Introduction. This empirical study investigates the attitudes of Swedish public librarians who work in the children’s and/or young adult departments, towards children’s literary classics. This is achieved by examining work with the Classics shelf, a genre classification located in the children’s or young adult section. Method. The empirical material consists of transcripts from interviews with seven children’s and young adult public librarians in four Swedish municipalities, the Classics shelves and the libraries’ policy documents. Analysis. The Classics shelves’ genre definition, target group and location were investigated and compared to the libraries’ policy documents. Interview transcripts were examined in regard to the explicit contents of the participants’ statements and divided in themes by perceptions of value, function and use of the literature in a library context. Magnus Persson’s concept of myths describing naturalised perceptions of literature was used to interpret attitudes. A concluding analysis was conducted using the discourse theories of Michel Foucault, Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe. Results. The analysis indicated both shared and conflicting attitudes to children’s and young adult literary classics, with perceptions predominantly taken for granted. Three coexisting discourses were identified: the Reading experience discourse, the Durability discourse and the Fresh discourse. These are mainly tied to different tasks and influenced by the librarians’ preconceived notions, workplace management and external influences such as media debates, with the user perspective as a prerequisite. Conclusion. The results show that the librarian accommodates contradictory and ambivalent views of children’s and young adult literary classics in the library. Literature is mediated indirectly and directly, and expresses the librarian’s personal experience rather than a professional identity. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

The transition from the previous Child Care Act 74 of 1983 to the new Children’s Act 38 of 2005 has been chaotic. Since the introduction of the Children’s Act 38 of 2005, and its subsequent implementation in April 2012, there has been instability in rendering child protection services. This state of affairs has been caused by some serious loopholes and shortcomings in the new legislation; challenges faced by social workers in adapting to it; lack of capacity of the stakeholders in the child protection field; and the shortage of resources to implement it. The goal of the study was to explore the challenges faced by social workers working in child protection services in implementing the Children’s Act 38 of 2005. The researcher conducted this study from a qualitative approach. The study was applied and exploratory in nature and utilised a collective case study design. There were 18 social workers in the employ of Johannesburg Child Welfare who participated in the study. They were selected through purposive sampling. Data was collected by means of focus group discussions. The findings show that social workers face institutional and infrastructural barriers in implementing the Children’s Act. Furthermore, social workers face massive human resource challenges in the implementation of the Children’s Act and these stem from the shortage of social workers; inadequate training of social workers and high case loads. Shortcomings that have been realised in the implementation of the Children’s Act 38 of 2005 relate to the transfer of children to alternative placements; different interpretations of different sections of the said Act; the fundamental change to a court based system of renewing the placement of children; contradictions of the Children’s Act with other legal statutes and societal values; and the over reliance of the child protection system on the foster care system to provide income support for children. The study concluded that the Children’s Act needs to be amended to address its pre-statutory, statutory and post-statutory shortcomings, which create many challenges in its implementation. The study also concluded that the shortage of social workers and/or inadequate training contributes to high case loads, which in turn, influences the effectiveness of child protection services. Recommendations on addressing the challenges faced by social workers in implementing the Children’s Act include the establishment of a kinship care grant; amending the Children’s Act; organising training for all role players involved in implementing the Children’s Act; and addressing technical issues on the implementation of the Children’s Act. / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / gm2014 / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

The purpose of this qualitative study is to look into how social secretaries describe their work with children's participation in the assessment that is carried out at short-term residential facilities for families. Through their descriptions we can gain knowledge of what significance these social workers give children's participation in this context and create more nuances in the overall view on children's participation in Swedish child services. Built in this purpose, we have been interested in how the institutional circumstances can affect children's participation. The study is based on semi-structured interviews with seven social secretaries working in three different facilities for families in two Swedish municipalities. Based on our theoretical assumptions, which are Shier’s pathway to participation (2001) and the interpretation that Svensson, Johnsson and Laanemets (2008) made of Michael Lipsky's (1980/2010) concept of discretion, the interviews have been interpreted and analysed. We have anchored the essay's analysis framework in a social-constructivist approach.  Our results show that the social secretaries places great emphasis on children's participation throughout the assessment process. The work is carried out in an incorporated way where the approach is characterized by seeing the child as an active part and a main person who has the right to participation in ways that works for that specific child. The descriptions show the individual secretaries' ability for child-friendly adaptation in working methods, as well as a shared responsibility for competence development. Experience are referred to as important, as well as reflection on the personal factors that can limit the work. In the result, we can see that a problematic theme lies in the interaction between the social secretary, the parents and the children. The family is in a difficult situation, often enlarged by the intervention in the family's life that moving to the facility entails. How well the collaboration works depends on the possibility to communicate and create relationships built on trust, which directly affects the degree of the child's participation. The result also contains recurring descriptions of how the social secretary decides when the child should be protected from burdensome details, mainly concerning the parents, which can also be regarded as a limiting factor.  Conclusions we have drawn are that children's participation has a central position in these organisations, seen as an indisputable right for all children regardless of age and ability. The discretion of the social secretaries is not limited by organizational factors such as heavy workload or lack of time. It is mainly collaboration difficulties with the family that affect children's participation. However, frequent contact with the family during the long assessment period at the facility create good basis for cooperation, as well as the high degree of transparency and openness that permeates the assessment work according to the social secretaries. Success in relationship-building becomes crucial to children's participation, especially as the path to the child often goes through the parent.

