| 1. |
- Engström, Susanne, et al.
(författare)
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Approaches to industrial processes in technology textbooks
- 2023
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Ingår i: The 40th International Pupils’ Attitudes Towards Technology Conference Proceedings 2023, 1 (October)..
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study is to explore how technology textbooks can provide students with a basis for expressing knowledge about technical solutions within industrial processes. The base and the delimitation for the study is the formulation of the specific content on industrial processes that must be taught to 13 to 15-year-olds in Swedish schools pursuant to the national syllabus. Textbooks constitute an important foundation for teaching, particularly in the subject of technology, in which teachers may find the breadth of content they are expected to teach challenging. The study analyses the sections concerning industrial processes in four different technology textbooks commonly used for students in the age group 13–15. Analysis involved interpreting content in the form of text, images, assignments etc. related to aspects that are expected to characterise students’ descriptions and explanations of technical solutions: understanding of technical solutions purpose and functionality, how components interact as a whole, similarities to other technical solutions and relating them to their own experiences. The results show that these aspects emerge in different ways depending on, among other things, how the area is presented. We found three different ways in which industrial processes are presented in the textbooks: A unique industrial process is described carefully and in detail, Sub-processes and methods are presented systematically and Industrial processes are described as technological systems at a general level. One interpretation is that, as a teacher, you can teach about industrial processes in these different ways and that which one you choose affects to what extent certain aspects of technical solutions are visualised for the students.
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| 2. |
- Nilsson, Tor, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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Children’s interactions with technology in teachers’ self‑reported activities in Sweden’s preschools
- 2022
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Ingår i: International journal of technology and design education. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0957-7572 .- 1573-1804. ; 32:1, s. 129-147
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study investigates preschool children’s interactions with technology in a Swedish context. The purpose is to broaden our knowledge about children, technology and preschool activities—not only the meanings of technology that is present in everyday preschool activities, but also how children interact with it. Collier-Reed’s (Pupils’ experiences of technology: exploring dimensions of technological literacy, PhD thesis, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 2006) category system has been used to analyse data generated in two research circles. The participating preschool teachers were asked to present teacher- and children-initiated activities from their daily practices. 54 cases were identified, of which 40 included children’s interactions with technology according to the definitions provided by Collier-Reed. Mapping the results in a matrix representation based on Collier-Reed’s two sets of categorisation systems shows two clusters. The first mainly includes teacher-initiated activities, in which children were instructed how to use different artefacts. The second also includes children-initiated activities requiring more engagement as part of Collier-Reed’s notion of the core. Also, labelling was added to the category system in order to adapt it to the Swedish preschool setting.
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| 3. |
- Nilsson, Tor, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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Kompetens för teknik i förskola
- 2019
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Ingår i: Forum för forskningsbaserad NT-undervisning. - Linköping. - 9789176850442
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)
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| 4. |
- Sundqvist, Pernilla, 1979-
(författare)
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Challenges of teaching technology in the preschool
- 2017
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Ingår i: Technology: An holistic approach to education. - University of Waikato, New Zealand. - 9780995103900 ; , s. 315-324
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In many countries over the last decade early childhood education (ECE) has leaned towards a more learning-oriented pedagogy. This is also the case in the Swedish preschool. Preschool staff in Sweden are now commissioned to teach specific subjects, including technology. Previous research has shown that collectively, preschool staff have a broad and diverse view of what technology education is or should be. At the same time, other studies show that what is actually taught appears to be much less. Thus, something seems to be preventing educators from providing the technology education they regard as essential. The research question is: What challenges exist for the teaching and learning of technology in the Swedish preschool? The statements made by seven preschool staff are used to illustrate these challenges. The statements are analysed using a qualitative content analysis, which results in a set of categories. One of the challenges to the teaching of technology is educators’ lack competence in the subject. This obstacle includes a view of technology as a means for learning rather than the object of learning. Another obstacle is a traditional view of the preschool and learning, namely that children should explore things on their own and that it is more important to follow their interests than the pedagogical plan. In order for teaching to happen in preschool the commission of the preschool along with its inclusion of subject teaching must be clear to all preschool staff. In order for teaching to happen in accordance with the curriculum in-service and pre-service training that focus on how subject teaching that allows children’s participation and influence is performed need to be provided. And finally, in order for technology teaching to happen all preschool staff need adequate training in technology. In-service training for a few is not enough.
