Syftet med detta examensarbete var att undersöka hur förskollärare resonerar kring ett lekpedagogiskt arbetssätt och barns relationer. För att undersöka detta valde jag att genomföra min studie med hjälp av intervjuer som metod. Jag valde att intervjua tre förskollärare som alla arbetar lekpedagogiskt på olika förskolor, för att på så vis få en så bred bild som möjligt. Resultatet visar att gemensamma upplevelser är viktigt för relationerna på förskolan, då dessa upplevelser utgör en grund för både samtal och lek mellan barn, men även mellan barn och pedagoger. Även temat och lekvärlden utgör en stabil grund för lek, där både barn och vuxna delar samma kontext. På så vis skapas en gemensam kontext för vad, när och även hur man leker med varandra. Min förhoppning är att denna studie kommer att bidra med kunskap kring hur lekpedagogik kan påverka barns kamratkulturer, men även hur det påverkar atmosfären i förskolan. / The aim of this study was to investigate how preschool teachers reason about the educational approach of pedagogical play, and how it can affect children's relationships. I decided to use interviews as a method. I chose to interview three preschool teachers, who all work with this educational approach. The results show that collective experiences are important for relationships in preschool. These experiences creates a foundation for conversations and play between children, but also between children and adults. The theme and playworld creates a mutual context for what, when and even how you play with each other. My hopes are that this study will contribute knowledge about how pedagogical play can affect children’s peer cultures and the atmosphere in preschool.

The purpose of this qualitative, ethnographic case study was to learn the nature of the discursive practices of English learners in playground peer cultures. Additionally, it sought to understand the relationship between these practices and ideology, gender, and school performance. Three questions guided this study: (1) what is the nature of the actual discursive practices of English learners in peer culture, playground interactions? (2) how do gender and ideology play a role in children's games? and (3) what is the relationship between these discursive practices and school performance?This inquiry was conducted over ten months at a school in Northern California where four English learner second graders were observed playing each day during their lunchtime recess. Data sources included audio and video taped observations and field notes, audio taped interviews, and artifact collection. Data analysis was ongoing, characterized by member-checking, peer review, and multiple codings.The findings of this study reflected the dynamic, sophisticated nature of discursive practices which were co-constructed in peer culture settings. These practices included the exploration and explanation of new games, uses of imitative and counter-imitative behaviors, performed rule talk, integrated displays of gesture, pitch and silences, and code-switching strategies. Students employed these for a variety of purposes, including the facilitation of alignment within groups, the manipulation of social organization, the orchestration of inclusion or exclusion, and the creation of positions of power.This research also proposed a working model within which the playground became a site for the interpretive reproduction of ideologies. Students at Westside demonstrated that they had appropriated adult ideologies in creative ways. They negotiated these in their peer cultures, and preserved and transformed adult culture.Finally, this study revealed that, based on the discursive practices observed on the playground, proficiency levels and instructional goals, as determined by the California English Language Development Test (CELDT) and the state English Language Development (ELD) standards were inaccurate and underestimated student ability. Policy reform reflecting greater awareness, both of the social nature of discourse, as well as the power of peer cultures, was recommended.

The aim of this thesis is to describe, analyse and understand how children in preschool construct cultural diversity in their interaction. A wide definition of culture is being used, thereby stressing the cultural background of all children. The study is based on observations and conversations with children in three Swedish preschools. In observing and talking to the children the main interest has been on the extent to which experiences from the children’s individual backgrounds, called cultural impulses, are discernible in their play and interaction. In the analysis a theoretical framework of childhood sociology has been used in order to understand what meaning the children’s actions in their peer cultures have in the construction of cultural diversity. The activities going on in the peer culture have also been studied in relation to the pedagogical context. The findings show diversity within the peer group when it comes to gender and competencies but the actions within the peer cultures contain power game and inclusion as well as exclusion. These are results of hierarchies in the group, building on for example status and social position. These hierarchies are strong in the processes in which it is determined which of the cultural impulses from the children that will be a part of the play and which ones that will be rejected. In Swedish preschool one part of the pedagogical context is the seldom-questioned "fri lek". This is a period of varied length during which the children play by themselves with little or no interference from the pedagogues. The results from the observations indicate that this kind of play has very different meaning for the children. For some it is a possibility to make use of their own experiences in their peer culture and for some it means subordinating to those with higher rank in the hierarchy. / Felaktigt serienummer (#44) i avhandlingen.

