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<p>This study explores the impact of a gamified, multi-positioned approach to decision-making in Finnish early childhood education (ECE). In Finland, ECE is a vast societal service for families, heavily regulated by the government. Decision-making processes and their effects from the legal agent to families and children are long and fragmented. Information appears to flow predominantly from top to bottom, and transparency is lacking across organizational levels. This hinders the realization of inclusive values in ECE and calls for more systemic and holistic approaches. The study used gamification—including multi-positioning and systems intelligent facilitation—to enhance holistic understanding in decision-making. Participants (<i>N</i> = 10) from different hierarchical and professional roles in Finnish ECE participated in a planning task, designing an ECE system for a fictional planet. The nature of the task enabled creative and reflective dialogue beyond real-world limitations. Data was analyzed through qualitative content analysis using the four-leverage framework of systems intelligence (SI): mental, perceptual, behavioral, and systemic change. The findings demonstrates that multi-vocality combined with a systems intelligent approach supports holistic understanding, autonomy, and collaborative responsibility in ECE decision-making. The factors differences observed between the participant groups highlight how municipal context and group composition shape the emergence of systems intelligent behavior. Gamification fostered multi-vocal interaction and temporarily flattened institutional hierarchies, allowing for the emergence of shared understanding. A lack of experience and consensus-seeking approach in decision-making were identified as hindering factors. These findings are significant for systemic development work and implementation in ECE. This study highlights the potential of gamification to facilitate inclusive and collaborative decision-making in ECE. It offers practical implications for systemic development work, particularly in diverse municipal contexts where the implementation of reforms requires both top-down policy and bottom-up engagement.</p>

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Towards holistic understanding and solutions: gamified multi-position in decision-making in early childhood education

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月9日

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  • Kata-Riikka Kumpulainen,
  • Päivi Pihlaja,
  • Elina Viljamaa,
  • Sanni Kahila

摘要

This study explores the impact of a gamified, multi-positioned approach to decision-making in Finnish early childhood education (ECE). In Finland, ECE is a vast societal service for families, heavily regulated by the government. Decision-making processes and their effects from the legal agent to families and children are long and fragmented. Information appears to flow predominantly from top to bottom, and transparency is lacking across organizational levels. This hinders the realization of inclusive values in ECE and calls for more systemic and holistic approaches. The study used gamification—including multi-positioning and systems intelligent facilitation—to enhance holistic understanding in decision-making. Participants (N = 10) from different hierarchical and professional roles in Finnish ECE participated in a planning task, designing an ECE system for a fictional planet. The nature of the task enabled creative and reflective dialogue beyond real-world limitations. Data was analyzed through qualitative content analysis using the four-leverage framework of systems intelligence (SI): mental, perceptual, behavioral, and systemic change. The findings demonstrates that multi-vocality combined with a systems intelligent approach supports holistic understanding, autonomy, and collaborative responsibility in ECE decision-making. The factors differences observed between the participant groups highlight how municipal context and group composition shape the emergence of systems intelligent behavior. Gamification fostered multi-vocal interaction and temporarily flattened institutional hierarchies, allowing for the emergence of shared understanding. A lack of experience and consensus-seeking approach in decision-making were identified as hindering factors. These findings are significant for systemic development work and implementation in ECE. This study highlights the potential of gamification to facilitate inclusive and collaborative decision-making in ECE. It offers practical implications for systemic development work, particularly in diverse municipal contexts where the implementation of reforms requires both top-down policy and bottom-up engagement.