This paper aims to shed light on the intersex infant, a baby born with an unclear gender. The main goal of the paper is to discuss whether unnecessary gender normalizing surgeries on infants, also called intersex genital mutilation (IGM) that is not necessary to preserve the life or physical health of the infant is in the best interest of the child. Legal method will be used to frame the topic in a legal context and discourse analysis in combination with content analysis will be applied in order to understand the transformation of intersex, from being a social emergency to becoming a human rights issue. The use of the concept, the best interest of the child will serve as an analytical framework together with a theoretical framework consisting of queer theory. Together it will help to map out the human rights challenges regarding IGM as a socially constructed medical product that needs to be highlighted and prevented in order to secure the rights of the child. Hopefully, the concluding results will contribute to further awareness on the issue of unnecessary infant intersex surgery and frame it in a human rights context.

Meaningfulness – a matter of student´s participation and influence in activities in the schoolyard? According to the compulsory school curriculum Lgr 11 (Skolverket 2019), leisure – time centers must conduct teaching that is based on the student´s own interests and needs, to give them a meaningful leisure time. The school´s governing document also states that students have the right to participate and have influence over their stay in its various activities, and that students must be educated to be able to become democratic citizens. In cases where the leisure – time center doesn´t translate the theory into practice, where the intentions of the curriculum do not become at real influence and participation for the students, a gap i created between the educator´s child perspective and the child´s (student´s) own perspective. This can have consequences when it comes to what the various parties regards as meaningful, but can also create the image of sham democracy. Our study wants to shed light on the significance of the gap between the different perspectives, in relation to the concepts of meaningfulness and participation in the leisure activities that take place on the schoolyard. The intention is to examine student´s own experiences as well as which other factors on the yard that can also affect them.Previous research shows that the design of schoolyards and what is available in its environment, can affect student´s experiences of their stay there. At the same time, students are rarely given any opportunity to be involved to influence the design through participation in decisions. This is confirmed in our study. The research also highlights how continuously and actively implementation of democratic values in leisure – time center is of importance for students to fully understand their rights. In our empirical study, we chose the Walk & talk method to bring light to the children´s perspectives and also a small survey with relevant educators to be able to compare the results from their child perspectives. The answer and conclusions we have reached confirm previous research and show the importance of safeguarding student´s rights in the form of participation and influence and that these are complied with in practice. / Meningsfullhet – en fråga om elevers delaktighet och inflytande i aktiviteter på gården? Enligt grundskolans läroplan ska fritidshemmen bedriva en undervisning som utgår från elevernas egna intressen och behov för att ge en meningsfull fritid (Skolverket 2019). Skolans styrdokument säger också att eleverna besitter rättigheter att själva vara delaktiga och ha inflytande över sin vistelse i dess olika verksamheter, samt att eleverna ska fostras till demokratiska medborgare. I de fall där verksamheterna inte omsätter teorin i praktik, där läroplanens intentioner inte blir till reellt inflytande och delaktighet för eleverna, skapas ett glapp mellan pedagogers barnperspektiv och barns (elevers) perspektiv. Detta kan ge konsekvenser när det kommer till vad de olika parterna anser meningsfullt men kan också skapa bilden av skendemokrati. Studien vill belysa vilken betydelse glappet mellan de olika perspektiven har, i relation till begreppen meningsfullhet och delaktighet i de fritidsverksamheter som sker på skolgården. Avsikten är att undersöka elevernas egna upplevelser och erfarenheter tillika vilka övriga faktorer på (skol)gården som också kan påverka dem.Tidigare forskning visar att utformningen av gårdarna och vilka erbjudanden som finns i dess miljö, kan påverka elevernas upplevelse av sin vistelse där. Samtidigt ges sällan eleverna någon möjlighet att vara med och påverka utformningen av dem genom delaktighet i besluten, Detta bekräftas i vår empiriska studie. Forskningen lyfter också fram vikten av att fritidshemmens verksamhet kontinuerligt och aktivt implementerar de demokratiska värderingarna i praktiken för att de ska ha reell betydelse för eleverna. I studien valde vi walk and talk- metoden för att på så sätt lyfta fram barnens perspektiv och en mindre enkät med berörda pedagoger för att kunna jämföra resultaten ur deras barnperspektiv. De svar och slutsatser vi kommit fram till bekräftar tidigare forskning samt visar på vikten av att värna elevers rättigheter i form av delaktighet och inflytande och att dessa efterlevs i praktiken.