The research in this thesis attempts to understand what happens when children (3-6 years of age) interact with each other in the context of free play in two pre-school settings when adults are not involved. The aim of the study was to get a closer look at how children create relationships and how they protect and defend their interactional spaces. Data was gathered through ethnographically inspired methodology, using video observation to capture the everyday interactions of the children. Results were analyzed using a phenomenological approach to peer cultures. Previous research suggests that it is very important for children to maintain their interactions with peers and gaining access to play. We have studied how children shape and interrupt relationships, and what strategies they mainly use to exclude undesired participants from play activities. Our results indicate that it was a hard task for the children to gain access to playgroups in these two pre-school settings, and that the children often jointly constructed a number of strategies for excluding other children from their play. The results also showed a considerable difference between the pre-school settings, both regarding the conception of status, themes of play and the way the children chose to protect their interactional space. Our study has shown legible examples of how peer cultures are under influence of local circumstances at these two specific settings.

The purpose with this study was to find out about the preschool toddler’s peer-cultures. I also wanted to understand how these peer-cultures were shown. My questions are as following: What is it that the children interpretive and reproduce in their play? How do children gain access to play? How do children exclude each other? What position of status can be seen in children´s play? I used observations as the method to find the answer to these questions. These observations where implemented during five occasions at two different preschools. Through these observations I have been able to see that peer cultures do exist among these children and that children uses different strategies to get access to play and to exclude one another. The children exclude others by simply telling: no you cannot play with us. To get access to the play, children used to circle the interaction and then use a nonverbal entry. Teachers must be aware of the fact that children with higher status wants to decide over the others, which been clear to me during this study. With this knowledge teachers will be able to prevent children from exclusion at all time. / Mitt examensarbete handlar om kamratkulturer på småbarnsavdelningen, alltså barnen i åldern 1-3 år. Jag ville se hur kamratkulturer visade sig bland dessa barn. Mina frågeställningar var:  Vad är det barnen tolkar och reproducerar i sin lek?  Hur gör barn för att få tillträde till lek?  Vilka olika uteslutningsmetoder använder barn?  Vilka statuspositioner syns i leken? För att ta reda på detta använde jag mig av observation som metod. Dessa observationer genomfördes vid 5 tillfällen på två olika förskolor. Genom dessa observationer har jag sett att kamratkulturer förekommer bland de yngsta barnen. Jag har kunnat se att barnen använder sig av olika strategier till tillträde samt olika metoder till uteslutning. Barnen utesluter genom att antingen säga: ”nej du får inte vara med” eller att putta bort barnet som utesluts. Det fanns även strategier för tillträde, där det var vanligast att barnen gjorde en icke-verbal entré i samband med att de omringade lekutrymmet. Det har även blivit tydlig för mig att det barn som har högre status i gruppen bestämmer och det gäller då för pedagogerna att vara medvetna om detta. Genom detta kan vi hjälpa barn att inte alltid bli uteslutna.

The purpose of the study is to contribute to the field of social access in children's free play in the pre-school class, by looking at how children are included and excluded and how power structures arises in the free time. In order to capture the events that occur among the children, observations were chosen as research method. The results show that the children wanted to play with each other, and that the most common way to facilitate play was to ask "Can I join?". There were also other strategies being practiced regularly. It was also common to exclude other children from playing, and this was especially when the children wanted to protect their ongoing game, or that someone was not allowed to join because he or she ruined it for the others. Other aspects that affect which status the children had in the group was when they compared their skills with each other, to see who could jump the farthest, draw the best and so on. Knowledge on how to read and write were two other abilities that gave high status in the pre-school class. / Syftet med studien är att beskriva hur socialt tillträde och makt visas i en förskoleklass, och då titta på hur barn inkluderas och exkluderas och de maktpostitioneringar som uppstår i den fria leken. För att kunna fånga händelser som sker mellan barnen, valdes observationer som undersökningsmetod. Resultatet visar att barnen gärna ville umgås med varandra, och att det vanligaste för att få vara med och leka var att fråga "Får jag vara med?", men det fanns även andra strategier som förekom regelbundet. Att exkludera andra barn ur den sociala gemenskapen var också vanligt, och då framförallt för att barnen ville skydda sin pågående lek eller att någon inte fick vara med för att den förstörde för de andra. Andra aspekter som påverkade vilken status barnen hade i barngruppen handlade om att de jämförde sina färdigheter med varandra; vem som kunde hoppa längst, rita häftigast och så vidare. Här kom även kunskaper som att läsa och skriva in, vilket var två förmågor som gav hög status i förskoleklassen.

