

We will allocate you to a Danish primary or lower secondary school or a boarding school for a two week period.

The stay will give you the opportunity to see how Danish students learn in various learning environments. There will also be opportunities for you to visit classes with a focus on specific aspects of teaching.

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The minimum requirement to apply for the course is to have passed the first two semesters at bachelor’s level at your relevant university or another institute of higher education.

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Your home institution must have an inter-institutional agreement with VIA University College in order for you to be able to apply for an exchange programme at VIA.  

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Per definition, exchange stays are an exchange of one or more students between partner universities and therefore, exchange students do not pay tuition fees.

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Teach in Denmark

There are a number of opportunities to teach English overseas in Denmark, particularly in the country’s numerous private language schools and international schools. Education is a huge priority in Danish society and the education system is held to a very high standard as a result, making Denmark a valuable opportunity for teachers looking to hone their skills and develop their teaching career abroad.

Top English teaching jobs in Denmark

Online Bilingual Tutor

Online elementary education tutor, online english tutor, teaching in denmark, options for teaching in denmark.

In Denmark, the public education system is strictly regulated. Teachers with non-Danish teaching credentials looking for teaching jobs in the primary and secondary school systems will need to first apply to the Danish Agency for Higher Education and request that their international qualifications be formally recognized. If necessary, expat teachers may be required to undergo further training.

Alternatively, Denmark offers a number of English teaching job opportunities for expat teachers outside of the mainstream public school system, either in bilingual international schools or private language schools. These schools are, for the most part, concentrated in the main urban cities Denmark like Copenhagen, Fredericia, Glostrup, and Hellerup.

Language schools

There are a large number of English language schools in Denmark offering opportunities for qualified teachers to teach subjects like Advanced English and Business English. Business English teaching jobs are in huge demand and previous business experience is often considered an advantage for these positions, along with relevant qualifications and previous experience teaching.

International schools

Denmark has more than 24 international schools across the country, primarily for children of expats, that regularly employ native English-speaking teaching staff. In Danish international schools, teachers are often in high demand and, consequently, the requirements for teachers looking for jobs at these schools are often more advanced.

Salary and benefits while teaching in Denmark

Salary and benefits for teaching jobs in international schools and language schools in Denmark vary greatly across schools. Having, at minimum, a Bachelor’s degree as well as a relevant English teaching qualification such as a TEFL certificate offers teachers the best chance to maximize their salary and benefit packages.

Teaching in Denmark – Hiring

Qualifications to teach in denmark.

Visas for teachers in Denmark

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Original research article, a comparative analysis of movement and physical activity in early childhood teacher education policy in five nordic countries.

• 1 Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
• 2 Department of Sport Sciences, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden
• 3 Department of Education, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
• 4 Department of Sports, Physical Education and Outdoor Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Sports and Educational Science, University of South-Eastern Norway, Notodden, Norway
• 5 Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
• 6 Faculty of Teacher Education, Kristianstad University, Kristianstad, Sweden
• 7 Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyvaskyla, Jyväskylä, Finland
• 8 Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark

Introduction: The aim of this study is to investigate the integration of movement and physical activity (MoPA) within Early Childhood Teacher Education (ECTE) policies across Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. This knowledge can inform the development of ECTE policies and practices that promote MoPA in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in Nordic countries and other countries worldwide.

Methods: In this study, a Nordic cross-national network of researchers collaborated in investigating policy documents at the national and university levels, which govern the education of ECEC teachers. This study was inspired by the Non-affirmative Theory of Education, which provides a framework for understanding the various influences on curricular development in higher education. Based on this, a four-step comparative analytical process of national and university documents across the Nordic countries was conducted. It included keyword search for MoPA related courses and a qualitative description of MoPA in ECTE. Thus, a combination of investigations of policy documents at the national and university level and expert knowledge set a solid foundation for international comparison.

Results: The comparative analysis of MoPA in ECTE reveals diverse approaches influenced by national and university policies. A central theme is the variability in MoPA integration across these nations. Finland and Norway prioritize MoPA with independent mandatory courses. In Iceland, compulsory MoPA courses exist at one of two universities, and in Sweden at three out of 19. All university colleges in Denmark offer an elective course. Furthermore, learning objectives related to MoPA are, to varying degrees, part of the internships in the countries, with Sweden being an exception. In the participating countries, the teachers decide the content of the MoPA courses with little guidance, support, and agreement on essential MoPA content within and across the ECTE's. Norway has established guidelines, and in Finland, there is a network of ECTE Physical Education (PE) educators, which, to some degree, increases the consistency and quality of MoPA in education.

Discussion: The Nordic countries present diverse MoPA integration approaches rooted in national policies and educational traditions. The findings emphasize the necessity of independent and mandatory MoPA courses, integration of MoPA into internships and promoting networks across the educational and academic sectors to equip future early childhood educators with competencies for fostering physical activity, motor development and children's well-being.