Orientador: Luciene Ferreira da Silva / Resumo: O objetivo deste estudo foi compreender o jogo nos anos iniciais do Ensino Fundamental, analisando o neoliberalismo e suas consequências para a Educação, e desenvolver um produto educacional que possa auxiliar na utilização do jogo em sala de aula com foco na valorização dos jogos tradicionais infantis e no desenvolvimento do pensamento crítico dos educandos, contrapondo-se ao furto do lúdico existente no cenário educacional atual. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, bibliográfica e de campo realizada com alunos de três diferentes escolas da rede municipal de uma cidade do interior do estado de São Paulo, na qual propôs-se a vivência de jogos tradicionais que não estão muito em uso para que, por meio de um diário de campo, fossem observadas e posteriormente analisadas as manifestações lúdicas, além da aplicação de questionários às professoras que lecionavam nos 4ºs anos dessas escolas sobre as possibilidades ou não da presença dos jogos no processo de ensino-aprendizagem em sala de aula no cenário atual educacional e social. Deste modo, abordou-se a distribuição do tempo na escola pelas observações da pesquisa de campo e descreveu-se sobre a emancipação dos alunos e as manifestações de alegrias proporcionadas pelas vivências registradas nas visitas, além da constatação do cenário de preparação para o futuro e de instrumentalização do jogo. / Abstract: The aim of this study was to understand the using of children´s play in the early years of elementary school, analyzing neoliberalism and its consequences for education and developing an educational product that can help in the use of children´s play in the classroom, focusing on the valorization of traditional children’s games and the development of critical thinking of the students, opposing the theft of the playful existing in the current educational scenario. This was a qualitative, bibliographical and field research conducted with students of three diferents schools from the municipal network of a city in the interior of the State of São Paulo, in wich it was proposed to experience traditional games that were not much in use so that by means of a field diary were observed and later analysed the playful manifestations, in addition to the application of questionnaires to teachers who taught to the 4th grades of three schools about the possibilities or not about the presence of traditional children´s games in classroom releasing teaching-learning processes in the current educational means. Thus, the distribution of time in school was approached by observations on field researching and it described the emancipation of students and the manifestations of joy provided by the experiences recorded from the visits, in addition to the observation of the scenario of preparation for the future. / Mestre

Nowadays there is a considerable tendency towards encouraging students to seek for information and deepen their knowledge themselves rather than classical frontal educational methods. Thanks to this trend teachers tend to use i.e. museum collections for educational purposes in order to present life in the past as well as at present to students in a more enjoyable way. Everything that students learn by their own experience is sure to be remembered more vividly. The aim of my Master Thesis is to propose excursions to four selected museums. Worksheets are to be provided for each excursion and shall be tested in practice as well. The conclusion of the Master Thesis is that museums strive to attract schools with various educational programs, lectures and excursions. Nevertheless, they concentrate mainly on social sciences. Educational programs, intended solely for natural sciences or biology, are very rare. However, biology teachers may - to a considerable extent - use wide variety of expositions and collections of museums. Key words: excursion, educational program, worksheet, museum, children's museums