The purpose of this study is to give an insight into how school children in year six, in Sweden, value and view grades. In Sweden, currently there are many debates on whether schools should have grading systems and if so, in which school year they should be introduced. In the present study seven children (3 boys and 4 girls), attending year six, were divided into two focus groups; that were simultaneously conducted. In the focus groups, the children discussed their views, values and their experiences in regard to grades. The results discerned from the two focus groups were that the seven participating school children felt that there was value and merit in receiving grades because they gained a better understanding of their own academic performance based on the grades they received. Additionally, however, the children acknowledged that they also do experience negative emotional effects from receiving grades, such as stress and the de-evaluation of their capabilities in comparison to their schoolmates. Nevertheless, the participating children perceived that grades were necessary and believed that the grading system should begin to be enforced in either year four, or year five, for the most optimal effect.

Syftet med den här studien är att undersöka och ge en bild av hur svenska kommuner arbetar med att implementera Barnkonventionen i deras planeringsprocess. Studien genomfördes genom att skicka ut en enkätundersökning till alla Sveriges 290 kommuner för att skapa en uppfattning om vilka metoder och tillvägagångssätt kommuner använder, vilket resulterade i svar från 123 kommuner som studiens resultat baserades på. Det undersöktes även vilket av Boverkets tre definitioner av perspektiv på barn (Barns perspektiv, Barnperspektivet och Barnrättsperspektivet) svenska kommuner använder för att ge barn större inflytande och en ökad delaktighet i deras planeringsprocess. Studien undersökte även om det finns en eventuell skillnad i kommuners arbete beroende på deras befolkningsstorlek, samt vad detta kan bero på och leda till. Chi²-tester användes för att analysera kommunernas svar på enkäten och finna eventuella samband mellan variabler som kommunens befolkningsstorlek och deras svar på enkätfrågor. Ett eventuellt samband visar att det finns en skillnad i kommunens befolkningsstorlek och hur långt i arbetet med barns delaktighet i planeringsprocessen kommunen har kommit. Kommunernas svar kommer även att kategoriseras genom en delaktighetsmodell från UNICEF, vilket visar till vilken grad barn är delaktiga i kommunens planeringsprocess. Resultatet visar att svenska kommuner har kommit olika långt samt arbetar på olika sätt med implementeringen av Barnkonventionen. Via analyser, baserad på tillgängliga data går det att finna ett antal samband mellan kommunernas befolkningsstorlek och hur arbetet med barns delaktighet i planeringsprocessen går till. Befolkningsmässigt större kommuner ger barn i bredare utsträckning en mer delaktig roll i sin planering, då undersökningen visade att det är en större procentandel befolkningsmässigt stora kommuner där barn är delaktiga i planeringsprocessen. Samtidigt använder befolkningsmässigt mindre kommuner sig av metoder som ger barnen en större möjlighet att uttrycka sina åsikter och synpunkter på ett värdefullt sätt, som exempelvis workshops där kommunen kan arbeta närmare barnen tack vare den mindre befolkningsstorleken. Studien visar att majoriteten av de medverkande kommunerna uppnår minimikravet i delaktighetsmodellen, dock finns det förbättringspotential i synsättet på barn som en viktig tillgång i den fysiska planeringen. Om fler kommuner väljer att använda sig av Barns perspektiv kan kommuner ha ett synsätt som ger barn en större chans att vara delaktiga och få sina åsikter hörda, och sedan användas som beslutsunderlag / The purpose of this study is to investigate and provide a picture of how Swedish municipalities are working to implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in their planning process. The study was conductedby sending out a survey to all 290 municipalities in Sweden in order to get an idea of the methods and approaches used by municipalities. The survey resulted in 123 answers which the result of the study then was based on. It was also investigated which of three perspectives on children by the definition of the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning (The Children’s perspective, The Children’s rights perspective, and the Child perspective) Swedish municipalities use to give children more influence and participation in their planning process. The study also investigated whether there is a possible difference in the work of municipalities depending on their population size, and its causes. Chi-square tests were used to analyze the municipalities' responses to the questionnaire and to find possible correlations between variables such as the size of the municipality's population and their answers to the questionnaire questions. A possible correlation would show that there is a difference based on the population of the municipality and their progress to implement the CRC. The responses of the municipalities will also be categorized using a UNICEF participation model, in which the municipalities are placed at different levels in the model based on the level of participation by children