Individual and Collective Values in Preschool – a Field of Tension

• How are teachers talking about collective and individual values in preschool? Which field of tension between individual and collective values emerge and how are these handled according to the teachers’ utterances? This study is based on research on moral values and democracy issues in preschool, which has been conducted by Johansson and Emilson (2009). Theories from Bakhtin and Fairclough have been applied, in order to understand how these teachers talk about individual and collective values in preschool. Group interviews with teachers in preschool have been conducted in order to produce empirical data. The method used to interpret the teachers’ discussions is discourse analysis. Each teacher has signed a written agreement to participate in the research project and the ethical principles of the Swedish Research Council have been considered. In a value pluralistic society communication of values in interpersonal encounters involve both challenges and dilemmas for teachers in preschool. In the work to support individual and collective values individual values tend to be emphasised according to the utterances. If discourses about value educational work in preschools is made visible it may mean that prevailing, sometimes unconscious, constructions of thought can be challenged in order to give teachers a deeper understanding, which may lead to change and development in the pedagogical practice.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

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

Nyckelord

value educational work

individual values

collective values

preschool

discourse

Pedagogics and Educational Sciences

Pedagogik och Utbildningsvetenskap

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)