From exception to social norm : Images of the historical preschool in the media

• Research topic/aim How did preschool go from being exclusive for a select group of children in the early 1900s to being a regular part of every family's daily life? The proposed study starts from the hypothesis that media, through its visual content, has been crucial in promoting and disseminating concepts and ideals related to various forms of preschool to the general public, dating back to the establishment of the first preschools in the 19th century.Theoretical framework The theoretical framework of the project is based on the fact that photographic images depict a physical reality, while at the same time being inherently constructed. As historical sources, this implies that photographic images contain information about the look of things at a particular point in time, and visualise the image that the maker intended to present to the public/viewer. As the intent is to explore an extended period of time, the use of path dependency theory could be useful in theorising continuity and change in the visualisation of preschool.Methodological design The archival ethnography is founded on previous findings and the assumption that media, including films, were important parts of marketing or propaganda to convey ideas and ideals about different forms of preschool to the public. Historical sources will be located and analysed on the broad basis of such questions as: How was visual culture aimed at the general public used to promote preschool? What ideals about preschool and conceptions of preschool childhood were conveyed through the media? Expected conclusions/findings Guided by archival findings and preliminary analysis, the project's starting point is newsreels from the interwar period and their entanglement with various other visual media. Here an initial finding is a connection between newsreels from 1929 and 1930 of HSB's Lekstuga Färjan and Stockholmsutställningen 1930 . Photographs and texts in the exhibition catalogue show that there was a complete, what we would now call a preschool department in one of the exhibition halls. As the exhibition had around 4 million visitors, the idea of a preschool, what preschool could look like must have become widespread. The impact of Stockholmsutställningen 1930 and its portrayal of preschools as part of modernity and in shaping a favourable perception of preschool education among the general public is an example of an overlooked visualised event in preschool history. Relevance to Nordic educational research The study of visual (archival) materials of preschools from media will provide new knowledge about how preschool was introduced to the public as the place and norm for a good childhood, adding to previous studies that mainly examined the texts of the profession or politics. This analysis will reveal the ideals created around preschools and the childhoods they offer and provide insight into how, when, where, and why the media features this. Investigating the visualisations of preschool as it shifted from an exception to a societal norm is crucial for comprehending the preschool of today, yesterday, and tomorrow. Since 2018, preschool has been explicit as education and since 1998 there has been a curriculum, so it is relevant to place it in an educational historical context.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

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

Nyckelord

preschool

history of education

film

visual archival materials

Stockholmsutställningen 1930

Early Childhood Education

förskoledidaktik

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)