Syftet med studien är att undersöka specialpedagogers uppfattning kring inkludering i förskolan, och vilket stöd de kan erbjuda förskolläraren. För att samla in data gjordes kvalitativa intervjuer med fyra specialpedagoger i olika kommuner. Den teorianknytning som använts för att analysera resultatet är den sociokulturella teorin, där vi tar stöd i socialt samspel, verksamhet och verktyg. Resultatet visar att specialpedagogerna kan uppfatta inkluderingsbegreppet som svårt och komplext. Trots detta så visar resultatet också att det finns en samsyn på inkludering, att alla barn ska känna tillhörighet i ett socialt sammanhang. Informanterna talar om vikten av det sociala samspelet. Vidare beskriver specialpedagogerna de olika former av stöd de kan erbjuda i verksamheten. Dessa stöd innefattar rådgivning, handledning, fortbildning, samt fysiska hjälpmedel i form av AKK (Alternativ och kompletterande kommunikation) och anpassningar av den materiella kontexten som kan underlätta arbetet med inkludering av barn i behov särskilt stöd. Just den fortbildande delen beskrev specialpedagogerna som förebyggande och denna del kan förändra arbetssituationen för specialpedagogen och sättet förskolläraren ställer sig till det inkluderande arbetet.

Denna kvalitativa intervjustudie visar sex olika förskollärares förhållningssätt till begreppen yrkesprofession, undervisning och omsorg. Trots att förskollärarna kommer från olika kommuner i Sverige så visar resultatet en samsyn om att det skett förändringar i förskolans läroplan samt förändringar i samhället som både gynnat och missgynnat förskollärarna i deras uppdrag. Studiens resultat belyser även att undervisning har varit en framträdande del av den svenska förskolan genom alla tider, men att det tidigare använts andra termer för att beskriva just barns lärandesituationer. Slutligen går det att se, utifrån studiens resultat, att förskollärares arbete, i alla situationer, förutsätter ett gott förtroende gentemot barngruppen. Det är på något sätt omsorgen som är starten, både som en naturlig del av barndomen men också starten i en förskollärares yrkesliv.

The purpose of the study is to contribute knowledge about preschool teachers' different experiences of exclusion in free play within child groups in preschool education. We conducted semi-structured interviews with a flexible interview guide, and to address our research questions, we utilized a phenomenographic analysis model. The gathered material was analyzed based on the socio-cultural theory and its various concepts.The study involved eight interviews with preschool teachers who have varying years of experience in the profession. The results of the study indicate that the preschool teachers consider free play has an important meaning for children in preschool, and exclusions can occur for several reasons. It can be due to deficiencies in play skills or social interactions. The preschool teachers have described approaches that can act preventively to prevent children from being excluded in free play.The conclusion of the study shows that the preschool teachers largely employ the same approaches in preventive work and seek assistance from special educators if necessary. / Studiens syfte är att bidra med kunskap om förskollärares olika erfarenheter av exkludering i den fria leken i barngrupper i förskolans utbildning. Vi har använt semistrukturerade intervjuer med flexibel intervjuguide och för att få svar på våra frågeställningar har vi använt en fenomenografisk analysmodell. Det material som framkommit har analyserats utifrån den sociokulturella teorin och dess olika begrepp. I studien genomfördes åtta intervjuer med förskollärare som har olika långa erfarenheter av yrket. Resultatet av studien visar att förskollärarna anser att den fria leken har en viktig betydelse för barnen i förskolan och att exkluderingar kan ske av olika orsaker. Det kan bero på brister gällande lekkompetens eller i sociala samspel. Förskollärarna har beskrivit förhållningssätt som kan verka förebyggande för att barn inte ska exkluderas i den fria leken. Slutsatsen av studien visar att förskollärarna till stor del använder samma förhållningssätt i det förebyggande arbetet och att de tar hjälp av specialpedagoger om så behövs.