1 Introduction

Movement and physical activity (MoPA) are important components of children's holistic development in early childhood ( 1 ). It promotes children's physical and mental health, enhances their cognitive development, and supports their social and emotional well-being ( 2 – 6 ). According to a recent review and meta-analysis, 60% of preschool-aged children (3–5 years) meet the World Health Organization's guideline of engaging in a minimum of 180 minutes of physical activity per day, which includes at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity ( 7 ). With the generally high number of young children attending daycare, nursery, kindergarten, preschool, or similar, one way to effectively promote MoPA during the early childhood years is to ensure that teachers and caregivers are adequately trained and supported in this area ( 8 , 9 ). A recent review conducted by Jones et al. ( 8 ) highlighted that consistent and important characteristics of future interventions included providing extra time for children's physical activity each week and involving educators in professional development. Moreover, subgroup analyses in the systematic review by Wick et al. ( 10 ) suggest that interventions led by experts yield stronger effects compared to those led by regular childcare teachers, underscoring the essential role of integrating expert knowledge and pedagogic skills in promoting motor skills and physical activity in young children. This is where early childhood teacher education (ECTE) policies come into play.

In the five Nordic countries, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, almost all children attend early childhood education and care (ECEC) as part of a universal service with well-educated staff ( 11 ). As in other countries, ECEC Teachers in the Nordic countries receive less salary compared to Compulsory School Teachers, but are no longer a low-paid group within the public sector ( 12 ). There are increased demands imposed by national government policies and parental expectations, which necessitate qualified staff, adequate time and favorable working conditions, which the countries encounter difficulties in fulfilling ( 12 ).

In the last decades, there has been a development towards more “education” and a more robust political prioritization of formal learning and evaluation in ECEC ( 8 , 13 , 14 ). Previous research analyzing the values of MoPA using government policy documents (e.g., laws and curricula) on ECEC shows that MoPA in the ECEC policy documents is to varying degrees of a low-priority value in the Nordic ECEC law documents and guidelines ( 15 ). Recently, a Swedish study found limited teaching competencies for MoPA in ECEC teachers and highlighted the need for improved education and competence development ( 16 ), which has also been found in other countries ( 17 ). To study this further, it is important to investigate to what extent MoPA is included and emphasized in ECTE policy documents at the national and university level, setting the direction for future teachers' knowledge, skills, and competencies for teaching and practicing MoPA among young children in the Nordic countries.

This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview and description of the ECTE policies and regulations related to MoPA in the five Nordic countries. Examining the policies and regulations at the national and university level in these countries increases the understanding of different approaches and identifies areas where improvements can be made. This knowledge can be used to develop ECTE policies and practices that promote MoPA in ECEC within the Nordic countries and globally, considering contextual differences.

2 Materials and methods

A shared interest in promoting MoPA in ECEC and at ECTE has led to the establishment of a Nordic research network. The network comprises researchers at eight universities and research institutions from five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. The network has previously analyzed policies related to MoPA in ECEC settings ( 15 ), and aims to enhance the quality of MoPA in ECTE and ECEC across the Nordic region. In this study, network members have collaborated in investigating policy documents at the national and university levels, which govern the education of ECEC teachers. The study was inspired by the Non-affirmative Theory of Education, which offers a comprehensive approach to understanding multi-level leadership in higher education and how various levels and actors interact. In this view, curricular development in higher education is created in interaction between science, economy, politics, and culture and ranges from the supranational level down to the individual teacher and student level ( 18 ). The comparative analytical process can be described in four steps: (1) Delimitation and definitions, (2) Retrieval of documents, initial comparison, and analytical plan, (3) Keyword search, and (4) Qualitative description. During the process, there was an interaction between individual and collective reflection, which unfolded through analytical tasks and discussions within the research network. The process is elaborated in the following.

2.1 Delimitation and definitions

The analyses were limited to ECTE specializing in work within ECEC, the education before compulsory education, e.g., a daycare, nursery, kindergarten, or preschool, or other ECEC settings were professionals care for young children. The focus was set on the profession with the highest level of education and thus having the educational and pedagogical responsibility, even though the staff working in ECEC often comprises different disciplines. Two countries provide a master-level education in ECTE (Finland and Iceland). For this comparison, the focus was on the minimum education requirement for working as a teacher with educational and pedagogical responsibility in ECEC. For Finland, this is the bachelor level. For Iceland, this also includes the Master level. The percentages of ECEC staff with the minimum level of education ranges from 40% to 60% for the Nordic countries ( 12 ).

We use the term ECTS credits or just “credits”, which indicate the required workload to complete a study program. Each year of full-time study is worth 60 ECTS credits.