in the planning process. The results show that Swedish municipalities have made different progress and are working in different ways with the implementation of the CRC. Analyses based on the available data reveal a number of associations between the size of the municipalities' populations and the way in which children's participation in the planning process is handled. Larger municipalities in terms of population give children a more participatory role in their planning, which were shown by the higher level of percentage of child participation in more populated municipalities. While smaller municipalities in terms of population use methods, such as workshops, that give children a greater opportunity to express their views and opinions in a meaningful way. The study shows that the majority of the participating municipalities meet the minimum requirements of the participation model, but there is room for improvement in the approach to children as an important asset in spatial planning. If more municipalities choose to use the Child perspective, municipalities can have an approach that gives children a greater chance to be involved and have their opinions heard, which would then be used as a basis for decisions.

År 2020 blev FN:s barnkonvention svensk lag och därmed behöver svenska myndigheter beaktabarnets rättigheter vid myndighetsutövning. Det inkluderar Sveriges regioner och deras arbete medatt tillhandahålla kollektivtrafik. En samhällelig betoning på barnets rättigheter tillsammans medönskan om en hållbar utveckling har ökat uppmärksamheten på barns behov i samhällsutvecklingen. Med utgångspunkt i barnkonventionen som svensk lag och kollektivtrafikens argumenteradebetydelse för social hållbarhet syftar denna studie till att undersöka den omfattning ett barnperspektivinkluderas i den regionala planeringen av kollektivtrafik i Stockholmsregionen. Utifrån det undersöksäven hur barnperspektivet inom kollektivtrafikplaneringen påverkar barnens tillgänglighet att resakollektivt i regionen. Studien består av en fallstudie över Stockholmsregionen inom vilket RegionStockholms planeringsdokument undersöks och regionala planerare intervjuas. Syftet uppnås genomen tematisk analys utefter teoretiska koncept om synsätt på barn som aktör samt tillgänglighet. I studien observeras att barnen anses vara en viktig målgrupp att inkludera, höra och ta hänsyn till iplaneringen av kollektivtrafik i Stockholmsregionen, synsättet att barn är medmänniskor framträder.Dock framkommer att barnperspektivet inom kollektivtrafikplaneringen är starkt beroende av devuxnas analys, tolkning och förståelse för barn, vilket påvisar ett synsätt att de vuxna vet bättre.Dessutom påträffas ett ifrågasättande för barns kapacitet att bidra till planeringen av kollektivtrafikhos vissa planerare, barnen ses som irrationella. Slutsatsen från studien är att synsättet på barn inomplaneringen av regionens kollektivtrafik varierar, även om det råder en stark samsyn att barnen ärviktiga resenärer i kollektivtrafiken. Barns aktörskap och möjlighet till påverkan och inflytelse i samhällsutvecklingen är beroende av attvuxenvärlden skapar utrymme för barnen att delta. I studien observeras ett brett stödmaterial ochflertal arbetssätt för att inkludera både barnperspektivet och barns egna perspektiv inom RegionStockholms kollektivtrafikplanering. Därmed framträder barns påverkan på planeringen av regionenskollektivtrafik som stor. Vilket inflytande barnen sedan får är mindre tydligt. Denna aspekt av arbetetmed barnperspektivet förklarar regionen bör förbättras och utökas. Riktlinjer förklarar att barnen skaaktivt inkluderas och ges hänsyn i planeringsprocesser men det praktiska arbetet med detta beskriverplanerarna som svårt, även om barnperspektivet anses vara betydelsefullt. Planerarna menar atttydliga arbetssätt och kunskap kring barnperspektivet saknas inom regionens kollektivtrafikplanering.Detta motsäger den beskrivning av ett integrerat och systematiskt arbete med barnperspektivet samtär anmärkningsvärt då utbildning inom barnperspektivet är obligatoriskt inom regionen. En slutsatsinom studien är att en brist på kunskap och metoder begränsa både barns möjlighet till påverkan ochinflytande samt planerarnas möjlighet till hänsynstagande för barnperspektivet. Resenärernas olika behov och förutsättningar är utgångspunkten för kollektivtrafikplaneringen iStockholmsregionen. Med andra förutsättningar har barn som resenärer andra behov för attåstadkomma tillgänglighet till och med kollektivtrafiken. För tillgänglighet till systemet framförregionen att användbarhet och trygghet är särskilt viktiga aspekter inom barnperspektivet. Därför skakollektivtrafikens miljöer anpassas efter barns förutsättningar. Ur ett rumsligt perspektiv ärkollektivtrafiken viktig för många barn för att kunna ta sig till skola och aktiviteter. Dock ärkollektivtrafiksystemet planerat efter arbetsresor vilket gör att barns tillgänglighet medkollektivtrafiken kan missgynnas av att systemet inte är anpassat till att försörja deras resebehov. Istudien observeras att barns särskilda behov är en central del inom barnperspektivet i regionenskollektivtrafikplanering där fokus är på barns användbarhet av systemet. Med målsättning om en inkluderande och tillgänglig kollektivtrafik för alla i regionen blirbarnperspektivet en viktig aspekt. Med