| 1. |
- Sandberg, Anette, et al.
(author)
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An Interview Study of Gender Difference in Preschool Teachers Attitudes Toward Children's Play
- 2005
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In: Early Childhood Education Journal. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1082-3301 .- 1573-1707. ; 32:5, s. 297-305
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this study was to investigate, identify and describe different ways that female and male preschool teachers conceive, understand and experience play. The research questions addressed are: What perspectives do female and male preschool teachers have on play? Are there differences in play experiences related to gender? The interview study is inspired by phenomenograhpical research. The sample consisted of ten female and ten male preschool teachers. The results show differences between female and male preschool teachers’ play willingness. This study found that male preschool teachers contribute with more playfulness, and this is something that both female and male preschool teachers noticed. Female preschool teachers tend to value calm play and emphasize the importance of social development while male preschool teachers accentuate the significance of physical development. All preschool teachers in the study emphasized that it is important to create inspiring environments for play and outdoor play.
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| 2. |
- Norling, Martina
(author)
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Förskolan - en arena för social språkmiljö och språkliga processer
- 2015
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Title: Preschool – a social language environment and an arena for emergent literacy processes.Author: Martina NorlingBy focusing on preschool, as an arena for emergent literacy and language learning processes, this thesis put the lens on preschool staff´s approaches and strategies in the social language environment in Swedish preschools. Taking its point of departure in real preschool settings, the overall purpose of this thesis is to develop a greater understanding of this social language environment, with particular emphasis on the quality dimensions of strategies, such as the preschool staff´s sensitivity and approaches in the preschool environment. Two didactic issues are of special importance to the thesis: preschool staff´s descriptions of what kind of strategies and approaches they use in the social language environment as well as how preschool staff support children’s language learning processes in literacy-related activities.The thesis consists of four articles aimed at capturing, variations of dimensions of preschool staff strategies as well as approaches that contribute to highlighting essential strategies for supporting children in the social language environment. The theoretical framework in this thesis consists of social constructivism (Vygotsky, 1997) and bioecological theory (Bronfenbrenner, 2005).The four empirical studies in this thesis have made possible a mixed method design. The data production consists of questionnaires with questions regarding background information of the participants, observation instruments (scoring the quality of the social language environment), focus group interviews, video observations as well as a systematic literature review.In this thesis, three dimensions of preschool staff strategies in social language environment emerged: play strategies, emotional strategies and communicative strategies. The social language environment in Swedish preschool can be described in terms of those three strategy dimensions and continuous interplay processes among children, peers and preschool staff, over time. The quality dimensions of strategies focus, on preschool staff efforts and children’s prerequisites of learning processes, rather than focusing on children’s individual performance.Keywords: Preschool, social constructivism, bioecological theory, preschool staff, emergent literacy, social language environment, language learning processes
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| 3. |
- Johansson, Inge, et al.
(author)
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Learning and participation : two interrelated key-concepts in the preschool
- 2010
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In: European Early Childhood Education Research Journal. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1350-293X .- 1752-1807. ; 18:2, s. 229-242
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- At the European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) conference in Prague in autumn 2007, an international network of teacher trainers and researchers was formed to discuss and investigate what learning and participation meant for preschool teacher students and staff who work with young children. In Sweden, the first of these exploratory studies was conducted at Malardalen University and Stockholm University, and 56 preschool teachers and 56 preschool teacher students participated. The study was carried out with the critical-incident method. The participants were asked in a critical-incident questionnaire about how they understood the concepts of and relationship between learning and participation. Questions also were constructed so that the participants had the opportunity to link the concepts of learning and participation in a real situation in preschool. The results show that preschool teachers and preschool teacher students define the meaning of learning and participation in a similar way. It also showed that learning and participation are clearly related to each other.
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| 4. |
- Lillvist, Anne, et al.
(author)
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The construct of social competence : how preschool teachers define social competence in young children
- 2009
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In: International Journal of Early Childhood. - : Springer. - 0020-7187 .- 1878-4658. ; 41:1, s. 51-68
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Preschool teachers share their environment with young children on a daily basis and interventions promoting social competence are generally carried out in the preschool setting. The aim was to find out if and how preschool teachers' definitions of social competence are related to factors in the preschool environment like: a) the number of children having problems related to social competence; b) the support provided to the children; and c) the preschool environment and current research definitions. Method: 481 preschools from 22 municipalities in Sweden participated. Data was analyzed using a mixed methods design in which a qualitative content analysis was followed by group comparisons using quantitative methods. Results: Preschool teachers defined social competence mainly as intrapersonal skills, or as interpersonal relations. The definitions of social competence were not related to the numbers of children having problems related to social skills or social competence in units, the amount of the support provided to the children or the preschool environment. Conclusion: Preschool teachers' definitions of social competence are partly multidimensional, which implies that the interventions aimed at promoting children's social skills and social competence also should be multidimensional. Preschool teachers' definitions of social competence have little relevance to environmental factors, which indicate that social competence, as a construct is more dependent upon perceptions of the individual than on contextual factors.
