Research, Reform, and the Institutional Transformation of Kindergarten in German-Speaking Switzerland, 1970–2005

This article examines the institutional transformation of kindergarten in German-speaking Switzerland between 1970 and 2005, focusing on the interplay between international research agendas, research-based educational governance and cantonal and local reform initiatives. Drawing on historical institutionalism and approaches to educational borrowing and lending, it compares developments in Bern and Zurich. The article shows that international forums, particularly those of the Council of Europe, circulated concepts concerning educational equality, school readiness, transition, continuity and access to preschool education. Rather than providing ready-made reform models, these ideas offered frames of reference through which existing concerns could be reconsidered and legitimised. At the same time, cantonal research and planning offices made kindergarten an object of state-sponsored research, planning and negotiation. The comparison reveals how international ideas and new forms of expertise were adapted within different cantonal and local constellations, contributing to kindergarten’s gradual integration into compulsory schooling.