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| 5. |
- Sundqvist, Pernilla, 1979-
(författare)
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Characterizations of preschool technology education : analyses of seven individual preschool teachers’ and childcare attendants’ descriptions of their teaching
- 2022
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Ingår i: International journal of technology and design education. - : Springer. - 0957-7572 .- 1573-1804. ; 32:4, s. 2003-2018
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In recent decades the preschool has leaned more towards a learning-oriented pedagogy, where the subject of technology has been given a more prominent place. Still, studies on how individual preschool staff members perceive and teach technology is scarce. This study shows how seven preschool staff in Sweden describe their work with the subject of technology and how technology education is characterized in these descriptions. The data was produced by means of semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire and analyzed with narrative analysis. The results show very diverse practices of technology education, implying the learning possibilities for children in different preschools are not equal. Some of the staff describe a clear and conscious teaching of technology, while others describe teaching what can be viewed as a limited and/or shallow technology education, where technology is sometimes used as means for learning other subjects or contents rather than being the learning objective. Six ways to characterize technology education was found, namely: technology education (1) concerns technological objects and systems in children’s environment, (2) concerns learning to handle technological objects, (3) is doing experiments, (4) involves developing abilities, (5) is naturally included in children’s play and (6) departs from digital technology.
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| 6. |
- Sundqvist, Pernilla, 1979-, et al.
(författare)
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Finns det ett glapp i förskolans praktik när det kommer till teknik?
- 2018
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tidigare forskning indikerar att förskolepedagogers beskrivning av teknik som område generellt inte återfinns i förskolans arbete. Här undersöks om ett sådant glapp kan påvisas. Studien har bedrivits som forskningscirklar med 19 förskolepedagoger. Utgångspunkten var en enkät vars resultat beskriver teknik i fem kategorier. Därefter har pedagogerna dokumenterat exempel med tekniklärande för barnen och angett vilken av teknikkategorierna som bäst beskriver tekniken i händelsen. I enkäten dominerade kategorierna att ”teknik är lösning på att problem” och ”processen i vilken artefakter utvecklas”. I exemplen finns omvänt aktiviteter som knyter an till att identifiera artefakter och att använda teknikord och artefakter. Skillnaden mellan pedagogernas beskrivning av teknik och praktiken ger de själva en relevant förklaring till.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Sundqvist, Pernilla, 1979-
(författare)
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Förskolans teknikundervisning: vad och hur?
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of this study was to provide a description of the subject area of technology and the teaching of it in preschool. Three research questions were addressed: 1) What is the content of the subject area of technology in preschool? 2) How do the participants in the study teach technology in preschool? and 3) What aspects of technology does the preschool staff enable the children to learn? The motivation behind the study is the fact that technology is a relatively new teaching area in preschool. Research on the topic is scarce and does not provide preschool staff with an adequate scientific basis on which to build their teaching. Data were generated in three phases. First, a questionnaire was sent to 10 % of preschools in one municipality, asking staff what they include in the subject area of technology and how they view the teaching of technology in preschool. Secondly, seven preschool staff who had responded to the questionnaire were interviewed with the aim of providing a more detailed description of how technology is taught in their respective preschools. Thirdly, an ethnographically inspired perspective was employed with the participation of two preschool units. I visited them during a six-week period, carried out observations and interviewed staff. The outcome of the research is presented in the form of five individual studies, which collectively provided answers to the research questions. The results showed that preschool staff vary in their descriptions of the content of the technology area and how it is taught, with a range spanning from content that does not belong in technology as a knowledge area to relatively complex technological content. Examples of the former were content such as natural science, non-technological skills and techniques and the use of technology as a means of learning in other subject areas. Examples of the latter were content such as how a specific technology works, for instance what parts an object is made of and how they are joined together, as well as knowledge of technological systems. The descriptions revealed varying levels of competence in the teaching of technology to preschool children, with some staff showing adequate knowledge and confidence and others showing a lower level of knowledge as well as insecurity. It also becomes clear that the intended equality in preschool education had not been achieved in respect of technology education. From the part of this study that was based on an ethnographically inspired perspective it is clear that when preschool staff have the interest and the knowledge needed to teach technology to children, such teaching can be meaningful to the children and contribute to their learning in accordance with the stated mission of the preschool. The study has relevance for preschool practice as well as for the research community.
