Children's transitions to and from preschool class : Borders, identities and (dis-)continuities

• Research topic: Research suggests a tension around transitions in the early years: while borders between school forms have become more clearly marked, there are also ambitions that transitions between them should be “soft” – that is, not posing potential threats for children. The overall purpose of the research is to gain knowledge of how transitions to and from preschool class can be understood from children’s perspectives in terms of border crossings, identities and continuities. Theoretical and Methodology framework: The study aims to approach the children’s perspectives of transition, and the data is constructed through both observations and conversations with children. The theoretical framework providing the basis for this study includes theories of transition, borderland theories and theories of identity constructions. The study adopts the theoretical position that children pass through certain institutional borders in transition from preschool to the preschool class. Transition is a phase in which individuals start to re-define their perception of who they are as they enter new social contexts. One assumption is that children themselves can influence, challenge and stretch those borders, or even create their own borders. Main findings: The results show that transitions between school forms can be considered as threats for children in terms of social discontinuity. The results also show that a smooth transition appears to be a spiral process in which children have the opportunity to commute back and forth across borders between different school forms, and engage in different communities in different arenas. In addition, the results show that children desire educational continuity. However, this appears to be difficult to construct in preschool class as the educational landscape is changing and preschool and school is moving closer to each other in terms of content and focus. Relevance for Nordic Educational Research: Children’s transitions from preschool to school are managed differently across the world. This study puts the spotlight on the Swedish preschool class that is placed in the borderland between preschool and primary school.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Pedagogics and Educational Sciences

Pedagogik och Utbildningsvetenskap

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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