The purpose of this essay is to explore why some children are having a hard time playing together with other children, while others have the ability to play for a long time without interruptions due to conflicts. The stepping stone to this essay has been my thoughts concerning play, which has been inspired foremost by Birgitta Knutsdotter Olofsson. The essay starts with two stories about two children, one of whom is having particular difficulties playing with other kids without getting into conflict. From these examples I turn to three different play theories: play as communication (Bateson and Olofsson), play as transition (Winnicott) and play as developement (Vygotskij). Thereafter comes a reflection, where I examine my stories from the viewpoint of these three theories. But to be able to give the whole picture of play and its conditions, comes another section of theory concerning peer cultures and empathy. The essay then continues into an overlapping reflection, where I scrutinize and critically question my own actions from all these theories. This critical reflection emanates from my own experiences and observations and is also turned against the ways us teachers are acting in general. Working with the essay has given me many new thoughts in how to work with children, such as the importance of being aware of childrens peer cultures, but above all pinpointing on the importance of a present teacher.

Esta dissertação tem como fio condutor a seguinte pergunta: o que acontece quando as crianças estão entre elas? Elaboro minhas respostas a partir da análise de cinco filmes escolhidos dentre a filmografia dos diferentes módulos da disciplina Cinema e Infância, do PPGEDU, da linha de pesquisa Estudos sobre Infâncias, da FACEDUFRGS. Os filmes são: Meninos de Tóquio (1932); A Guerra dos Botões (1962); O Senhor das Moscas (1963); Os Meninos da Rua Paulo (1969) e Canto dos Pardais (2008). O trabalho busca identificar e compreender o que acontece quando as crianças-personagens dos cinco filmes estão entre elas, analisando estas interações à luz da Sociologia da Infância, explorando alguns de seus principais conceitos – criança, infância, culturas infantis, cultura de pares, reprodução interpretativa. Utilizo como aporte teórico principal SARMENTO (2003, 2005, 2009), CORSARO (2009, 2011), PROUT (2010), QVORTRUP (2010), DELGADO (2006) e BARTHES (1990). As crianças produzem culturas através das relações que estabelecem entre elas e com os outros, sendo significadas como atores sociais e sujeitos ativos no processo de sua socialização. Considerando, portanto, as crianças como seres que estão, sim, em desenvolvimento, mas que protagonizam sua história e agem na sociedade em que estão inseridas, é que olho para as crianças-personagens dos filmes, que são protagonistas do meu trabalho. As análises foram realizadas a partir de três variáveis insistentes em cada filme, e é a partir delas que as cenas foram selecionadas: as crianças, quando estão entre elas: 1) mobilizam-se, engajam-se; 2) entram em conflito; 3) organizam-se para alcançarem seus objetivos. As interações entre as crianças-personagens dos filmes geraram dados riquíssimos para análise, que não se esgotam nas variáveis e nos trechos selecionados. / The present thesis has the following guideline question: what does it happen when children are among themselves? I elaborate these answers through my own analysis of five films, namely, I Was Born, But… (1932), War of the Buttons (1962), Lord of the Flies (1963), The Boys of Paul Street (1969) and The Song of Sparrows (2008). The films were chosen among other titles of the filmography of the discipline Cinema and Childhood offered by the Graduate Program in Education. The investigation aims to analyze the children-characters’ interaction with themselves in the five films. The analysis was done exploring Sociology of Childhood and its main concepts: child, childhood, children’s cultures, peer cultures and interpretative reproduction. As a theoretical referential I base my reasoning in SARMENTO (2003, 2005, 2009), CORSARO (2009, 2011), PROUT (2010), QVORTRUP (2010), DELGADO (2006) e BARTHES (1990). By means of the relationships established with themselves and with others, children produce cultures and are signified as social actors and active subjects in the process of their socialization. Therefore, children are not only beings in development but also protagonists of their own history acting in the society they are inserted. It is in this manner that I look to the children-characters of the films, which are also the protagonists of my work. I have established three variables that are insistently common to each of the films: 1) children mobilizing or engaging themselves; 2) children conflicting with themselves; 3) children organizing themselves in order to achieving their goals. In the search for a dialogue with Sociology of Childhood, I have selected scenes from the films that were analyzed, taking the variables as starting points. The children-characters have generated plentiful data for analysis that is limited to the variables nor to the selected scenes.