I arbetet analyseras en samling barnbrev som skrevs till tidningen Jultomten under några år vid sekelskiftet 1900. Dessa brev har undersökts med avseende på barnens tex- och bildreception. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats och syftar till att förstå vilka identifikationsytor som uppstår vid läsningen och i själva responsen, samt, vidare, hur dessa handlingar stimulerar barnens läsupplevelse och literacyutveckling. Resultatet visar bland annat att barnens reception av text och bild berör de sammanhang och företeelser som är förknippade med barnens egen erfarenhetsvärld. Engagemang, inlevelse och social kontext byggs upp av barnets erfarenheter, personliga associationer och konkreta upplevelser. Slutligen hävdas det också att det är rimligt att anta att dessa rön kan överföras och vara giltiga även i en samtidskontext.Nyckelord: barnbrev, bild, engagemang, fritidens läsning, inlevelse, literacyutveckling, perspektivering, social kontext / AbstractThis paper is a qualitative study of children´s letters to the editor of Jultomten, during a period of three years at the turn of the century 1900. The letters are analyzed with the aim of increasing the understanding of how children identify with the characters in texts and illustrations, and how their appreciation and involvement enhances their literacy development. The result indicates that children´s reception of the illustrated journal concerns the areas and subjects that are connected to their own experiences. Involvement, empathy and the social context are constructed through the children´s own experiences and living conditions. Finally, it is argued that the findings can be transferred and be valid in expanding children´s literacy development today.Keywords: children´s letters, involvement, illustrations, literacy development, the social context

AbstractEn tidsepoks syn på barnet kan speglas i den barnlitteratur som ges ut och därför ser vi att en analys av samtida barnlitteratur kan öka förståelsen av hur samhället ser på barn och barndom. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur synen på barnet och barndom framställs i samtida barnlitteratur. För att konkretisera syftet har vi använt oss av följande frågeställningar: Hur framställs barnet i böckerna? Hur framställs barnet i relation till de vuxna i böckerna? Hur framställs barndom i böckerna? Studien har en barndomssociologisk ansats och metoden utgår från en kvalitativ innehållsanalys samt en ikonotextuell syn där vi har utgått från bilderbokens två berättande medium för att analysera böckernas innehåll. Analysen bygger på sex bilderböcker som varit nominerade eller vunnit Augustpriset i kategorin årets svenska barn och ungdomsbok mellan år 2017-2019. Analysen har genomförts med hjälp av närläsning och de barndomssociologiska begreppen being/becoming, den apolloniska och dionysiska synen på barnet samt plats som analytiska verktyg för att få syn på hur barnet och barndom framställs i bilderböckerna. Resultatet av analysen visar att samtliga bilderböcker skildrar barnet som kompetent och självständigt. I majoriteten av böckerna kan barnet tolkas som being. I analysen blir det även synligt att de vuxna framställs som någon som vill konstruera barnet utifrån synen på barnet som becoming. Utifrån den dionysiska och apolloniska synen på barnet kunde vi i majoriteten av böckerna tolka barnet utifrån det apolloniska synsättet. Barnet framställs som oskuldsfullt med en inneboende godhet och bilderna skildrar en känsla av ett naturligt tillstånd kopplat till naturen. Barndomen i böckerna framställs som en social konstruktion där barnet framställs som delaktig i utformandet av sitt liv och därmed sin barndom. De vuxna framställs med ett behov att skydda och kontrollera barnet vilket gör att de vuxna kan tolkas utifrån en syn på barndomen som becoming. Resultatet av analysen visar även att barndomen kan tolkas som domesticerad med kopplingar till den senmoderna tid vi lever i som kan kännetecknas som en tid av osäkerhet. Nyckelord: barndom, barndomssociologi, barnsyn, being/ becoming, bilderbok, bilderboksanalys, children's books, picture books, social aktör.