Title: Children's aesthetic creation in different environments - A qualitative study of five preschool teachers 'perceptions of children's aesthetic learning processes in pre-schools' creative environments. Author: Mafi Misirhanova Supervisor: Karin Ehrlén Term: Spring 2017  The purpose of my thesis is to examine how the five pre-school teachers who participate in my study reflect about aesthetic expressions in relation to children's learning in preschool. Furthermore, I want to find out about the thoughts of the educators concerning the role of social interaction and the importance of the environment in the aesthetic creation process. My first question is about what view the informants have on social interaction during aesthetic creation processes. My second question is about how the informants reflect on studio and creative rooms at the selected three preschools. The study is based on qualitative interview methods where five pre-school teachers reflected on their internship. The essay is based on a sociocultural perspective based on development and learning. As far as the informants' views on social interaction during aesthetic creation processes are concerned, my study showed that there is a strong connection between aesthetic learning processes, language learning and social interaction as these areas interact during a creative activity at preschool. The informants' reflection on the studio and the creative rooms showed that the preschool with a creative room in the department gave the most positive response because the room was considered to enable continuous creation processes. The studio as a separate room and the playroom with a creative corner had shortcomings in accessibility with regard to the use of the room as well as the material.

The aim with this research is to get an idea ​​how younger preschool children embrace literacy in spontaneous activities, started by themselves or together with other people. We want to pay attention to and delimit the literacy events and investigate, interpret and understand what happens in the interaction between the children and between children and the material in the preschool environment. In addition to get an understanding how the children interact with the material in the physical environment and what strategies they use in the encounter with literacy. We hade to observe the children closely, in order to achieve that we conducted, an ethnographically inspired study, we can interact and observe children for a longer period. That helped to give us the opportunity to get closer to the children and we were regarded as a natural part of the group. Based on the observations, we saw that the children are exploring literacy with the material, which includes pens, papers and books. The specific material captured the children's curiosity and it contributed to that they started "test-writing" and "test-reading", both on their own but also with others. Although the children in some situations wanted to explore the material themselves, at the same time they wanted to be close to the group. Based on Karen Barad's theory of realistic realism, we saw that the environment and the material interact with the children. We can note that the children conquer literacy, literally in social interactions but in order to conquer literacy, the material's availability is crucial.

Inom den svenska förskolan har antalet barn ökat i barngrupperna samtidigt som resurserna har minskat. I det ökade barngrupperna skapas det en större oro bland barnen. Pedagogerna inom den svenska förskolan upplever att det blir mycket spring och konflikter. Detta gör att pedagogerna strävar efter att hitta nya arbetssätt som minskar oron och konflikterna bland barnen. Mitt syfte i denna studie är att undersöka hur en förskola genomförde en förändringsprocess kring sin innemiljö, det vill säga rum, möblering och material. Syftet är även att studera hur barns sociala samspel påverkas av den nya miljön där kommunikationen och interaktionen det vill säga samspelet mellan barn-barn och barn-miljö är som en viktig del i barnens lärande. I interaktioner mellan barnen stimuleras språket och språket stimulerar barnens tänkande. En viktig del i interaktionen är miljön. Miljön har en betydelsefull roll för att stimulera barnens utveckling och lärande. Metoden för studien har bestått i kvalitativa intervjuer och studien är utförd på en förskola med fem informanter som är pedagoger. Resultatet av studien visar att för att en förändringsprocess ska bli framgångsrik behövs det inspirerande och lyhörda ledare. Ledarna behöver ge sina medarbetare tid att gå igenom förändringsprocessens alla steg. Solrosens förskola vill ge en tillgänglig, inspirerande och utmanande innemiljö där barnen får utvecklas i sin egen takt. Efter förskolans förändringsprocess, är deras innemiljö inte längre hemlik utan en miljö gjord för att barn ska bli inspirerade, kreativa och utvecklas som individer. / There is a great increase of the number of children in Swedish preschools and in the same time there is less resources. With the increase of the size of the group of children we have a growth of greater anxiety. The teachers in Swedish preschool experience a lot of running around and conflicts. This means that the teachers strives to find a new way to decrease the anxiety and conflicts among the children. The purpose of my study is to examine how one preschool carried out a change process in their indoor environment concerning the room, furniture and material. The purpose is also to study how children’s social interaction is affected by the new environment, there communication and interaction that is between child –child and child- environment which is a great deal of importance to a child’s learning process. This interaction between children stimulates their language which in its turn stimulates the children´s thinking. An important deal in interaction is the environment. The environment has an important part in stimulating the children´s development and learning. My method has included qualitative interviews and the study is done on a preschool with five informants which are teachers. The result of the study shows that to get a successful changing process the leaders has to be inspiring and perceptive. The leaders need to give their collaborators the time to go through every step of the changing process. The preschool Solrosen is keen on offering an accessible, inspiring and challenging indoor environment for children to develope in their own pace. After the preschools changing process, their indoor environments is no longer like a home, instead it has become a place for children to be inspired, creative and develope into individuals.

