Systematic quality work in preschool – How preschool teachers thinking and working with systematic quality work   The purpose of this study was to investigate how Swedish preschool teachers thinking and working with systematic quality work. All Swedish preschools are required to work systematically with quality. This involves several steps that follow each other in a specific order. It includes following up, documenting and evaluating preschool activities. The study is based on the theory of quality by Donabedian and Sheridan’s adaption of it for preschool. The sample consists of 6 preschools teachers’ interviews in a small town in the middle of Sweden. Individual and semi-structured interviews were used. The meaning given to systematic quality work in preschool is presented under three themes: system quality, process quality and result quality. The results reveal the positive thinking of Swedish preschool teachers’ about systematic quality work and the need for education in this area.

Denna studie undersöker de pedagogiska tankar och uppfattningar som förskolepedagoger har gällande utevistelsen i förskolan. Studien omfattar tre parintervjuer och en gruppintervju med förskolepedagoger från fyra olika förskolor. Resultatet har visat att utevistelsen i förskolan inte planeras i samma utsträckning som inomhusvistelsen. Läroplanen i förskolan är tolkningsbar och när det gäller utevistelsen lämnas väldigt mycket till förskolepedagogernas egna tolkningar om hur de vill och ska arbeta med läroplanen när de befinner sig ute på förskolegården. Resultatet visar även att fri lek dominerar under utevistelsen och att pedagogerna gärna vill vara ”närvarande på avstånd”. Det har även framkommit att pedagogerna ser en del begränsningar som kan utgöra hinder för utevistelen. Dessa är bland annat stora barngrupper och att barnen inte ordentliga ytterkläder. Resultatet är analyserat utifrån ett socialkonstruktionistiskt perspektiv där det framkommit att utevistelsen genom vanemässigt handlande blivit en tradition som går på rutin. / This study investigates the pedagocial thoughts and opinions of nine preschool pedagogues from four different preschools, concerning the outdoor time. The result has shown, using interviews for gathering information, that the outdoor time in preschool is not to the same extent planned, as compared to the time spent indoors. According to the pedagogues, the curriculum for the Swedish preschool can be interpreted in many ways, therefore, it is up to the pedagogues to define what the curriculum means to them and decide how they want to work during the outdoor time. The result has also shown that free play is the dominating activity outdoors and that the pedagogues want to be “present from a distance”. It has also appeared that the outdoor time is limited because of difficulties such as large groups of children and a lack of proper clothes. The study is analysed from a social constructionism point of view and with this theory we have concluded that the outdoor time has, through habitualised actions, become a tradition in preschools.

This essay is a study of the core values of the Swedish preschool curriculum. The national preschool curriculum begins by outlining the foundation of core values which the preschool education rests on. In the new national preschool curriculum Lpfö18, which takes effect in the summer of 2019, the core values have been changed to some extent. This raises the questions: where do these core values come from and how different are they from previous core values? Therefore, the main research questions of this study are: what core values discourse is created in Lpfö18 and how does it compare to core values discourses from previous preschool curricula? The empirical data used for this study consists of extracts from different national preschool curricula and similar pedagogical texts in which core values are presented. To process the empirical data, the study used discourse analysis. In particular, the study used the terms “nodal points” and “floating signifiers” from theorists Laclau & Mouffe (2008) and was also inspired by the practices of text analysis outlined by Fairclough (2013). Through the use of discourse analysis, it has been possible to study continuity and change in the core value discourses as expressed in preschool curricular texts. The results show that the values most central to the core value discourse in the new national curriculum, such as democracy and human rights, can be traced back to the core value discourses in previous curricula and also to an international children’s rights discourse. The study also found that some core values from earlier curricula were still left as traces in the new text. Core values related to human rights in particular were found to be important in every version of core values discourse studied. However, there were also values which had been included in the discourse more recently or which had been excluded, which shows that there is both continuity and change in the preschool core values discourse.

