Inom förskolans värld kategoriseras bland annat barn som har språksvårigheter, utåtagerandebarn eller blyga barn som barn i gråzonen. Gråzonen är en relativt okategoriserad gruppbarnsom uppvisar någon form av avvikande beteende gentemot den övriga barngruppen eller normsamhället. I detta examensarbete undersöks förskolepedagogers erfarenheter och tankar om barn i gråzonen för att få kunskap om förskolans arbete med barn i behov av särskilt stöd.Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka förskollärares förutsättningar för att arbeta med barn ibehov av särskilt stöd. I uppsatsen genomförs semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex stycken förskolepedagoger. Respondenterna har mellan 10 års till 41 års erfarenhet av att arbeta inom förskoleverksamhet och intervjuerna genomfördes i södra Sverige. Samtliga respondenterna har ett stort intresse för barn i behov av särskilt stöd. Genom den fenomenologiska teorin belyses förskolepedagogerna upplevelser om barn som har i behov av särskilt stöd i det praktiska livet.  I studiens resultat visas hur förskollärarna kämpar för förbättrade villkor och förutsättningar för att kunna tillgodose varje barns behov av särskilt stöd. Studien visar att grunden för att möjliggöra tillämpning av särskilt stöd till ett barn är genom att arbeta med inkludering, men framför allt, genom att dela upp barnen i mindre grupper. Att arbeta i mindre barngrupper är dock något som respondenterna upplever inte är möjligt alla gånger. Glappet mellan vad som fungerar bra och det praktiska genomförandet återfinns i forskningen. Fyra av sex respondenterna upplever att forskningen kan vara långt ifrån verkligheten. Förskollärarna upplever även att det finns brist på resurser för att kunna arbeta med barn i behov av särskilt stöd, samt att de önskar att få bredare kunskap om barn i behov av särskilt stöd. Sammantaget visar den här uppsatsen att tillämpning av särskilt stöd kan liknas vid en hierarki som gör att barn i gråzonen kan osynliggöras eller hinns inte att tillämpas. / In the world of pre-school education, children are often categorized as those with language difficulties, those who are aggressive, or those who are shy; these children are referred to as being in the greyzone. The greyzone encompasses a relatively unclassified group of children who show some form of deviant behavior compared to the rest of the child group or societal norms. This thesis examined pre-school educators’ experiences and thoughts regarding children in the greyzone to gain knowledge about the pre-school’s work with children in need of special support. The purpose of the thesis is to invistigate pre-school teachers’ conditions for working with children in need of special support. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with six pre-school educators. The respondents have between 10 and 41 years of experience working in pre-school education, and the interviews were conducted in southern Sweden. All respondents have a significant interest in children in need of special support. Through phenomenological theory, the pre-school educators’ experiences of children in need of special support in practical life are highlighted. The study’s results show how pre-school teachers strive for improved conditions and prerequisites to meet each child’s need for special support. The study indicates that the foundation for enabling the application of special support to a child is through working with inclusion, but primarily through dividing the children into smaller groups. However, working in smaller groups is something that the respondents feel is not always possible. The gap between what works well and practical implementation can be found in the research. Four out of six respondents feel that research can be far from reality. The pre-school teachers also feel that there is a lack of resources to work with children in need of special support and that they wish to gain broader knowledge about children in need of special support. Overall, this thesis shows that the implementation of special support can resemble a hierarchy that may render children in the greyzone invisible or not adequately addressed.

The aim of this thesis is to, based on teachers’ experiences, describe and analyse meanings of teachers’ leadership in general, and in relation to children in need of special support in particular. The study was carried out within the tradition of participatory-oriented research, a research circle. The dialogues in the circle were based on the participants’ questions, experiences, interests, and knowledge. The circle included a researcher and nine teachers from the following types of schools: preschool, preschool class, compulsory school, and compulsory school for pupils with learning disabilities. The study is based on an understanding of leadership as a relational practice. Leadership is practised in the interaction between teacher and child. Both parties exert influence over the practice of leadership. A central assumption in the study is that knowledge can develop through and in interactions between people, that knowledge and power are connected, and that knowledge and actions are intertwined. Another central assumption is that learning is a complex phenomenon. In the analysis of the research circle’s dialogues, the following meanings of teachers’ leadership emerge: to facilitate learning and discipline, and to promote different interests. The practice of leadership involves teachers handling complex situations in their interactions with ‘all’ children, i.e. children in need of special support and children without such needs. Leadership is practised between teachers and children, and the teachers have to consider the group of children as a collective in relation to the individual children. At the same time, the teachers have to consider their intentions versus what happens during the interactions. In addition, the teachers have to pay heed to the fact that their own actions and the children’s actions influence one another. Finally, the teachers have to consider the individual child’s ‘best interest’ in relation to the requirements of the policy documents. Furthermore, the results indicate that the practice of leadership is perceived as both unpredictable and, to some extent, predictable at the same time, which adds to the complexity of leadership. The teachers cannot know for sure what the children understand or if the children’s actions facilitate learning. However, the teachers can make certain assumptions about how to practice leadership in order to facilitate learning and discipline in children with different needs. The meanings of leadership were expressed in different ways in the circle’s dialogues; both as enabling and limiting in interactions with children in need of special support. One of the study’s conclusions is that leadership seems to be particularly complex in interactions with children in need of special support. The research circle’s dialogues served to promote a democratic knowledge process. The dialogues were characterised by respect for the participants’ different opinions; however, this does not mean that they were free from power structures.

The aim of this thesis is to, based on teachers’ experiences, describe and analyse meanings of teachers’ leadership in general, and in relation to children in need of special support in particular. The study was carried out within the tradition of participatory-oriented research, a research circle. The dialogues in the circle were based on the participants’ questions, experiences, interests, and knowledge. The circle included a researcher and nine teachers from the following types of schools: preschool, preschool class, compulsory school, and compulsory school for pupils with learning disabilities. The study is based on an understanding of leadership as a relational practice. Leadership is practised in the interaction between teacher and child. Both parties exert influence over the practice of leadership. A central assumption in the study is that knowledge can develop through and in interactions between people, that knowledge and power are connected, and that knowledge and actions are intertwined. Another central assumption is that learning is a complex phenomenon. In the analysis of the research circle’s dialogues, the following meanings of teachers’ leadership emerge: to facilitate learning and discipline, and to promote different interests. The practice of leadership involves teachers handling complex situations in their interactions with ‘all’ children, i.e. children in need of special support and children without such needs. Leadership is practised between teachers and children, and the teachers have to consider the group of children as a collective in relation to the individual children. At the same time, the teachers have to consider their intentions versus what happens during the interactions. In addition, the teachers have to pay heed to the fact that their own actions and the children’s actions influence one another. Finally, the teachers have to consider the individual child’s ‘best interest’ in relation to the requirements of the policy documents. Furthermore, the results indicate that the practice of leadership is perceived as both unpredictable and, to some extent, predictable at the same time, which adds to the complexity of leadership. The teachers cannot know for sure what the children understand or if the children’s actions facilitate learning. However, the teachers can make certain assumptions about how to practice leadership in order to facilitate learning and discipline in children with different needs. The meanings of leadership were expressed in different ways in the circle’s dialogues; both as enabling and limiting in interactions with children in need of special support. One of the study’s conclusions is that leadership seems to be particularly complex in interactions with children in need of special support. The research circle’s dialogues served to promote a democratic knowledge process. The dialogues were characterised by respect for the participants’ different opinions; however, this does not mean that they were free from power structures.