This essay begins with an account of three real-life situations that I have experienced as a teacher in a preschool. I describe different scenarios that have highlighted the challenges and problems I face in my work with children who do not actively seek to engage in producing artwork, and who easily become bored or distracted when they do participate. The aim of this essay has been to investigate artwork and children’s lacking desire or interest to participate in such creative activities. The key questions used for my investigation centred on the role of artwork in a preschool environment, and how I, as a teacher, can engage with children who do not wish to participate in such activities. I also evaluate the impact of surroundings on children’s artwork, as well as their opportunity to influence the creative activities. I write in essay form to reflect and identify new perspectives in relation to existing theories. In addition, I use a hermeneutic approach for a more detailed investigation using my own interpretations and perceptions. Lev Vygotsky’s theory about the zone of proximal development helps me to deepen my understanding of how teaching takes place in social contexts during these creative processes. I am also inspired by his views on imagination and creativity. This reflective study has helped me to deepen my understanding of why artwork is important in child development, and how surroundings can both inspire and hinder children’s creative processes. I have come to realise the importance of allowing children to influence their daily schedule, and giving them the opportunity to decide which activities are available at their preschool. Moreover, I have found that my way of engaging with children who are not interested in producing artwork can affect how they relate to the activities. Teachers who inspire their pupils and actively engage in such activities can have a decisive impact on children’s relationships to imagery as an aesthetic form of expression.

Syftet med denna studie är att bidra med kunskap om elevers perspektiv på användandet av digitala verktyg i socialt samspel, som stöd i undervisningen och i vardagen. För att belysa detta område har elever som går ett nationellt yrkesprogram i gymnasiesärskolan intervjuats. Intresset för denna studie uppkom då jag genom mitt arbete inom särskolans verksamheter ibland upplevt att jag inte haft tillräckligt med kunskap inom detta område för att kunna stötta eleverna optimalt. Tidigare forskning visar att användandet av digitala verktyg i undervisningen har positiva effekter för elever med utvecklingsstörning. Det finns även forskning som visar att användandet av digitala verktyg kan bidra till ökad självständighet och delaktighet i samhället för dessa personer. Studien utgår från ett sociokulturellt perspektiv, där lärande och utveckling sker i interaktion mellan människor. En kvalitativ halvstrukturerad intervju, valdes som metod för att samla in det empiriska materialet. Resultaten i studien pekar på att eleverna använder vanligt förekommande funktioner i mobiler och datorer i många olika kontexter. Enligt eleverna är verktygen en nödvändighet för både undervisningen och för att kunna vara delaktiga i samhällets alla delar. Inga specifika funktioner eller användningsområden som kan härledas till just gymnasiesärskolans verksamhet framträdde i studien. Eleverna uttryckte att de lärt sig använda verktygen av sig själva eller utav kompisar. De uppgav också att de själva funnit lämpliga strategier och användningsområden för verktygen som kompenserar olika funktionsnedsättningar eller andra svårigheter både i och utanför skolan. För att belysa området ytterligare kan det vara lämpligt att studera användandet av digitala verktyg utifrån speciallärares perspektiv och se vilka möjligheter det finns för att utveckla användandet av de verktyg eleverna redan är förtrogna med i undervisningen. / The purpose of this study is to contribute knowledge about students’ perspectives on the use of digital tools in social interactions, education and everyday life. In order to examine this area, students in compulsory school for pupils with learning disabilities have been interviewed. The interest for this subject arose when I during my work in special school sometimes experienced a lack of knowledge, regarding digital tools, on how to support the students fully in their education. Previous research shows positive results for students with intellectual disabilities regarding use of digitals tools during education. There are also studies that show that using digital tools can contribute to increase the independence and connection to the society for these people. This study is based on a sociocultural perspective, where education and personal growth is developed by interaction between people. In order to collect empirical data, a qualitative semi-structured interview method was selected. The results indicate that the students are using common functions in both smart phones and computers in a variety of contexts. According to the students, the digital tools are necessary for their education as well as their participation in all parts of the society. The study did not result in any features or applications used specifically for educating students in compulsory school for pupils with learning disabilities. The students expressed that they learned to use the tools by themselves or from friends. They also stated that they themselves found appropriate strategies and area of use for the tools that compensate for different disabilities or other difficulties both inside and outside the school. Regarding future research in this area one suitable approach could be to use the special education teacher’s perspective as a main source and explore the possibilities to further develop the digital tools the students already are familiar with, towards a better education.