MoPA encompasses body movement, physical activity and sensory activities aimed at various purposes, such as fostering the joy of movement, developing skills and confidence in movement, and contributing to cognitive, social, and emotional development ( 1 , 3 , 19 , 20 ). In this regard, MoPA aligns with the goals of physical education (PE), which emphasize both learning through movement and using movement as a means of learning ( 21 ). MoPA activities in ECEC settings can be structured, guided by ECEC teachers, or unstructured, allowing children to freely explore their environment ( 22 ).

2.2 Retrieval of documents, initial comparison, and analytical plan

This study retrieved policy documents at the national and university levels that formally regulate the ECTE full-time campus-based programs starting in autumn 2022 ( Table 1 ). Documents used are thus valid for the whole program period, for example, in Sweden, for students from autumn 2022 to the end of autumn 2025. The members of the network were responsible for the retrieval of relevant national and university-level documents. Relevant documents at the national level are ratified documents governing the ECTE, such as laws, ordinances, and official guidelines ( Table 1 ). Documents at the university level are ratified by the university administrations. These documents (curriculums and educational plans) describe the overall ECTE at each university, including a purpose, structure, and requirements. They also entail a directory of courses, a description of internships and the learning objectives of the ECTE program. Internships are structured real-world work experience and exposure to professional environments within ECEC. Internships provide the students with hands-on learning opportunities to gain practical skills and knowledge related to their area of study. Internships can vary in duration ranging from a few weeks to several months, number of credits received, and may be either paid or unpaid ( 12 ).

Table 1 . The structure of early childhood teacher education (ECTE) in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

Based on an initial comparison of retrieved documents at the national and university level, the network found considerable differences across the Nordic countries regarding the extent of description of the ECTE, which will be elaborated in the results section. In the search for MoPA in policy documents, it became clear that different approaches were used to guide the content and learning objectives of the ECTE. This discrepancy limited the possibilities for direct cross-country comparison. Furthermore, the initial comparison revealed that most documents at the national level did not contain any information related to MoPA. Thus, the analytical plan combined keyword searches and analyses in course names and qualitative content descriptions of the ECTE.

2.3 Keyword search and analysis

We conducted a keyword search in the title of all courses at the local university level previously identified as important MoPA words Bod* (body), Coordin* (coordination), Idrott*/liikunta*/Idræt*, Motor*, Move* (movement), Physic* activ* (physical activity) and Physic* educ* (physical education) ( 15 ). As the course-level documents were in five different languages, the keywords were identified in each language and then translated into English to facilitate clear, continuous discussions within the research network. The course title keywords underwent independent searches by two researchers for each country. Afterwards, their findings were compared, and any disagreement was confirmed through a second count. Within each country, the number of courses containing MoPA words across the local universities was determined and expressed as the median, maximum, and minimum number of elective and compulsory courses.

2.4 Qualitative description

Based on a thorough examination of the national and university policy documents, the syllabuses of the identified ECTE MoPA courses and national expert knowledge of ECTE, a description of the ECTE with a focus on MoPA was provided for each country and compared. This comprised a description of the identified courses and information regarding the integration of MoPA in other parts of the ECTE (other courses and internships). Due to the national differences in structure and policy documents, the information is collected in different ways and dependent on the expert knowledge of the authors. How the study leaders and teachers interpret the policy documents and plan the individual MoPA courses was outside the focus of this study.

3.1 Regulation of early childhood teacher education (ECTE) at the national level

The ECTEs are guided and regulated by different policy documents at national levels in the five countries ( Supplementary Table 1 ). The documents are significantly different across the Nordic countries regarding the extent of description of the ECTE program. In Finland and Iceland, the ECTE's practical implementation is closely connected to the regulation of the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). In Finland, for example, ECTE educators have professional freedoms and opportunities to impact their work (Ministry of Education and Culture, 2016); therefore, they can independently plan, for example, their PE course aims, learning outcomes, and content according to the regulation of the ECEC's [see, e.g. ( 23 ),]. In Iceland, a national curriculum document describes five core educational areas in the ECECs but does not describe the specific structure and content of the ECTE. In Denmark and Norway, the Executive Order, and the National Guidelines, respectively, and the learning outcomes of the ECTE are similar. However, universities are free to tone their program for specific profiles within the current law and the ECTE educators are free to choose contents of their courses related to the learning outcomes. In Sweden, the Higher Education Act is the law that regulates universities. ECTE is not explicitly mentioned in the law. The Higher Education Ordinance regulates all higher education in Sweden, such as the ECTE program, and it supplements or clarifies the Higher Education Act. Both the act and the ordinance contain qualitative targets for education. The universities in Sweden have freedom to plan their ECTE program within the current national regulations and thus the structure and courses differs between all universities.

3.2 Structure of early childhood teacher education at the university level

Across the Nordic countries, there are different requirements to become an ECEC teacher. The programs in Finland and Norway are at the bachelor level and take 3 years; Sweden and Denmark have 3.5 years of bachelor programs, while a bachelor and a master level education for 5 years is required in Iceland. All countries have internships of different durations as a part of the education.