The aim of this paper is to study the long-term effects of stuttering treatment according to the Lidcombe Program in Sweden and to answer questions whether underlying factors may have affected the treatment results. Participants were seven children, one girl and six boys aged 7:10-14:2, who all completed Stage 1 of the program approximately 2-7 years ago.The children were video recorded during a conversation with one of the authors and while reading aloud. Before the recording, their parents estimated the level of stuttering according to a Severity Range (SR) Scale. The evaluations were used as reference for determining whether the recordings were representative for the children´s current speech fluency. Proportions of stuttered syllables (%SS) were calculated from the video recorded material and compared with the proportions of stuttered syllables (%SS) at the time when the first stage of the program was initiated.The results showed that the Lidcombe Program had a significant (z=-2.37, p=0.02) long term effect on stuttering treatment for the participants in this study. The effect size was calculated to 1.05, which indicates a large effect. No correlation between underlying factors and treatment results could be established at group level. However, the results showed differences among the participants and underlying factors as age at stuttering onset and age when treatment was introduced may have affected the treatment results.This is one of the very first long term follow-ups on Swedish preschool children that have been treated according to the Lidcombe Program and the authors hope to see further research. / Studien syftade till att undersöka långtidseffekten av Lidcombeprogrammet för svenska förskolebarn som stammar samt fastställa om bakgrundsfaktorer påverkar behandlingseffekt. I studien deltog sju svensktalande barn, en flicka och sex pojkar, i åldrarna 7:10–14:2, som alla avslutade det första steget i behandlingen för cirka 2-7 år sedan.Långtidsuppföljningen genomfördes i form av videoinspelningar av barnens tal under samtal med en av författarna samt under en högläsningssituation. Föräldrarna till varje barn fick inför inspelningarna skatta sitt barns stamning på en Severity Rating (SR) Scale. Utvärderingarna användes för att få information om huruvida inspelningarna var representativa för barnens tal idag. Utifrån samtliga inspelningar beräknades sedan den procentuella andelen stammade stavelser (%SS) och denna mätning jämfördes sedan med den procentuella andelen stammade stavelser (%SS) för tidpunkten när behandlingen enligt Lidcombeprogrammet introducerades.Resultatet i föreliggande studie visade att Lidcombeprogrammet har haft effekt på lång sikt för deltagarna i föreliggande studie och resultatet var statistiskt signifikant (z=-2.37, p=0.02). Effektstorleken för dessa beräkningar var 1.05, vilket motsvarar en stor effekt. Inget samband kunde påvisas mellan bakgrundsfaktorer och behandlingseffekt på gruppnivå men resultatet på individnivå påvisar skillnader mellan deltagarna avseende ålder vid stamningsdebut och ålder vid behandlingsstart, eventuellt kan detta ha påverkat behandlingsresultatet för enskilda deltagare.Det här är en av de första långtidsuppföljningarna av svenska förskolebarn som behandlats enligt Lidcombeprogrammet och författarna efterfrågar fler studier.

The purpose of this study is to see how preschool teachers can support multilingual children and promote their development in their first languages. It was chosen to look at a specific municipality to see how the preschool teachers there work with multilingual children. By using the method of structured interviews, it was learnt that they do, in fact, work actively with multilingual children. The preschool teachers interviewed received the same questions in order to make the answers as comparable and measurable as possible. The results seem to indicate that more resources are needed to fulfil the needs of children with another first language than Swedish. The representatives of the municipality have chosen to concentrate on the two foreign languages that are the most common among the multilingual children in the municipality, viz. Arabic and Somali. Children who have other first language receive no formal training in their first language in preschool. One reason for the modest number of first-language teachers in the municipality – one in Arabic and one in Somali – is the fact that it is hard to find and recruit qualified first-language teachers. / Syftet med denna undersökning är att se hur några pedagoger på förskolan kan stötta flerspråkiga barn och främja deras språkutveckling i modersmålet. En kommun valdes ut för att se hur de arbetar med flerspråkiga barn. Genom att använda metoden strukturerade intervjuer framkom att pedagogerna faktiskt arbetar aktivt med de flerspråkiga barnen. Resultaten verkar tyda på att det skulle behövas mer resurser för att tillgodose behoven hos de barn som har ett annat förstaspråk än svenska. Kommunens representanter har valt att koncentrera sig på de två språk som är vanligast bland kommunens flerspråkiga barn, nämligen arabiska och somaliska. Barn med andra förstaspråk får ingen formell undervisning i sina förstaspråk i förskolan. En anledning till det blygsamma antalet modersmålslärare i kommunen – en i arabiska och en i somaliska – är det faktum att det är svårt att hitta och rekrytera kvalificerade modersmålslärare.

