The purpose of this study is to investigate how preschool teachers’ views from both the Philippines and Sweden differ based on their own experiences and approaches in relation to the children’s involvement in their everyday life at the preschool. This research sheds light on what strategies and pedagogical approaches the preschool teachers have to involve the children to participate. Moreover, this research will look at and compare what the preschool teachers see as challenges or hindrances in giving children the chance to influence. Qualitative video and personal interviews with five preschool teachers have been conducted from five different preschools in total, two in Sweden and three in the Philippines. The results show that all teachers want to involve the children and give them influence. However, the Swedish preschool teachers put more emphasis on this. It is obvious from the results that the Swedish children are given more influence than the Filipino children. In my analysis I investigate the reasons for this; that might not only be because of a different mindset of the preschool teachers but also structural differences such as a different curriculum, different daily routines, the number of pedagogues per child and the impact of group size.

This thesis explores the strategies compulsory school teachers employ to integrate Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into their teaching practices in Sweden. Given the increasing importance of sustainability in education, this study investigates how ESD is incorporated into the curriculum and the challenges educators face. The research is framed within the Swedish education system context, which mandates ESD inclusion under the national curriculum guidelines. Using qualitative methods, including interviews with teachers and analysis of educational practices, the study identifies key factors that drive and hinder the effective integration of ESD. The findings reveal that while teachers are motivated by a solid commitment to sustainability, they often encounter obstacles such as a lack of resources, insufficient training, and the interdisciplinary nature of ESD, which contrasts with traditional mono-disciplinary teaching methods. The thesis contributes to the theoretical understanding of ESD by highlighting teachers’ resilience and adaptive strategies for overcoming these challenges. It also provides practical recommendations for enhancing ESD integration through improved teacher training, policy support, and curriculum development.