The different requirements to become an ECEC teacher across the universities in the Nordic countries are elaborated in the following and in Table 1 .

- In Denmark, six university colleges offer education programs for pedagogues, with several of them having multiple campuses. After completing the compulsory basic education (70 credits), students choose to specialize in one of three areas—daycare and preschool, leisure and school, or social care and disability. All specializations qualify for working in ECEC. One campus has a specific MoPA profile and integrates movement into all courses without changing the learning objectives of ECTE education.

- In Finland, the education to become an ECEC teacher is possible at seven universities. A bachelor's education qualifies to work as an ECEC and pre-primary education teacher, and a master's education is a requirement for ECEC managers. The bachelor's education includes compulsory courses, electives, and guided teaching practice. Universities can create their own content for study programs ( 24 ), leading to minor variations in the structure of courses across the universities.

- In Iceland, two universities are responsible for ECTE. A master's degree is required for employment as an early childhood teacher. Icelandic students first complete a 3-year bachelor's degree followed by a 2-year master's degree including an elective field. The master's degree may include a final thesis (MEd degree) or be without a thesis (MT degree).

- In Norway, 13 universities or university colleges offer ECTE spread across the country on more than 20 campuses. ECTE is based on a national framework plan. In the framework plan, the compulsory areas of knowledge are described with learning outcomes. The individual educational institution must create its own learning outcomes that are based on the national ones, but they cannot be copies of the national ones. Each course is accompanied by an internship, where students carry out practical assignments related to the content of the courses.

- In Sweden, 19 universities are offering the ECTE program. The program is at the bachelor level for 3.5 years. In Sweden, each university needs to have a program syllabus based on the Higher Education Act and the Higher Education Ordinance. The program syllabus regulates the program at the university and must contain the courses within the program, the entry requirements, and other regulations needed. All universities have created their own program syllabus, leading to variations in the structure and content between the universities.

3.3 Movement and physical activity in university course titles

The number of compulsory and elective courses at the university level varies substantially across the countries and between the universities within Finland and Sweden ( Table 2 ). The keyword searches in the course titles showed that Finland and Norway have compulsory MoPA courses at 5 or 20 credits at all public universities. In Iceland and Sweden, required MoPA courses exist to a lesser degree (one of two universities in Iceland and three out of 19 universities in Sweden have at least one such course).

Table 2 . Courses and MoPA courses (MoPA keywords in the title) at the ECTE across the universities in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.

In Denmark, no university college offers compulsory MoPA courses according to the search on MoPA keywords in course titles if the MoPA profile campus is disregarded. All university colleges in Denmark have one MoPA elective courses, while some Norwegian and few universities in Finland offer elective courses containing any keywords. One university in Sweden has elective courses, however not in MoPA, and Iceland has variable number of elective courses but none in MoPA.

3.4 Elaborate description of MoPA in ECTE at university level

- In Denmark, students at all university colleges can enroll in the elective course “ Health Promotion and Movement ” corresponding to 10–20 credits. However, this course is across the three specializations in childcare-, school- and afterschool- or the social or special aid area. The course is not offered at all campuses, and the individual students are not guaranteed participation. Around 25%–50% of students are estimated to enroll in the course. The learning objectives in this elective course emphasize strengthening the students’ own movement skills and considering the children's prerequisite for participation in the planned pedagogical activities. During internships, the students should develop competencies to plan, implement and evaluate different educational activities and initiatives for care, health, and prevention. Furthermore, they should be able to motivate and support children's play and aesthetic, artistic, and physical expression. MoPA is, according to the learning outcomes (skills and competencies), also integrated to a small degree in other general courses.

- In Finland, the MoPA course, commonly called “Liikuntakasvatus” (Physical Education), is mandatory in all seven universities offering ECTE programs. Of those seven universities, three also integrate MoPA into other compulsory academic programs, such as music, mathematics, science, and arts. Learning objectives in the MoPA courses in Finland relate, for example, to teaching skills, supporting a child's physical development and health, and enabling learning environments [see also ( 23 )]. The Finnish students are given several options for completing the elective studies (25 ECTS) included in the ECTE degree; however, offered courses vary between the universities. For instance, the 25 elective credits can be completed in individual university-level courses, such as language and communication studies, studies completed abroad or working life studies. Furthermore, minor studies can be completed as one basic study unit, possibly in MoPA-related fields.

- In Iceland, at one of the two universities, there is one mandatory 10-credit course at the bachelor level titled “ Movement and artistic expression, indoors and outdoors ”. No other course titles mention MoPA keywords. The students can specialize in different areas and complete the area chosen with a final thesis, which could be related to MoPA. Furthermore, Iceland has a separate educational track for PE teachers, and the PE education is related to different school levels, although most PE teachers work at post ECEC levels.

