The overall purpose of this study was to investigate the child's perspective on the free play in the youth recreation center. The closer intention of the study has been to investigate what children themselves express as meaningful aspects of free play in the youth recreation center and what various opportunities children highlight when it comes to identity formation and social training in the free play. To answer the purpose three focus groups discussions were conducted with children of mixed ages from grade one to three. The results of the study were analyzed from a symbolic interactionist perspective. Meaningful aspects of free play that the children were describing is that the free play is fun, it's good because then they decide for themselves, they can be with their "friends" and it's good that they get moving. A social skill they get to practice on is to negotiate with each other about what game they are playing, the hearing takes place primarily through various voting methods. The children also develop empathy in free play and create and maintain social relationships. Furthermore, the study shows that choice of game is an important part of the children's identity process. Finally, an important conclusion of the study is that free play is as important as other guided activities in the youth recreation center.

This master's thesis is about how the primary school handles the Corona pandemic in school situations in Sweden, viewed from a children's perspective and child perspective. The empirical data is composed of observations and fifteen semi-structured interviews, with eight students and seven educators. Concepts that form the basis of the study are: being and becoming, children's perspective and the child perspective, children's participation, trust, risk and danger. Previous research shows that children have the right to participate in decisions that affect them. Some researchers advocate for children's right to participate in decision making, while others are critical of the claim. Whether children can participate in decision-making or not, is decisive for which perspectives are practiced, the children's perspective or the child perspective. The results show that children can participate in decision-making on smaller issues, such as when changing hand soap. Moreover, in larger issues, it is adults who make decisions based on what they consider to be children's best interests.

Syftet med studien är att uppmärksamma, förstå samt öka kunskapen om funktionen och meningen med skolans rast. På så vis bidrar studien till ökad kunskap kring såväl barns perspektiv och vilket handlingsutrymme de såväl skapar som nämner som meningsskapande. Genom att använda etnografi som vetenskaplig teknik avser studien belysa rasten utifrån aktiviteter och handlingar som sker.   Utifrån 50 timmars deltagande observation under en skolas förmiddags- och lunchraster består empirin av fältanteckningar, inspelade intervjuer och samtalspromenader . Data har från studiens början producerats under bearbetning, tolkning och analys av materialet. Utifrån denna har tre områden synliggjorts i såväl observationer, intervjuer och samtalspromenader. I studien redogörs detta för under följande rubriker: Skillnader i handlingsutrymme mellan flickor och pojkar,  Utemiljöns betydelse  för barns aktörskap och Vuxnas normer versus barns normer.   Studiens resultat lyfter fram viktiga aspekter av hur barnen själva uppfattar sitt aktörskap och handlingsutrymme utifrån rastens kontext genom sina berättelser och de observationer som genomförts. Resultatet visar skillnader i agerande och handlingsutrymme utifrån kön, där flickor uttrycker ett tydligt behov i att få förhandla kring vad som ska göras under rasten. Naturliga inslag i utemiljön som träd och buskar får en större betydelse och påverkan för barns meningsskapande än rastaktiviteter. Vuxnas normer versus barnens normer skapar hinder för det handlingsutrymme som barnen har behov av, framförallt när det gäller vissa former av lek och regelsättande men resultatet visar även skillnader i hur vuxna förhåller sig till skolans rast kontra hur barnen vill att de vuxna ska agera. / The purpose of the study is to pay attention to, understand and increase the knowledge of the school's recess. In this way, the study contributes to increased knowledge about both children´s perspective and what room of action they feel they have and need in order to create meaning. By being inspired and by using ethnography as a method, the study aims to highlight the recess based on activities and actions that take place  Based on 50 hours of participant observation during one school's morning and lunch breaks, the empiricism consists of field notes, interviews and walk-and-talk sessions. Data has since the beginning of the study been produced during processing, interpretation and analysis of the material. The process has made three areas visible in both observations, interviews and conversation walks. The study describes this under the following headings:  Differences in space of action between girls and boys, Environmental importance for the children’s agency and Adult norms versus children's standards.  The findings of the study highlight important aspects of how the children themselves perceive their agency and room of action, based on the context of the recess through their own stories and the observations made. The result shows differences in behavior and space of action based on gender, where girls express a clear need to negotiate what to do during the recess. Natural elements in the outdoor environment such as trees and shrubs have a greater significance and impact on children's meaning creation than adult controlled recess activities. Adult norms versus children's standards create barriers to the room for maneuver that the children need, especially when it comes to certain forms of play and regulation, but findings also show differences in how adults relate to the school's recess versus how the children want the adults to act.