ambitionen att utöka arbetet med barnperspektivet inomkollektivtrafikplaneringen i Stockholmsregionen är en förståelse för dagens arbete och utmaningarmeningsfull. Utökade möjligheter inom regionen i form av kunskap för barnperspektivet samtvärdeskapande metoder för att inkludera barnperspektivet och barns egna perspektiv konstateras istudien som viktiga utvecklingsaspekter inom regionens kollektivtrafikplanering. Barnen presenterassom en viktig målgrupp för att öka det kollektiva resandet i regionen, både i dag och i framtiden. Attplanera kollektivtrafiken med barnen som resenärer i centrum bör därför vara högst relevant. / In 2020, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child became Swedish law. Thus, Swedishauthorities need to consider the children’s rights in exercise of authority. This includes the Swedishregions and their responsibility to provide public transportation. This study is based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child as Swedish law and the arguedsignificance of public transport for social sustainability. The study aims to investigate to what extentchildren are considered in the regional planning of public transportation in the Stockholm region.Based on this, it is further examined how the planning of public transportation affects the children’saccessibility to travel publicly in the region. A case study of the Stockholm region is performed, inwhich the region’s planning documents are examined and regional planners are interviewed. The aimof the study is achieved through a thematic analysis based on theoretical concepts regarding views onchildren as actors and accessibility. The study observes that children are considered an important group to include and hear whenplanning for public transportation in the Stockholm region; children are presented as fellowinhabitants. However, it appears that the consideration of children within the public transportationplanning is strongly dependent on the adults’ analysis and interpretation of children. This showcasesthe perspective that adults know better. Additionally, the children’s capacity to contribute to theplanning of the public transportation is questioned by some planners, children are seen as irrational.It is concluded that the view of children in the planning of the region’s public transportation varies,although there is a strong consensus about children being important travellers of publictransportation. Children’s opportunity to impact and influence societal development depends on adults creating spacefor child participation. The study encounters many opportunities for the children to impact publictransportation planning, with a wide support material and several methods to include both the childperspective and children’s own perspectives within the regional public transportation planning. Therelative influence of children is less clear. Guidelines explain that children should actively be includedand given influence in the planning processes, but the planners explain the practical work to bedifficult. The planners are experiencing a lack of clear working methods and knowledge regardingchildren. This challenges the description of an integrated and systematic work to consider children inthe regional planning and is noteworthy as education about children in public transportation ismandatory for the planners. A conclusion is that a lack of knowledge and methods limit both thechildren’s opportunities to impact and influence, as well as the opportunities for the planners toconsider the children in the planning of public transportation in Region Stockholm. The needs and preconditions of the travellers form the basis for the planning of public transportationin Region Stockholm. Children as travellers have other needs to accommodate to achieve accessibilitywithin and by public transportation. For accessibility within the system, usability together with safetyand security are presented as particularly important aspects for children. The public transportationenvironment must therefore be adapted to the abilities of children. In a spatial perspective, publicmodes provide many children accessibility to school and activities. However, since the system hasbeen designed for work travel, children’s accessibility with public transportation is disadvantaged by alack of adaptation to their travel needs. The individual needs of children are concluded a centralaspect of the child perspective within the planning of Region Stockholm’s public transportation. With the goal of inclusive and accessible public transportation for everyone in the region, aconsideration of children becomes an important aspect. With the ambition to widen the considerationfor children in the public transportation planning, an understanding of the current work andchallenges are meaningful. To fulfil this ambition, this study found that increased opportunities withinthe region in the form of knowledge regarding children and value-creating methods for including thechild perspective and the children’s own perspective are important aspects to further develop in theregion’s planning of the public transportation. The children are presented as important for increasingpublic travelling in the region, both today and in the future. Planning public transportation with thechildren at the centre should therefore be highly valuable.