- In Norway, all universities and university colleges offer a mandatory 20 credits course of “ Nature, Health and Movement ”. The learning objectives are among others related to children's use of their body and senses in play and learning, motor skills, health-promotion and life skills. There are up till 50 elective credits in the Norwegian model. During the first 2 years of the education the first 20 credits are offered as either one or two different courses. A few institutions offer the opportunity to use all 20 credits aimed at MoPA, while others offer 10 credits in subjects related to MoPA. Some institutions have also chosen to convert 10 or all 20 credits into compulsory subjects. Third year students, at all 12 institutions, have an elective specialization of 30 credits. Most of the institutions offer various forms of physical activity among their specialization subjects. It is important to note that besides the MoPA related keywords all universities offer electives within the area of outdoor pedagogy and outdoor recreation, which have an explicit focus in the Norwegian ECTE.

- In Sweden, there are 338 courses at the 19 universities offering ECTE. Some university courses comprise 30 credits containing sub-courses, which have not been analysed. Two universities have a 7.5 credit course, and one has a 15 credit course with MoPA in the title. These three courses are only partly directed towards MoPA as indicated in the titles such as “ Movement, Nutrition and Health in Preschool ” (7.5 credit ), “ Early Years Education II, Physical Education and Health ” (7.5 credit) and “ Play, Aesthetics, Creativity and Movement ” (15 credit). There are no elective courses directed at MoPA at the universities in Sweden.

4 Discussion

This study explores the integration of MoPA in the policy documents of ECTE in the Nordic countries. A network of researchers from the participating countries conducted a comparative analysis and revealed the varied approaches shaped by national and university policies across the Nordic countries. This difference has an impact on the ECEC teachers' competencies, their prioritizing and motivation for MoPA, and in the end, differences between the MoPA each child meets across ECEC's in the Nordic countries ( 16 , 23 ). This discussion explores the diverse policies employed in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden while considering overarching themes and their implications. Additionally, it compares the findings with findings from other countries and suggests future directions for development and research within the field of MoPA in ECTE.

4.1 Nordic diversity in policies and approaches

Finland and Norway prioritize MoPA at the university level through compulsory courses within their ECTE programs. Although Finland has no binding national policy document obligating it, the universities commonly offer approximately five-credit PE courses. In contrast, Norway has a national framework plan guiding ECTE programs, and each university can make its teaching guidelines based on the framework plan. Finland's “ Physical Education ” and Norway's “ Nature, Health and Movement ” courses exemplify the commitment to standardizing MoPA education. Furthermore, Norway's elective MoPA courses and focus on outdoor pedagogy, enhance competency diversity within the ECEC workforce in Norway. A study of ECTE in Finland revealed that the relevant PE courses predicted pre-service teachers' higher perceived competence in teaching PE ( 25 ). However, the university did not influence pre-service teachers' perceived competence in PE, and only minor differences were observed in how PE was delivered between the universities ( 23 ). This slight difference in perceived competence could be explained by the compulsory course for PE, similar educational background in MoPA studies for ECTE educators, and collaboration between the educators in Finland. Almost all PE teachers in ECTE programs in Finland have a doctoral-level education in Sports or Health Sciences. Because they form a joint network, it might lead to similar course implementation and high priority of MoPA in ECTE ( 23 ).

In Denmark, the elective course option, the lack of specific MoPA compulsory courses, and the limited provision of national guidance and common approaches to MoPA leave a considerable variability in the pre-service teachers' MoPA competencies. In Sweden, there are binding national policy document regulating ECTE, but MoPA is not mentioned in these documents, and at university level, there are even more limited educational opportunities for ECTE students to study MoPA. General education does not offer any or very little MoPA education, which means generally low competence development within the MoPA area ( 16 ). In addition, there are no elective courses or specializations in MoPA, meaning no MoPA specialists are trained. Iceland also exhibits limited MoPA offerings, raising questions about the depth of MoPA education.

4.2 The role of internships

Internship plays a crucial role in ECTE programs but varies across countries. In Finland, the internship is limited to 15 credit, and findings point to the risk that limited training and supervision may pose challenges for students without prior experience organizing movement and physical activities or creating inspiring learning environments ( 23 ). Denmark has the most internship credits, with 75 credits. Iceland and Sweden have 38 and 30 credits, respectively. In Denmark, some learning objectives are directly related to organizing activities and motivating play and physical expression, but it might be ineffective due to the lack of MoPA in other parts of the education. In Norway, internships are closely related to the individual courses. Students plan and deliver smaller practical assignments related to the course's learning objectives, for example, in the course “ Nature, Health and Movement. ” The number and length of internships do not ensure practical competencies within MoPA—especially if MoPA practices are not required during the internship. Supporting students’ perceived competence during their studies becomes essential in these cases to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Culture, role models, responsibility, support, feedback, and transparent integration of MoPA competencies are all essential for the quality of internships.