The study intends to examine how children identifies affordance at the preschool’s yard, and how they interpret this environment so they can adapt this to their peer cultures. The aim of this study is to gain an understanding of how children create place and culture by playing in an outdoor environment at the preschool.The study is conducted over a two-week period and shows observations where the children are staying at the yard and what they are doing at these locations. These observations were written down in a notepad; where each child was staying, what they did, how they moved and what they said. The collected material was analyzed using Gibson's theory affordance, Corsaro's concept of peer cultures and interpretive reproduction, as well as Halldén's concept of place. The concepts were used to understand and answer the two questions:” What places seem to be important for children's play?” and” Which affordance do children identify in these places?”The result showed that children negotiates about the places that are on the preschool's yard and then create their own places. Their own places that they create offers them fellowship, where they can try different roles, values and norms. Children transform materials and space to adapt to their children's culture, and they create physical as well as symbolic rooms in the yard. Children see opportunities in environments and materials, instead of restrictions. The result showed that the children imitated the adult culture, where the children then produced their own interpretations to adapt to their children´s culture.

Orphanage volunteering in the Global South has experienced worldwide criticism in recent years as children’s rights violations have surfaced. This thesis examines the discourse of two organizations (“Global Crossroad” and“uVolunteer) that still offer orphanage voluntourism and assesses in what ways they display neo-colonial characteristics on their websites. The theoretical framework entails Said’s Orientalism, development aid critiques, and colonial discourse theorizing to contextualize interpretations. With Fairclough’s CDA method, this thesis aims to highlight how orphanage voluntourism is portrayed and how it may influence addressees to engage in short-term help, contributing to perpetuating orphanage voluntourism and its negative effects as well as unequal power structures. The CDA findings indicate the discourse primarily benefits the organizations, which profit from the erection of neocolonial power structures and ideological “truths” about the Global South, which are not in the best interest of the children. Finally, this thesis discusses the social implications of this discourse promotion and ways to improve child protection.

This paper aims to analyze how the Bible stories are transformed for children to understand the stories in the Children ́s Bibles. Moreover, I have analyzed how the narrator is telling the story in the Children ́s Bibles with focus on focalization. The Bible stories that will be analyzed is “The Creation”, “Cain and Abel” and “Birth of Jesus”. This paper will also address which child vision who is represented in Barnens bästa bibel, Barnens bibel and Bibel för barn. The theory of child vision is taken from Bonnie J Miller-McLemores book Let the Children Come: Reimagining Childhood from a Christian Perspective. Previous research on this aim shows that there has not been a lot of research written down. Therefore, this paper can contribute material for further studies. Martin Luther was the first person to create a bible for children and for people who couldn ́t read. In Sweden, there are only a few people who have done research in this field, and the bishop Sören Dalevi is one of them. In one of his articles, he concludes that certain characters in the children ́s Bibles are reflected differently from what they do in the Bible. To obtain answers to the aim of this paper, a structuralist narrative text analytical method and a comparative method have been used. It shows that Bible texts have received small changes. The authors of the Children ́s Bibles have adapted the Biblical text, so that it is easier for children to understand. In all stories in the Children ́s Bibles, one or more focalizations are included. Also, the three different child vision, premodern, modern, and postmodern, are also represented in any of Barnens bästa bibel, Bibel för barn and Barnens bibel.

The study sheds light on pupils individual plans of development and portfolios from the perspective of children. It has an ethnographic standpoint. It was carried out on children and pupils in pre-school, pre-school class and third grade. By further investigating how children and pupils use their individual development plans and portfolios, in which settings and to whom they communicate them, this study is able to grasp the discourse that is created around the instrument itself. This study is also interested in and aims to find the theoretical frame, in essence, which envelops both the construction of childhood and children’s own activities within the limitations and opportunities that this structure offers. By focusing on micro, hereby meaning the thoughts and perceptions of children and pupils themselves, and on macro, such as the structure around the children and pupils, the aim of finding the previously mentioned theoretical space is fulfilled. The study was carried out by means of an ethnographic method, with conversations, interviews, surveys, observations and filming. The results show that children and pupils view their individual developmental plans and portfolios as an affordance, both in a physical sense and as an offer of a symbolic space, a space shared by others but with the same significance for all. It is also apparent that the children and pupils use their individual development plans to ascertain their positions, to show who they are.