In this thesis the relationship between the physical environment of preschool, children and preschool teachers is studied. Children participate in preschool from an early age and thus are expected to find themselves within an institutional framework (Eilard & Tallberg Broman, 2011) early in life. Today preschool as an institution can be seen as a place where childhood to a great extent is spent and created (Halldén, 2007e). The physical environment of preschool can consequently be regarded as a structure within which childhood is institutionalized (Kampmann, 2004). In general the thesis deals with how children are shaped by and shape the physical environment that they spend so much time in during early childhood. The purpose is clarified in the following questions: How does the physical environment of preschool structure and organise the activities of chil-dren? What activities are created in relation to the possibilities and limitations of the physical environment? In what way can the relationship between the invitations of the physical environment, the child’s scope for action, and preschool teachers be seen? To understand the empirical material in the thesis the concept of affordance (J.J.Gibson, 1986) and the activity theory (Leontiev, 1986; Engeström, 1987) has been used. The empirical evidence in the thesis is based on both video observations and interviews. The study was designed as a multiple case study (Stake, 1995), and three preschool classes each formed a case. The study was inspired by ethnography. The significance of seeing the environment as a set of affordances (J.J.Gibson, 1986) is that it, to a greater degree, can lead to children being allowed to discover the invitations to action there are and as a result freedom to act and negotiations can be created in both inside and outside environments. Through this way of thinking a free zone is created in an institutionalised childhood where children through their agency handle and redesign that which was intended to regulate and give structure. As a counterbalance to the institutionalisation of childhood this study contribute to an understanding of children’s individual and collective activities as a free zone in an otherwise controlled and regulated milieu. The contribution of this thesis consists of the study of the physical environment and the importance of the material in forming the child.

Syftet med studien är att belysa barns egna perspektiv på tillvaron i en grupp där det finns barn med utåtagerande beteende som kan utsätta dem för verbala och/eller fysiska kränkningar. Barn i två grupper där det finns utåtagerande barn blev intervjuade individuellt. Barnen i den ena gruppen var sex och sju år gamla och i den andra gruppen var de åtta eller nio år gamla. Det finns inte så många studier i ämnet och det är oftast den ena sidan som blir belyst. De utåtagerande barnen får av naturliga skäl stor uppmärksamhet och de andra, kanske tysta barnen, glöms lättare bort i det tumult som kan uppstå i ett sådant klassrum. I dagens skolvärd anses inkludering ofta vara den enda vägen att gå och fokus ligger oerhört starkt på de barn som är i behov av särskilt stöd. De barn som utsätts för de kränkningar som kan ske i en situation där inkluderingen inte riktigt fungerar hamnar i skymundan. Denna studie visar på hur barn mår i en grupp där inkluderingen fungerar sämre än önskat. De barn som befinner sig i en situation där ett eller fler barn i gruppen är kraftigt utåtagerande verbalt och/eller fysiskt känner en daglig oro eller rädsla för att bli utsatta för kränkningar. Flertalet av de intervjuade vittnade om hur de blev ledsna vid påhopp och kände stor oro för att det skulle upprepas trots personalens förklaringar till beteendet. Studien visar också på att barnen menar att det blir bättre efter en tid men samtliga talar om ett första år med upprepade kränkningar både fysiskt och psykiskt. Trots pedagogiska förklaringar till beteendet från personalens sida och förståelse för detta från barnens, upplever de det ändå som att de blir kränkta. / This study aims to shed light on children’s own perspectives on the time they spend in a group were there are children with acting out-behaviour who may expose them to daily verbal and / or physical abuse. Children in two groups where there are acting out children were interviewed individually. The children in group one were six or seven years old and in group two they were eight or nine years old. There are not many studies on the subject since it’s usually only one side of the story represented in various studies and literature. Children with special needs are far more often represented there than the ones without. The children with acting out-behaviour naturally gets more attention than the other, perhaps more silent children, and it’s easy to forget them in the turmoil that can occur in the class room. In today’s schools inclusion is often considered to be the only or right way to go and focus is very strongly directed towards the children with special needs. Children who are exposed to violations that may occur in situations where inclusion is not fully functional sometimes takes second place. This study shows how children experience the time spent in a group where inclusion works less than desired. Children who find themselves in situations where a child or children in their group are acting out strongly verbally and / or physically can be anxious or fearful on a daily basis. Many of the children interviewed witnessed that they felt sad over the verbal abuse and felt fear of getting attacked by the children who was acting out repeatedly. The study also shows that the children believe that it gets better with time but almost every one of them testify of a first year with constant violation of their person, both verbally and physically. Despite teachers pedagogical explanations about the acting out-behaviour the children still feels abused.

