I denna undersökning står pedagogers förhållningssätt till barns lek på förskolans utegård i centrum. Vi menar att detta är ett angeläget område eftersom leken anses viktig för barnens lärande och utveckling. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur pedagogerna samspelar, agerar och förhåller sig till barnen och barnens lek på utegården. Genom att undersöka pedagogernas förhållningssätt kan deras sätt att möjliggöra barnens lek synliggöras. Det empiriska materialet har producerats på två olika förskolor och metoden som använts har varit videoinspelning. Studien utgår från ett sociokulturellt perspektiv där begreppen samspel, zoneof proximal development (ZPD), scaffolding, medierande redskap, artefakter och appropriering är centrala. Dessa begrepp har använts som analysverktyg i föreliggande studie. Resultatet visar att pedagogerna förhåller sig till barnens lek och lärande på flera olika sätt.Pedagogerna har visat olika grad av engagemang i barnens lek både gällande verbalt samspel och kroppsligt agerande. Vid vissa tillfällen förhöll sig pedagogerna helt observerande till barnens lek på förskolans utegård medan de vid andra tillfällen var deltagande. Utifrån detta är vår slutsats att pedagogernas olika förhållningssätt till barnens lek på förskolans utegård harbetydelse för barnens egna möjligheter att agera i leken och att pedagogernas olika förhållningssätt är betydelsefulla för att skapa en variation för barnens lek och lärande.

Varje år befinner sig cirka 95 000 barn på sjukhus i Sverige. För att kunna möta dessa barn på en adekvat nivå samt att kunna vara korrekt i sin profession krävs det att sjuksköterskor besitter stor kunskap och respekt inom sitt område. Barn kan uppleva att de har en minskad kontroll över sin verklighet när de har blivit sjuka och hamnar i en ny miljö. Avsaknaden av kontroll och osäkerhet kan leda till ovisshet samt oförutsägbarhet. Osäkerheten bidrar till en känsla av att mista greppet om situationen barnen befinner sig i. Syftet var att belysa lekens psykologiska effekter i samband med omvårdnad för barn. Metoden som användes var en litteraturstudie vilken var uppbyggd av fjorton vetenskapliga artiklar vilka analyserades och sammanställdes. Resultatet visade att leken i omvårdnad påvisade olika effekter hos barnen. Fyra övergripande kategorier valdes ut efter noggrant genomförd granskning och redovisas i litteraturstudiens resultatdel. Kategorierna som redovisas är: leken som distraktionsmoment, leken som informationsverktyg, leken som ångestreducering och leken som bearbetningsfas. Då befintlig forskning generellt inriktas på lekens effekter relaterat till ångest- och stressymtom hos barnen och deras föräldrar, behövs mer specifik forskning där upplevelsen av leken i omvårdnad belyses.

No description available.

The purpose of my study is to examine how four preschool teachers go about using the term play in children's early mathematical development. In order to fulfill the purpose of this study, I have the following questions: How the preschool teachers visualize mathematics in children’s play? What reflections have the preschool teachers about the importance of play for children's mathematical learning in preschool? How do the preschool teachers see on their own role in the children's play? In this study, I have conducted a semi-structured qualitative interviews based on the interviews with four preschool teachers from various departments in a preschool. I have also conducted some observations to complete my study. Whereas in my analysis of the researched material, I have used Vygotsky's theory. The survey shows that the preschool teachers are aware of the use of mathematical language and concepts in children’s different activities which were conducted daily in the preschool. The preschool teachers are aware that the children learned and developed mathematical concepts by playing. They are also aware that materials are a resource that supports the children’s opportunities to learn mathematic. The preschool teacher’s role in children's play is to be present and observant, which means that they are receptive to children's needs during their playtime. It is also by being a cautious preschool teacher and by not interrupting the children's play, that the teachers be able to expand further the children’s play. My research is relevant because it addresses the importance of play in children's early mathematical development. I have noticed that the preschool teachers have different opinions regarding their way at visualize mathematics in children’s play, their own role in the children's play and the importance of play for the children by learning mathematics.