AbstractIn the following text we analyse different perspectives in a meeting between a theatreand a visiting school class from grade six in the Swedish Primary School, in order toinvestigate the conditions for children’s participation and for making children’s ownvoices heard in professional theatres. Though it is common for Swedish theatre artists totry to understand and interpret children’s perspectives, it is rare for children to be giventhe opportunity to show their own perspectives in professional theatres in Sweden(Davet 2011 p. 18). The authors of this text have their theoretical base in a socioculturalperspective that gives that learning and creation of meaning and purpose takes place in asocial and cultural context (Vygotskij 1978). In the analysis of our material we havefound Feiwel Kupferberg’s (2009) theory on different creative regimens and Robert A.Harts (1992) descriptions of children’s participation useful. This is a casestudy and our primary method is qualitative interviews. Our informants are four pupils,one teacher, one theatre pedagogue and two theatre artists. The result shows that theartistic creative regimen and the pedagogical creative regimen are different and this hasan impact on how our informants approach the meeting between school and theatre, aswell as on how they think about making children’s voices heard in theatres. Formal andinformal demands and expectations present obstacles to working with children’sparticipation in a co-operation between school and theatre. The social reception after thetheatre performance has been an important part of the participating pupils’ experience.The pupils show enthusiasm about the thought of expressing themselves through theatretogether with teachers and theatre artists. We come to the conclusion that there is a needfor a change in professional roles among all the adult participants in this meeting if theywant to make children’s participation a reality. For this to happen they need to take itupon themselves to use their different professional skills to make children’s ownprojects come to life.Key words: children’s participation, children’s voices, creative regimen, democracy,radical aesthetics, theatre.

Multiple studies show that growing up with a mentally ill parent affects children in many ways. In recent years many children ́s picturebooks about mental illness have been published, making it an accessible subject for the youngest readers. The aim of this study is to examine how children’s experiences of parental mental illness is described in picturebooks on the topic, and if these books can be helpful in increasing children's sense of coherence. The study is based on an analysis of eight Swedish picturebooks dealing with different types of mental illness directed to children in the age group 3-6 years. The books’ descriptions of children’s experiences of parental mental illness are mapped and the content is analyzed using Antonovsky’s theory Sense of Coherence, SOC. The study shows that children’s experiences of parental mental illness as described in the books, are relatively consistent with descriptions found in interview studies with children with experiences of parental mental illness. Furthermore, the study shows that the picturebooks can be helpful for children with experiences of parental mental illness, especially in combination with the presence of an adult whom the child trusts to talk to. Finally, the study shows that the picturebooks offer answers to children’s frequently asked questions about parental mental illness. / Flertalet studier visar att barn på olika sätt påverkas av att växa upp med en psykiskt sjuk förälder. De senaste åren har flera bilderböcker på ämnet psykisk ohälsa givits ut, vilket gör det till ett ämne som även de yngsta läsarna kommer i kontakt med. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur barns upplevelser av föräldrars psykiska ohälsa beskrivs i bilderböcker på ämnet, och om böcker av detta slag kan vara en hjälp i att öka barns känsla av sammanhang. Studien bygger på en analys av åtta svenska bilderböcker som berör olika typer av psykisk ohälsa riktade till barn i åldersgruppen 3–6 år. Böckernas beskrivningar av barns upplevelser av föräldrars psykiska ohälsa kartläggs och innehållet analyseras utifrån Antonovskys teori Känsla av Sammanhang, KASAM. Studien visar att bilderböckernas beskrivningar av barnens upplevelser av förälderns psykiska ohälsa stämmer relativt väl med de beskrivningar som återfinns i intervjustudier med barn med erfarenhet av att växa upp med en förälder med psykisk ohälsa. Vidare visar studien att bilderböckerna kan vara en hjälp till barn med egna erfarenheter av att leva med en psykiskt sjuk förälder, speciellt i kombination med att en vuxen finns tillgänglig för samtal med barnet om bokens innehåll. Till sist visar studien att bilderböckerna erbjuder svar på vanliga frågor barn har om föräldrars psykiska ohälsa.