4.3 Essential or optional competencies

The comparative analysis raises the question of whether competencies related to MoPA are crucial or optional for ECEC teachers. In Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden, MoPA is a direct requirement in the law or national curriculum governing the ECEC ( 15 ), but it needs to be prioritized to the same degree in the ECTE policies. In Denmark, students can choose elective courses and practice the necessary skills during internships, but there are minimal basic requirements. This opportunity seems even smaller in Sweden and in one of the two universities in Iceland. Thus, the students in ECTE do not obtain the necessary competencies to lead and facilitate MoPA in ECEC, which is indisputably essential for the children's development, health, and well-being and as prescribed in the curriculum for ECEC across the Nordic countries ( 15 ). The lack of education in MoPA at ECTE may most likely affect the teachers' self-efficacy and motivation to provide high-quality MoPA ( 16 , 23 , 26 ). This can lead to a missed opportunity for children to learn fundamental movement skills and obtain crucial positive experiences in early childhood, resulting in limited engagement in physical activity during later childhood and adulthood with consequences for quality of life and health ( 2 ). In these contexts, it is essential to consider ways to ensure that all ECTE students, regardless of program variations, receive adequate knowledge and skills related to MoPA.

4.4 The integration of MoPA in ECTE outside the Nordic countries

This paper investigates the integration of MoPA in ECTE in the Nordic countries, and while it appears that the international body of literature has recently increased regarding PE in ECEC it is still scarce on curriculum studies ( 27 ). A recent study compared perceptions of PE in ECTE courses in US, Brazil, and Finland. They found that MoPA was a compulsory part of the curriculum in Finland and Brazil, while specific guidelines are lacking in the US ( 28 ). This also seems to be the case in Slovenia, where there exists considerable variation in the understanding of PE in ECEC ( 29 ), and in Canada, where approximately one third of the newly graduated ECEC teachers have completed MoPA courses ( 30 ). Finally, a very recent study from Ankara, Turkey, found that the students improved their initial negative attitudes towards PE during a 16-week required course in PE and games. However, it was not sufficient for the students to feel ready to teach PE in ECEC ( 31 ). The knowledge of MoPA courses in ECTE internationally is limited, and specifically there is a severe lack of studies evaluating how pre-service teacher education in MoPA leads to higher quality practices in ECEC ( 27 ).

4.5 Development of MoPA for ECTE

In the Nordic countries, there is a tradition for a high degree of teaching autonomy in higher education, and recent developments towards defined learning objectives and systematic evaluations in ECEC have led to an increased focus on scholastic competencies and less emphasis on care, play, and child-centered holistic child development ( 8 , 13 , 14 ). Considering the scientific evidence underscoring the importance of MoPA for both health and holistic development ( 1 ), it is evident that gaps persist within ECTE programs in the Nordic countries. These gaps not only impact the Nordic countries but also hold global significance. On a global scale, UNESCO, stresses the vital role of well-trained early childhood educators in fostering comprehensive child development, including physical well-being ( 9 ).

In light of these considerations, future cross-country collaborations are envisioned to establish shared guidelines and frameworks that fortify MoPA in national policy documents and approaches within the Nordic countries. According to the Non-affirmative Theory of Education, understanding higher education leadership requires seeing it as a part of a more extensive dynamic process of creating direction collaboratively, spanning several leadership levels—from international to local levels, and includes a multitude of actors ( 18 ). ECTE policymaking is closely connected to ECEC policy and its role and function in society. In this regard, the autonomy of ECTE is limited compared to other higher education, where universities can have greater influence on the curriculum. That said, the ECTE managers and educators in the Nordic countries still experience a large degree of autonomy when it comes to course planning and teaching, which places parts of the leadership at the lower levels. MoPA in ECTE should therefore be considered in a larger context, including dynamic influence from society, culture, academia and actors at different levels of the higher education system, including the ECTE educators ( 18 ).

Based on the current study and in line with the theoretical offset, we suggest that ECTE in the Nordic countries should be inspired by best practices to further promote MoPA competencies in ECTE. This includes three areas:

• Compulsory MoPA : Establishing a mandatory independent course for PE would ensure that all students get basic skills within the area of MoPA, as seen in Finland ( 23 ). Furthermore, it will strengthen the ECTE educators' competencies and lead to professional development, resulting in higher-quality education. Guidelines like in Norway could be established to improve consistency and collaboration across the universities. The guideline gives the ECTE educators a shared understanding when prioritizing content and learning objectives.

• Integrate MoPA in internships : Second, internships can play a crucial role in developing MoPA competencies if they are prioritized and connected with other learning objectives of the education. In Denmark and Norway, parts of the internships are linked to MoPA learning outcomes, and the students should obtain experience with planning, implementing, and evaluating different activities.

• Professional network : Third, network and collaboration across universities and university colleges within and across the countries should be promoted. In Finland, for example, PE teachers in higher education have formed a network to share knowledge, good practices, and unify teaching content, aiming to enhance the competence of ECEC teachers. These networks could furthermore encompass external stakeholders and the research community to elevate MoPA in ECTE and ECEC.