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| 9. |
- Sundqvist, Pernilla, 1979-, et al.
(författare)
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Is There a Gap to Mind in Preschool Practice When it Comes to Technology?
- 2018
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Ingår i: XVIII IOSTE symposium.. - Malmö : Malmö University. - 9789171049711 ; , s. 303-310
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Research has indicated that there may be a gap between preschool teachers’ general descriptions of technology and thetechnology content in their actual preschool practices. This study investigates this further and, if a gap is found, looks forpossible reasons for it. The study was conducted in the form of research circles in two Swedish municipalities with 19technology-minded preschool teachers. A mixed research design was used. The starting point for mapping the preschoolteachers’ descriptions of technology was an established questionnaire that placed technology into five categories. Followingthis, the teachers independently documented events at their preschools that they assessed as technology activities. The findingswere that the most commonly chosen category in the questionnaire was technology as a solution to a problem. However, intheir everyday examples the dominant activities related to the children’s attempts to use the artefacts. The preschool teacherssaid that the children had to be introduced to the artefacts, their names and functions, before moving on to more advancedlevels describing technology. There is thus a distinction between the preschool teachers’ descriptions of technology and theireveryday practices, where they themselves provide relevant explanations for the gap.
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| 10. |
- Sundqvist, Pernilla, 1979-, et al.
(författare)
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Preservice teachers´ attitudes towards mathematics
- 2023
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Ingår i: 31st EECERA ANNUAL CONFERENCE Children’s Curiosity, Agency and Participation :Challenges for Professional Action and Development Cascais near Lisbon, Portugal 30th August – 2nd September 2023 CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS. ; , s. 208-
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Researchers emphasise the importance for early childhood teacher education (ECTE) to promote positive attitudes towardsmathematics (Hollingsworth & Knight McKennas, 2018). The aim of this study is to investigate preservice teachers' attitudes totowards mathematics, whether and how attitudes change during ECTE and what might cause the changes. Previous research showsthat many preservice and early childhood teachers have low self-confidence and negative attitudes towards mathematics (Gresham& Burleigh, 2019; Hollingsworth & Knight McKenna, 2018; Linder & Simpson, 2018; Palmer, 2010). These negative attitudesinfluence their teaching of mathematics, which in turn affects children’s possibilities to learn (Geist, 2015; Knaus, 2017; Linder &Simpson; 2018; Youmans et al., 2018). We use the concept of attitude and adopt a multidimensional definition, where cognitive aswell as affective and behavioral components are included (Wen & Dube, 2022). We will use a short form of Tapia and Marsh's (2004)Attitudes Towards Mathematics Inventory (ATMI) questionnaire, developed and tested by Lim and Chapman (2013), together withcomplementing open questions. Ethical considerations are made according to the guidelines of the Swedish Research Council (2017).Based on the results, we will describe preservice teachers' attitudes towards mathematics during different parts of their education,as well as what influences these and how ECTE can contribute to promoting positive attitudes. The study can provide knowledgeabout how ECTE can support the development of positive attitudes towards mathematics, with the ultimate aim to enable earlychildhood education teachers to teach mathematics using children’s curiosity and interest.
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