Title: "Stop! You can't play with me!" A norm-critical essay on how the teacher influences children's free play at preschool Abstract This essay is based on two cases describing two children in a few different situations at preschool. These cases form the basis of a dilemma, discussing how involved the teacher should be in children's free play. The dilemma poses questions regarding the teacher’s actions when a child does not want to play with other children, as well as a child that seems incapable of playing with other children. The cases help highlight the implicit idea that children should play with other children. My purpose is to investigate what implicit normative ideas exists about children playing at preschool and to what extent they form my own notion about the necessity for children to be able to play. The method used in this paper is a reflective essay. This enables it possible for me to reflect on my role as a teacher and how I act in the different cases. The reflective part of the essay focuses on answering posed questions, with the basis of discussion being the Swedish curriculum for preschool and its influences. Further, the essay discusses the origin of my own ideas about how children should play originate from. The focus then moves to a sociocultural perspective, specially how children learn and develop when they interact with each other. This section of the essay also discusses norms at preschool, developed from an interpretation of the curriculum, as well as existing ideas about children playing and children as competent learners. Finally, the essay also discusses current research on children and how they play, as well as current research on the importance of involved teachers, put in relation to the two children portrayed in the presented cases. My conclusion is that the teacher is subject to the curriculum, and needs to act according to its content. A significant part of the work is creating a safe environment for the children. The curriculum of the Swedish preschool, and the implicit theories that help shape it, act as a guide to the teacher’s actions. It states that children should explore the world around them; hence there are norms about how a child should play. Keywords: preschool, free play, social interaction, norms, involved teachers, curriculum

Forskning visar att barn i behov av särskilt stöd inte deltar i lek med kamrater i samma utsträckning som sina kamrater och därmed riskerar att missa viktiga delar i sin utveckling såsom samspel och delaktighet. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka möjligheter och hinder med det evidensbaserade materialet Play Time/social Time som metod för att utveckla sociala färdigheter och samspel i lek hos barn i behov av särskilt stöd och deras kamrater. Studien belyser ett sociokulturellt perspektiv där lärande och utveckling sker genom samspel med andra. Det empiriska materialet har samlats in genom fyra observationer på två förskoleavdelningar och fem fokussamtal med två förskollärare. Ett framträdande resultat visar att förskollärarna ser positivt på att använda sig av ett evidensbaserat material för att träna lek och samspel med barnen då de kan se att det skulle gagna alla barn på flera plan. Att synliggöra leken och lekfärdigheter för både barn och pedagoger som en demokratisk rättighet i förskolans verksamhet ses också som en vinst med programmet. Ett dilemma deltagarna uppmärksammar handlar bland annat om hur kamrater kan motiveras att vara rollmodeller i leken. Diskussionens tyngdpunkt ligger i resultatets synliggörande av miljöns betydelse för sociala möten och kamraternas roll i programmet. / Research shows that children in need of special support do not participate in play with peers to the same extent as their peers and therefore risk missing important parts of their development, such as interaction and participation. The purpose of this study was to examine opportunities and possible barriers in the application of the evidence-based program Playtime / Social Time, as a method to develop social skills and interaction in the play of children with special educational needs and their peers, using a peer-mediated approach. The study highlights a socio-cultural perspective where learning and development takes place through interaction with others. The empirical data were collected through four observations in two inclusive pre-school classes with XX children aged 3-5, and through five focus conversations with two preschool teachers during 5 weeks, when the application of some program activities was carried out by the teachers in their classes. One prominent result shows that preschool teachers welcomes the use of an evidence-based material to practice play and interaction with the children. The teachers believe that it would benefit all children on many levels. Another perceived benefit of the program is that it contributes to making play and play skills visible for teachers and children and give support in considering play as a democratic right for children. An issue, which the participants acknowledge they have to think more about, concerns if and how peers would be motivated to be role models in the play situation. The focus of the discussion lies in the result of the importance of the environment for social encounters and on the importance of the role of peers in the program. / Lek och samspel för alla barn i inkluderande förskolemiljöer