4.6 Strengths and limitations

The comparative analysis across five Nordic countries included close collaboration by national experts and researchers. A combination of investigations of policy documents at the national and university level and expert knowledge set a solid foundation for comparing MoPA in ECTE in those countries. However, there was a notable variation in the analyzed documents across countries, which posed a challenge for direct comparability and hindered systematic comparisons. Consequently, only course titles were employed for the keyword search. The rationale behind this choice was the consideration that if MoPA keywords were not explicitly mentioned in the title of the courses, they might be perceived as having lower educational value in terms of MoPA. It is acknowledged that certain universities may incorporate MoPA elements in specific courses, even if not evident in the course title analyses conducted in this study. In the keyword search, a select set of terms defining the field related to MoPA was utilized. Notably, terms such as “playing,” “nature,” or “outdoor” were deliberately excluded to maintain a focused delineation of the subject matter, recognizing that MoPA might not necessarily be explicitly defined as a target in these courses.

This study focused on the governance of ECTE and was related to the national and institutional levels of the education. We have only to a small degree included perspectives from other levels of the Higher Education Leadership hierarchy ( 18 ), and future studies should incorporate perspectives from the ECTE educators and include society and academia in the understanding of the context. This should also include a closer investigation of differences and similarities of the specific MoPA curriculum content and teaching methods.

4.7 Conclusion

In investigating the integration of MoPA within ECTE program policies in the five Nordic countries, we found considerable variations. Finland and Norway prioritize MoPA with independent mandatory courses accompanied by elective opportunities. In Iceland, a compulsory MoPA course exists at one of two universities, and in Sweden in three out of 19 universities. The university colleges in Denmark only offer elective courses. Furthermore, practical learning objectives related to MoPA are part of the internships in the countries to varying degrees, with Sweden being an exception. Generally, there needs to be a higher priority, more guidance, and better agreement on essential MoPA content within and across the countries.

This comparative analysis of MoPA in ECTE in the Nordic countries reveals diverse approaches influenced by national and university policies. Given that MoPA is not prioritized in some of the Nordic countries at the national levels of policy and governance, this absence extends to the governing documents and course titles at the university level. This lack of emphasis may lead to an inadequate integration of MoPA in ECTE. To promote quality MoPA education in ECTE, national parliaments must protect children's interests by ensuring that MoPA is incorporated into ECTE policies.

In conclusion, the Nordic countries offer diverse approaches to MoPA integration in ECTE programs, reflecting national policies and educational traditions. The variations underscore the importance of high-level national priority and cross-cultural collaboration to promote quality MoPA education in ECTE and equip future early childhood educators with the competencies to foster physical activity and healthy development among young children.

Data availability statement

The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.

Author contributions

LC: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. JE-E: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing – review & editing. AS: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing – review & editing. RL: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing – review & editing. GK: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing – review & editing. KF: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing – review & editing. AC-S: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing – review & editing. AS: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing – review & editing. IF: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing – review & editing. RV: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing – review & editing. LO: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing.

The author(s) declare that no financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Acknowledgements

We sincerely thank colleagues for valuable advice and Nordplus Higher Education for financial support to the network activities.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher's note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Supplementary material

The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2024.1352520/full#supplementary-material

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Keywords: education policies, preschool, early childhood education, international comparison, physical development and movement

Citation: Christiansen LB, Ekberg J-E, Soini A, Larsen R, Kristjánsdóttir G, Froberg K, Sollerhed A-C, Sääkslahti A, Fjørtoft I, Vilhjálmsson R and Olesen LG (2024) A comparative analysis of movement and physical activity in early childhood teacher education policy in five Nordic countries. Front. Sports Act. Living 6:1352520. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1352520

Received: 8 December 2023; Accepted: 20 March 2024; Published: 5 April 2024.

Reviewed by:

© 2024 Christiansen, Ekberg, Soini, Larsen, Kristjánsdóttir, Froberg, Sollerhed, Sääkslahti, Fjørtoft, Vilhjálmsson and Olesen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Lars Breum Christiansen [email protected]

Abbreviations MoPA, movement and physical activity; ECTE, early childhood teacher education; ECEC, early childhood education and care.

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Denmark's higher education puts emphasis on a technical higher education through the university learning. Most of the Danish universities also offers quality international students culture due to its relaxed Scandinavian attitude.

Denmark pays students to go to college. But free education does have a price.

Borrowers in the US and the UK rack up the highest debt in the world. In Denmark, tuition is free and students are given grants to pay for things like food and housing. Hardly anyone takes out loans, but free education comes with a price.

• By Joshua Coe

Students walk through the University Park in Aarhus, Denmark, on June 20, 2023. Public universities in Denmark like the one in Aarhus are free for Danes, permanent residents in the country and students from the EU.