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| 5. |
- Sandström, Margareta, 1946-, et al.
(author)
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Working with gender pedagogics at 14 Swedish preschools
- 2013
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In: Journal of Early Childhood Research. - : Sage Publications. - 1476-718X .- 1741-2927. ; 11:2, s. 123-132
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In Sweden, gender pedagogics has been on the political agenda the last decade. Consequently, gender matters have been given much attention in Swedish preschools, and specialized pedagogues have also been trained to counteract socially constructed gender distinctions. Therefore, we have explored the enactment of gender pedagogics. We asked 17 preschool teachers to describe the situations revolving around gender issues that they have experienced, using the critical incident method. In all, 34 critical incidents were described and subsequently discussed in groups of 6–10 individuals. Afterward, the data were analyzed qualitatively, with the objective to explore the preschool teachers’ understanding of gender approaches. The analysis led us to single out four “ideal type approaches,” that is, “instrumental,” “co-productive,” “facilitative,” “proactive,” and “agitative” gender approach. The gender approaches were made up by the different ways of interacting with the children as regards gender described by the preschool teachers and by the different ways of reflecting over the described situations. We argue that the four different types of gender interaction emanate from corresponding underlying conceptions of gender, and that they may exercise influence on the children’s identity process.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Sandberg, Anette, et al.
(author)
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The value of in-service training for quality in pre-school
- 2007
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In: Journal of In-service education. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1367-4587 .- 1747-5082. ; 33:3, s. 301-319
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this study is to increase knowledge about, and describe how, participants consider their own learning process and development during in-service education, and to consider how they attempt to implement their new knowledge in pre-school after completing the training programme. The sample consists of nine newly qualified pre-school teachers who participated in interviews twice. The first interview was conducted directly after completing their studies, and the second interview was conducted one year later, when the pre-school teachers once again were active in pre-schools. The findings indicate that pre-school teachers perceive that they have gained strength in their profession. The theoretical bases including developmental pedagogy and a changed view of the child have been crucial for the implementation process. This kind of in-service education is significant in increasing pre-school quality.
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| 8. |
- Eriksson Bergström, Sofia, 1974-
(author)
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Rum, barn och pedagoger : Om möjligheter och begränsningar i förskolans fysiska miljö
- 2013
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- In this thesis the relationship between the physical environment of preschool, children and preschool teachers is studied. Children participate in preschool from an early age and thus are expected to find themselves within an institutional framework (Eilard & Tallberg Broman, 2011) early in life. Today preschool as an institution can be seen as a place where childhood to a great extent is spent and created (Halldén, 2007e). The physical environment of preschool can consequently be regarded as a structure within which childhood is institutionalized (Kampmann, 2004). In general the thesis deals with how children are shaped by and shape the physical environment that they spend so much time in during early childhood. The purpose is clarified in the following questions: How does the physical environment of preschool structure and organise the activities of chil-dren? What activities are created in relation to the possibilities and limitations of the physical environment? In what way can the relationship between the invitations of the physical environment, the child’s scope for action, and preschool teachers be seen? To understand the empirical material in the thesis the concept of affordance (J.J.Gibson, 1986) and the activity theory (Leontiev, 1986; Engeström, 1987) has been used. The empirical evidence in the thesis is based on both video observations and interviews. The study was designed as a multiple case study (Stake, 1995), and three preschool classes each formed a case. The study was inspired by ethnography. The significance of seeing the environment as a set of affordances (J.J.Gibson, 1986) is that it, to a greater degree, can lead to children being allowed to discover the invitations to action there are and as a result freedom to act and negotiations can be created in both inside and outside environments. Through this way of thinking a free zone is created in an institutionalised childhood where children through their agency handle and redesign that which was intended to regulate and give structure. As a counterbalance to the institutionalisation of childhood this study contribute to an understanding of children’s individual and collective activities as a free zone in an otherwise controlled and regulated milieu. The contribution of this thesis consists of the study of the physical environment and the importance of the material in forming the child.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Lillvist, Anne, 1978-, et al.
(author)
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Play in a Swedish preschool context
- 2015. - 1
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In: International perspectives on children's play. - : Open University Press. - 9780335262885 - 9780335262892 ; , s. 175-186
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)
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