Once abundant across the Great Plains of North America, prairie-parkland elk (Cervus canadensis manitobensis) underwent a catastrophic population collapse and dramatic contraction of their overall range through the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s due to habitat loss (primarily from agricultural expansion) and unregulated hunting. Populations were able to recover in some areas following new hunting regulations and the establishment of protected areas. Prior to this study, the current distribution of prairie parkland elk was poorly understood, though it was established that they were largely relegated to large protected areas and made use of adjacent agriculture dominated landscapes. In order to effectively manage prairie-parkland elk so populations remain resilient to ongoing habitat loss, population reduction and disease risks, detailed mapping of their range and an understanding of the environmental factors most important to elk is essential. The purpose of my thesis is to characterize elk distribution and resource selection patterns in the prairie-parkland of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada, at a landscape scale and assess the implications of distribution for species persistence, by using both local ecological knowledge (LEK) and biological research techniques in tandem. Integrating LEK with more conventional biological research can provide complementary data at contrasting time and spatial scales and facilitates comparison of multiple independent datasets. Furthermore, LEK research creates important opportunities to engage stakeholders in contributing knowledge and may facilitate relationships and contribute toward more effective resource management. I used three sets of biotelemetry-collar data from across Saskatchewan and Manitoba (n = 328 collared elk; 1998–2012), in conjunction with LEK from hunters, biologists and enforcement officers (n = 71 participants) to create a series of resource selection functions (RSFs) characterizing elk distribution across Saskatchewan and Manitoba. I gathered LEK in workshops where participatory mapping was conducted with local experts across the study area. The RSF analysis determined that prairie-parkland elk selected locations close to protected areas and far from high road density. Elk also selected areas with moderate amounts of mixed-wood and deciduous forests and herbaceous vegetation. Models developed with LEK only, biotelemetry collar data only and a combined dataset were all validated against an independent dataset of elk crop damage locations. All models predicted elk presence well. The RSF scores of the LEK only and radio-collar only models were not significantly different. Successful conservation management requires identifying which areas are most important to a species, and assessing if these areas are vulnerable to threats, as well as balancing human resource needs. Using the RSF-based maps of prairie-parkland elk distribution, I identified locations of high quality habitat (top 10% of RSF values) and determined which of those areas were vulnerable to agricultural expansion, forestry, disease, and hunting. I identified 81 high quality habitat areas with a combined total area of 30 753 km2. One or more vulnerability factor impacted 87% of the identified core area. High quality areas were clearly clustered around the boreal-prairie transition zone and large protected areas. The majority (88%) of high quality core areas were located within protected areas. A connectivity analysis using least cost path analysis determined that core habitat areas endemic with chronic wasting disease (CWD) in wild elk are highly connected to other high quality habitat areas. CWD thus has the potential to reduce cervid populations within the study area. My thesis results highlight that prairie-parkland elk populations in Saskatchewan and Manitoba remain threatened by habitat loss and disease, and emphasize the need for habitat conservation to prevent further population reduction. While elk populations have regained a small fraction of the range lost at the turn of the last century, they have not been able to re-establish with much success in the prairie portion of their range. I also determined that LEK can be as effective as conventional biological research approaches to develop RSFs. I also confirmed that stakeholders within the study are knowledgeable about elk behaviour. The distribution maps and identified areas of priority concern created in this thesis can provide important insights to support the management and maintenance of abundant elk populations.

This essay is about how the educators can use the play as a tool to develop childrens social skills with eachother. The work is based on a qualitative study using a survey, where the educators can tell how they work within the play. I chose to use five different participants in my essay. All of them work in the same preschool, south of Stockholm. In this essay I have two questions. These two are: What do the educators tell about the importance of play for children's interaction? How do the educators tell how they work with the play to develop the children’s social interaction? Previous research shows that play gives the children opportunity to develop socially, emotionally, intellectually and physically. By adult and children’s interaction the children develops social skills through play. The children learn the consequences of one's behavior and what behavior that is acceptable in the society the children live in. The results of my essay show that educators agree that the play is important for children's development and learning, also that the play is important for the children’s interaction. Educators believe that the play gives children the opportunity to process feelings and experiences, also practice of empathy and finding different solutions to conflicts. It is also clear that it is important that the educator observe and guide the children in their play.

The purpose of my study is to explore which possibilities there are for movement activities and how to use those possibilities. From this study, I will help the pedagogues recognize how to work more or different with movement activities. I have used participant observations and interviews as methods for my study. I did this at one preschool, because it is a development-study. The observations lasted for two weeks and the interviews were made with the majority of the pedagogues at the preschool.   The results of my study showed that the preschool teachers think that movement activities are an important part of children’s lives. Movement activities are all around, because the children often play active games. They have many ideas about what movement is and how to work with it. The pedagogues do not think of their outdoor activities in an educational manner, but they would like to. Most of the activities take place in the yard, which also invites the children to physically active games. The children play much on their own, but appreciate when the pedagogues join them. There are only some planned physical activities, sometimes it includes going to the forest while other activities are planned physical training.

The aim of this study is to describe preschool children’s view of gender to find out how this affects their choice of activities. To examine this I have implement group interviews and observations of children in the age of 3-5 years.The result show that children don’t describe gender as something in particular and that they don’t feel constrained by their gender in any way, but under free play they still choose activities that can connect with their sex. / Syftet med denna studie är att beskriva förskolebarns syn på genus för att ta reda på hur det påverkar dem i deras val av aktivitet. För att undersöka detta har jag genomfört gruppintervjuer och observation av barn i åldern 3-5år.Resultatet visar att barn inte beskriver genus som något speciellt och att de inte känner sig hindrade av sitt kön på något sätt, men att de i den fria leken ändå väljer aktiviteter som kan kopplas till deras kön.

No description available.

The purpose of this study is to highlight play and learning in the lower school ages in organized and non-organized break actives. The premise is that the break is a part of the schoolday and that the school has responsibility to live up to the goals and guidelines of the curriculum even in recess. Leisuretime-pedagogy and the professional competence the pedagogs possess about games and the social relations of children are also in focus in this study. The study is a qualitative study where the empirical material consists of observations in a schoolyard environment during one week and interviews with children. The material has then been interpreted and analyzed using Lev S. Vygotsky's sociocultural perspective. The conclusions are, that the break is an opportunity for children to socialize with peers and in a playful way learn social skills of friendship, how to behave as a boy or a girl, and what works for one's age. The study also shows that children crave active adults in the schoolyard during recess and leisure-pedagogs have the skills required to support children's development by supporting the children's building of relationships and offer educational activities.