Hannah Hirschsprung Lange, who is finishing her fourth and final semester studying bioengineering at Aarhus University in Jutland, Denmark, receives about $800 each month in financial support from the Danish government.

“It means I don’t have to work too much besides school,” Hirschsprung Lange said. “It helps with paying the rent and food, and then, you don’t have to think too much about it.”

And like most Danes, she will graduate owing nothing. That’s because in Denmark — as in at least a dozen European countries — tuition at public universities and most colleges is free, and students are paid to go to school as if it’s a job.

The Danish grant system, known as the Statens Uddannelsesstøtte, or SU for short , is available for students for up to six years. The amount of money a student receives depends on how much they earn working on the side. In the case of illness or pregnancy, students can apply for extra financial help.

With student debt repayments back on the horizon for college graduates in the US , Hirschsrpung Lange said that the American higher education system seems broken because of “the fact that you have to go into so much student debt.”

Still, many Danish students like Hirschsprung Lange work part time to earn extra spending money for things like vacations and clothes. And some students do take out government loans, but they aren’t always used for school.

For Astrid Skifter Madsen, a first-year chemical engineering master’s student at Aarhus University, a loan enabled her to go to Asia recently.

“I needed a long summer holiday to Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia,” she explained. “So, I needed some money to cover that.”

Madsen said that she’s not worried about being able to finish her studies and paying back the loan.

The Danish government subsidizes student loans with a low interest rate, and she’ll have up to 15 years to pay it off.

Many Danes say that the generous subsidies and the free tuition is money well-spent.

“I mean, in the end, in a sense, you pay it back later,” said physics student Tobias Washeim, 22, who’s finished his third year of his bachelor’s degree at Aarhus University. “And I think it takes the stress off being a student.”

Danes do end up paying for the free education and the SU system through the country’s steep taxes that can carve out over 50% of one’s income. (It’s a progressive tax system , so the more you earn, the more you pay.) But polling in the country has shown satisfaction with the high taxes, which not only contribute to free education, but also free health care and pensions.

“You might pay less taxes and you get a higher income in the US, but I don’t really mind paying [those] high taxes,” Washeim added.

The SU system came about 50 years ago  at a time when the country of just 6 million decided to prioritize a well-educated population, explained Philipp Schröder, who teaches economics and business at Aarhus University.

“It’s a small open economy [that] has virtually no raw materials here apart from brains,” Schröder said. “And so, that is a political agenda that has always been baked-in for changing governments [in Denmark]. So, education is for free.”

The idea was, in part, to make higher education an option for anyone in Denmark, regardless of their socioeconomic status, explained Fane Groes, an associate professor at Copenhagen Business School.

Before that, the SU system saw many students stuck with heavy loan burdens and high interest rates. But despite the goal of leveling the playing field for all Danes, Groes said, it hasn’t exactly worked out that way: “We know that it is the more-educated children and the richer children who actually go to college or university.”

A 2021 study showed that for Danes born in 1987, the social heritage of education attainment is at the same level as in the US . And while the SU costs Denmark a little more than 1% of the gross national product , there are grumblings inside and outside of the government about the system. For one, because Denmark is part of the European Union, it has to offer SU grants to students from other EU countries.

Politicians have argued that this mandate has seen little returns, with a minority of internationals staying in Denmark after graduating . And, they say that too many students take too long to get through school and don’t go into fields that the country needs.

“If you allocate resources and talent mass sensibly in an economy, you don’t want that to happen — that people train for something that no one in the job market wants,” said Schröder, who sat on a government commission tasked with suggesting higher education reforms. “Then, they have to settle for lower-skilled jobs where they can’t use the investments they have taken.”

Earlier this summer, the government made some of the biggest reforms to higher education, controversially shortening or restructuring the length of a third of the country’s 500 master’s programs from two-year degrees to one year and three months .

The government said it will reallocate the funds to training for nursing, teaching and social work — fields that have recently experienced staff shortages in Denmark . But there was no government proposal to get rid of free tuition for undergraduates. Nor did they touch payments that go to students.

The move is expected to mainly impact master’s degrees in the humanities and social sciences .

Sigrid Strunge Vetter, who recently completed a psychology degree at Aarhus, said she couldn’t imagine jamming two years of study into one year and three months.

“I have a two-year master’s degree, and I still feel like I’m having massive gaps and there’s lots of knowledge I haven’t gathered,” she said. “So, how they want to be able to cut that down to half, I simply can’t fathom.”

Overall, Strunge Vetter said that she is not against reforms, though. She said it’s good for the state to regulate higher education to correspond with market needs to keep unemployment rates down.

But she doesn’t want the government to chip away at the right of every Dane to get a higher education.

“It ensures that everybody, independently of their financial and socio-economic background can attend whatever studies they want to attend,” which she hopes will be the case for generations of Danes to come.

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