In this thesis, we investigate how preschool educators view the children’s outdoor activities in preschool, and for what purposes the educators bring the children outside. Outdoor activities are seen as an obvious part of the Swedish preschool, and the local environment is of great importance as a complement to preschool yards for the educators’ daily work. Extensive research indicates that there are a number of advantages having preschool activities outdoors, both from a health and a learning perspective. At the same time, there seems to be a discrepancy between theory and practice regarding the purpose and organization of outdoor activities in preschool. We affirm that this discrepancy exists, and investigate how it manifests itself. The study’s research approach is phenomenographic. We have gathered material by qualitative interviews, where we have let the informant explain, describe, and give their own view of the children’s outdoor activities and the outdoor environment. The concepts “silent knowledge” and “child perspective” are used as additional tools. The study shows that there is a difference in how outdoor activities in woods and similar environments are managed, versus outdoor activities in the preschool yard. During activities in wood like environments, there is a greater focus on creating situations promoting health and learning, compared to yard activities. The purpose of children’s yard activities is often to split large child groups, separate certain individuals, or to solve work schedule deficiencies. It could also be to give the educators time for administrative duties, such as planning, documentation, or operations development. In their statements, the educators show that they possess knowledge about outdoor activities and the benefits thereof, both from health and learning perspectives, but also that this knowledge is not put into practice for a number of reasons.

No description available.

This is a study that deals with the participation of educators in children's free play from the perspective of children. The aim of the study is to create a greater understanding of how children perceive the participation of educators in their free play. Are we interfering with it or supporting? The study also highlights previous research in the field of play and key concepts are highlighted and clarified. The collection of material has taken place through qualitative interviews with children in three different ways, group interviews, individual interviews and spontaneous conversations. The interviews have been recorded and transcribed. The data has been processed from a children’s perspective to make children’s thoughts visible and to be able to see the phenomenon of play and the participation of educators through their eyes. In the results section, the children’s thoughts about the pedagogues participation in their free play are made visible, the result also shows the children’s perceptions of the concept of play and what it means to them. The results of the study show that children's perceptions about their free play include the phenomenon of role play. A game that the educator does not participate in, only observes and supports when needed. Educators who play are unusual from the children's perspective and only happen in controlled games and activities. The results analysis then turns into a discussion that problematizes the children’s view of the teachers’ absent presence in their play based on previous research.