Swedish demographics have been changing rapidly due to increased migration into the country, which is affecting the education as well. The Swedish preschool curriculum requires teachers to take into account the implications of the increase in cultural diversity of their preschools, however, the Curriculum does not provide concrete suggestions for how to work with the goals and values related to diversity. The aim of this study is to explore what it means to be an international English language school in Sweden, which has to negotiate the twin expectations of the Swedish curriculum to value cultural diversity and in the same time develop/maintain common heritage with a respect to the Swedish preschool curriculum. This case study is based on semi-structured interviews with staff members and two-day observations. Ecological Systems Theory approach has been adopted for interpreting the data. The data revealed that that the staff described various tensions related to their negotiating the demands of the curriculum together with approaches that, were used to balance or resolve these tensions. Two main themes were identified in the analysis: (1) Tools and practices used to negotiate the constraints of the Swedish curriculum and (2) The politics and practicalities of being an English-medium school, concerning language and teacher competencies. The results show that the school appropriated the Curriculum X and the DAT assessment tool, which appears to help them follow the Swedish curriculum’s goals and having them make children’s interests the leading factor in preschool activities. Furthermore, the results indicate that there are contradictions in maintaining an English-language atmosphere. Given the lack of relevant research, future research is needed to address a better understanding of what it means to be a language profile preschool in Sweden.

Throughout the world, children's contributions to the preschool education are key for respecting children's rights and establishing the environment of democratic relationships between teachers and children. However, it is unclear how, internationally, given the various cultural contexts and steering documents, teachers conceptualize a child and therefore engage children in their everyday practices at preschools. The aim of this study was to examine early career in-service Polish preschool teachers’ reflections on the Swedish curriculum’s view of the child and children's contributions to their own education, as well as to identify obstacles for incorporating these contributions in the Polish preschool teachers’ practices. Furthermore, the study aimed to document Polish preschool teachers’ conceptualizations of potential implementations in their own practices of the Swedish curriculum's principles and guidelines representing pre-schoolers as competent contributors. Four focus groups interviews were conducted with 11 early career in-service Polish preschool teachers. Results indicate that Polish preschool teachers do not generally support children's contributions and conceive of a child as incompetent and in the need of control. Nevertheless, when discussing Pedagogical Documentation as a tool to develop their work practices, the preschool teachers presented an altered view of a child and could identify possible implementations of the Swedish practices based on children's contributions. It might suggest that the way in which teachers conceptualize children vary according to the context and hence, Pedagogical Documentation could be a promising tool for promoting genuine contributions by children in Poland. Given the complexity of the phenomenon and the potential for changes in the Polish preschool provision, future large-scale research on how exactly the pedagogical tools, steering documents and the work environment can influence on the teachers’ practices, is recommended.

Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att visa olika perspektiv och åsikter om att implementera det engelska språket i den svenska förskolan. För att kunna besvara syftet kommer arbetet att ligga till grund med bland annat följande frågeställningar: "Vad anser pedagogerna på förskolan om att implementera engelska språket i den svenska förskolan? Anser vårdnadshavarna att det engelska språket ska införas i den svenska förskolan? Vilka uppfattningar har pedagogisk personal i förskolan om estetisk läroprocess?".  Ett tidigare experiment om ämnesintegration mellan engelska och estetisk läroprocess ligger till grund för denna uppsats. Metoderna som användes för att uppnå syftet är kvalitativ (intervjuer) samt kvantitativ forskningsmetod (enkäter). Intervjupersonerna anser att  det engelska språket skall införas i den svenska förskolan, men att endast baskunskaperna ska läras ut, såsom färger, siffror och namn på frukter exempelvis. Resultatet av enkäterna visar på att 70% (exklusive bortfall på 25% och 5% svarade nej) av de tillfrågade vårdnadshavarna vill att det engelska språket ska implementeras i den svenska förskolan. Både tidigare forskning, förskollärarna samt mitt tidigare experiment påvisar att estetisk läroprocess är en lämplig och användbar metod att använda vid implementering av ett nytt språk i den svenska förskolan.

The Swedish preschool-model interlaces care, nurturing and learning and is organised to solve twin functions; providing children a playbased learning-environment and enabling parents to combine parenthood with work. The model was developed within the social sector then incorporated into the educational system 1998. This shift and the model´s “unique characteristics” praised by OECD formed the point of departure for this study. The aim of the thesis is to describe and analyse the discussions and negotiations shaping the Swedish preschool-model during 1968-1998. The research questions address: discursive themes; actors involved; governmental intentions; claims about the preschool´s task, pedagogical content and the preschool´s institutional identity and relationship to the institutions: social service, school and family. The study utilized abductive textual analysis inspired by discourse analysis and narrative approaches. Main text sources are: official reports, bills, steering documents, the preschool teachers´ periodical 1968 -1998 and a media debate. The results illuminate preschool-teachers´ struggle for a pedagogical identity and the construction of the educareconcept as a flexible and pragmatic solution to several societal interests and values. Governmental intentions concerning equality, emancipation and democratization have had great influence on the process in combination with a recurring theme about a revised preschool pedagogy with a strengthened focus on children´s learning. Political efforts to foster a preschool for all in a future are identified and described as one of the main discursive themes. Different standpoints about earlier school start are analyzed.  The overall result is that the framework and core features of the model laid down by the National Commission on Child care still has a great impact on the launched syllabus (Lpfö) in the end of the period as on the curriculum in a broader sense.

The purpose of this study is to gain knowledge about how employees in Swedish preschools work to ensure that children with native languages other thanSwedish are given the opportunity to develop in both the Swedish language and in their native language. The study also looked at the opportunities andchallenges educators saw in this work. The study applied the sociocultural perspective of learning and language. The method for this study was to intervieweight preschool educators. According to the results, the preschool educators inthis study played a significant role in language development for children who have a native language other than Swedish. Pedagogical support and a positiveattitude towards multilingualism were key words in the interviews and were considered by the educators to be in important in this work. The physical toolsthat the interviewed educators used were mainly TAKK, support with pictures,words /songs in the mother tongue and digital tools. The challenges that thepreschool educators experienced at work were a lack of time as well as difficulties in their dealings with legal guardians. / Syftet i den aktuella studien är att få kunskap om hur man i förskoleverksamheten arbetar för att barn som talar ett annat modersmål än svenska ges möjligheter att utvecklas inom både svenska språket och sitt modersmål. Samt attsynliggöra möjligheter och utmaningar som verksamma förskolepedagoger seri detta arbetet. Den teoretiska utgångspunkten i studien är det sociokulturellaperspektivet på lärande och språk. För att besvara ovanstående syfte genomfördes intervjuer av åtta stycken svenska förskolepedagoger. Studiens resultatvisar att de deltagande pedagogerna i studien spelade en betydande roll i språkutvecklingen för barn som har ett annat modersmål än svenska. Pedagogiskstöttning och positiv attityd till flerspråkighet var ledord i intervjuerna och som ansågs vara viktigt i arbetet. När det kommer till pedagogiska verktyg som pedagogerna arbetade med så var de främst TAKK, bildstöd, ord/sånger på modersmålen och digitala verktyg som pedagogerna arbetade med. De utmaningarsom de intervjuade pedagogerna upplevde i arbetet var bristen på tid och samarbetet med vårdnadshavarna.