Many rural village schools have closed over the years, both in Sweden and internationally, because of urbanisation, centralisation and the quest for efficiency. This study shows the impact of two school closures in the rural area of Ydre, south-east Sweden, and describes the reactions of children and families concerned. The aim is to analyse what rural village schools mean for everyday life and how such meaning is based on time-spatial everyday stories. How the children and families view the school closures emerges in the time-geographic perspective, on their own terms, given their opportunity to demonstrate how they use different time-space components. This was studied by interviewing and sketching mental maps with 28 pupils of various ages, and by interviewing and drawing up weekly time schedules with 12 families. This also enabled the analyses to be extended, using the time-geographic conceptual framework, and in particular the interplay between structural changes and individuals’ day-to-day lives, and the interconnections between school and private life, to be clarified. One conclusion is that a school is no mere teaching venue. It is also a key meeting place for children, part of community life and a space for social networking and daily decision-making: a local community hub for the children and their parents alike. When a local school closes and the pupils need to travel further for schooling elsewhere, it affects their travel and activity patterns and social networks. Children’s drawings express their perceptions of place, time and distance. This study shows that the locations where children spend time and have their social networks, as well as how and how often they travel on particular routes, are crucial for their assessment of distance, both temporal and spatial. Describing the value of the closure-threatened school, parents express concern about their local village. They stress the importance of the village school, which they regard as excellent, unique and a resource for the family, but also for the community as a whole. Thereby, they highlight their hope that their community will be attractive to visitors, and also to themselves, the residents. The threats of closure upset them and provoke discussions on how to sustain a living countryside. Studies of children’s and families’ experience of school closures pinpoint the complexity of rural life and show it in a more human-centred, everyday light. Since children are absent from the municipal closure procedure, views of children’s participation are also discussed.

This essay begins with an anecdote about a child in school who in my opinion displayed introverted behavior. This child seemed to prefer playing on its own rather than with friends. These children often become less visible due to their extrovert peers who have a greater tendency to actively seek attention from adults. The purpose of this essay is to get a wider understanding about these introvert children. What are their needs and how can we best support them in school?  In this essay I have tried to see my own actions in relation to the school’s rules and regulations concerning introvert children. I have also studied literature, how playing can support extrovert children, what a teacher can do to help and support and what the norm in today’s society is. To reflect and learn I have read books on this topic and my aim is to gain a better understanding and deeper knowledge. / Den här essän börjar med en berättelse som handlar om ett av de barn i skolan och fritidshemmet som av mig som pedagog upplevs som tyst och inåtvänt. Ett barn som verkar föredra ensamlek framför lek med klasskamrater. Ofta hamnar dessa barn i skymundan i förmån till de mer extroverta och utåtagerande barnen som aktivt söker kontakt med oss vuxna. Syftet med denna essä är att få en större förståelse för varför de tysta barnen är tysta och inåtvända. Vilka behov har de och vilket förhållningssätt bör jag som pedagog ha gentemot dem? Jag har granskat mitt agerande i berättelsen utifrån skolans och fritidshemmets styrdokument samt litteratur som tar upp blyghet, lekens betydelse, pedagogens betydelse för de tysta barnen, dagens samhällsideal och ämnet praktisk kunskap. Jag har även använt skönlitteratur för att reflektera över mitt agerande för att på så sätt få en djupare förståelse för vad jag kunde gjort annorlunda.