Detta arbete har till syfte att belysa barn och ungas rättigheter och möjligheter till delaktighet i trafik- och stadsplaneringen. Undersökningar visar att barn och ungas medbestämmande ofta försummas trots att det finns en vilja att vara delaktiga. Även om det i teorin finns tecken på förändringar, så finns det få konkreta bevis på att deltagande verkställs i verkligheten. Enligt Barnkommissionen ska barns bästa beaktas vid alla åtgärder som rör barn. Barnet ska ses som en samhällsmedborgare med rätt att på egen hand uttrycka sina åsikter. Barnkonventionens lydelse har lett till att barnperspektivet allt oftare nämns när beslutsfattare uttalar sig om barns bästa. Definitionen av barnperspektivet varierar dock utifrån vem som tillfrågas vilket gör att begreppet tenderar att används lättvindigt. En del av problematiken ligger också i att det saknas förståelse och kunskap för vad delaktighet egentligen innebär. Från de vuxnas perspektiv kan barns deltagande handla om att validera redan fattade beslut, medan barns agendor innebär en önskan att förändra samhället och göra sin röst hörd. För att barn och unga ska ha förutsättningar för att vara delaktiga i trafik- och stadsplanering krävs det således att de inkluderas i processen och detta kan endast ske genom aktiva insatser. Dessutom krävs det att barn innehar grundläggande kunskap om det man ska vara delaktiga i. Trafik- och miljöfrågor är de större kunskapsområdena som skolan har ett särskilt ansvar för. Barns medverkan i beslut om sin miljö är en förutsättning för förståelse om demokrati och samhällsform. Skolans arbete med trafik, miljö och samhällsplanering ska ge elever insikter och kunskaper om hur ett långsiktigt hållbart samhälle och transportsystem skapas. Trots detta visar flertalet undersökningar att trafikundervisningen i de svenska grundskolorna är eftersatta, något som får konsekvenser för barns möjlighet att utöva sin medborgerliga rätt till medbestämmande. I detta arbete granskas barnperspektivet och barns delaktighet i södra Hyllie, en del av Malmös nyaste stadsdel där möjligheterna varit goda att implementera barnkommissionens målsättningar i utvecklingen. / This thesis aims to illustrate children and young people's rights and opportunities for participation in traffic and urban planning. Studies show that children's co-determination is often neglected despite the willingness to participate. Although there is evidence of changes in theory, there are few concrete evidences which demonstrates that participation is implemented. According to the Children's Commission, children's best interests should be considered in all actions concerning children. In addition, the child should be seen as a citizen of society with the right to express his or her own opinions. The Children's Convention has led to the fact that the children's perspective is increasingly mentioned when decision makers comment on the best interests of children. However, the definition of the child perspective varies according to who is asked which makes the term tends to be used lightly. Part of the problem also lies in the lack of understanding and knowledge of what participation actually means. From the adult perspective, children's participation can be about validating already made decisions, while children's agendas mean a desire to change society and make their voice heard. In order for children and young people to have the prerequisites for being involved in traffic and urban planning, they are required to be included in the process and this can only be done through active efforts. Additionally, children need basic knowledge of what they want to be involved in. Traffic and environmental issues are the major areas of knowledge for which the school has a responsibility to teach. Children's participation in deciding on their environment is a prerequisite for understanding democracy and society. The school's work with traffic, environment and community planning will provide students with insights and knowledge about how to create a long-term sustainable society and transport system. Nevertheless, most surveys show that traffic education in Swedish elementary schools has been neglected, which has consequences for children's ability to exercise their civic right to co-determination. In this thesis, the children's perspective, and children's participation in southern Hyllie, a part of Malmö's newest neighborhood, is examined, where the possibilities have been good to implement the child commission's goals in the development.

Syftet med denna studie var att få en inblick i hur barnen ur ett genusperspektiv ser på de leksaker och lekar som de leker i den fria leken på förskolan. Empirin har samlats in från två olika förskolor, en som ligger i en tätort och en som ligger ute på landsbygden där sammanlagt 10 barn har medverkat. Eftersom arbetet fokuserar på barns perspektiv, valdes intervju samt observation som metod för att samla in empirin. Intervjun valdes för att visa barnens perspektiv medan observationerna skulle belysa barnens val i den fria leken. Intervjuerna spelades in för att sedan transkriberas och kategoriseras. Resultatet av den insamlade empirin visade på att barnen både gjorde val som gick inom de normer som finns i samhället, samtidigt som dem även hade gränsöverskridandet synssätt. Resultatet visade även att man kunde se de vuxnas synsätt i en del av barnens val. / The purpose of this study was to gain an insight into how children from a gender perspective look at the toys and games they play in the free play in preschool. Empirin has been collected from two different preschools, one located in an urban area and one located in the countryside where a total of 10 children have participated. Since the work focuses on children's perspectives, interview and observation were chosen as the method for collecting the empirical data. The interview was chosen to show the children's perspective, while the observations would shed light on the children's choices in free play. The interviews were recorded and then transcribed and categorized. The results of the collected empirical evidence showed that the children both made choices that went within the norms that exist in society, while at the same time they also had cross-border views. The results also showed that one could see the adults' views in some of the children's choices.