Esta dissertação tem como fio condutor a seguinte pergunta: o que acontece quando as crianças estão entre elas? Elaboro minhas respostas a partir da análise de cinco filmes escolhidos dentre a filmografia dos diferentes módulos da disciplina Cinema e Infância, do PPGEDU, da linha de pesquisa Estudos sobre Infâncias, da FACEDUFRGS. Os filmes são: Meninos de Tóquio (1932); A Guerra dos Botões (1962); O Senhor das Moscas (1963); Os Meninos da Rua Paulo (1969) e Canto dos Pardais (2008). O trabalho busca identificar e compreender o que acontece quando as crianças-personagens dos cinco filmes estão entre elas, analisando estas interações à luz da Sociologia da Infância, explorando alguns de seus principais conceitos – criança, infância, culturas infantis, cultura de pares, reprodução interpretativa. Utilizo como aporte teórico principal SARMENTO (2003, 2005, 2009), CORSARO (2009, 2011), PROUT (2010), QVORTRUP (2010), DELGADO (2006) e BARTHES (1990). As crianças produzem culturas através das relações que estabelecem entre elas e com os outros, sendo significadas como atores sociais e sujeitos ativos no processo de sua socialização. Considerando, portanto, as crianças como seres que estão, sim, em desenvolvimento, mas que protagonizam sua história e agem na sociedade em que estão inseridas, é que olho para as crianças-personagens dos filmes, que são protagonistas do meu trabalho. As análises foram realizadas a partir de três variáveis insistentes em cada filme, e é a partir delas que as cenas foram selecionadas: as crianças, quando estão entre elas: 1) mobilizam-se, engajam-se; 2) entram em conflito; 3) organizam-se para alcançarem seus objetivos. As interações entre as crianças-personagens dos filmes geraram dados riquíssimos para análise, que não se esgotam nas variáveis e nos trechos selecionados. / The present thesis has the following guideline question: what does it happen when children are among themselves? I elaborate these answers through my own analysis of five films, namely, I Was Born, But… (1932), War of the Buttons (1962), Lord of the Flies (1963), The Boys of Paul Street (1969) and The Song of Sparrows (2008). The films were chosen among other titles of the filmography of the discipline Cinema and Childhood offered by the Graduate Program in Education. The investigation aims to analyze the children-characters’ interaction with themselves in the five films. The analysis was done exploring Sociology of Childhood and its main concepts: child, childhood, children’s cultures, peer cultures and interpretative reproduction. As a theoretical referential I base my reasoning in SARMENTO (2003, 2005, 2009), CORSARO (2009, 2011), PROUT (2010), QVORTRUP (2010), DELGADO (2006) e BARTHES (1990). By means of the relationships established with themselves and with others, children produce cultures and are signified as social actors and active subjects in the process of their socialization. Therefore, children are not only beings in development but also protagonists of their own history acting in the society they are inserted. It is in this manner that I look to the children-characters of the films, which are also the protagonists of my work. I have established three variables that are insistently common to each of the films: 1) children mobilizing or engaging themselves; 2) children conflicting with themselves; 3) children organizing themselves in order to achieving their goals. In the search for a dialogue with Sociology of Childhood, I have selected scenes from the films that were analyzed, taking the variables as starting points. The children-characters have generated plentiful data for analysis that is limited to the variables nor to the selected scenes.

Esta dissertação tem como fio condutor a seguinte pergunta: o que acontece quando as crianças estão entre elas? Elaboro minhas respostas a partir da análise de cinco filmes escolhidos dentre a filmografia dos diferentes módulos da disciplina Cinema e Infância, do PPGEDU, da linha de pesquisa Estudos sobre Infâncias, da FACEDUFRGS. Os filmes são: Meninos de Tóquio (1932); A Guerra dos Botões (1962); O Senhor das Moscas (1963); Os Meninos da Rua Paulo (1969) e Canto dos Pardais (2008). O trabalho busca identificar e compreender o que acontece quando as crianças-personagens dos cinco filmes estão entre elas, analisando estas interações à luz da Sociologia da Infância, explorando alguns de seus principais conceitos – criança, infância, culturas infantis, cultura de pares, reprodução interpretativa. Utilizo como aporte teórico principal SARMENTO (2003, 2005, 2009), CORSARO (2009, 2011), PROUT (2010), QVORTRUP (2010), DELGADO (2006) e BARTHES (1990). As crianças produzem culturas através das relações que estabelecem entre elas e com os outros, sendo significadas como atores sociais e sujeitos ativos no processo de sua socialização. Considerando, portanto, as crianças como seres que estão, sim, em desenvolvimento, mas que protagonizam sua história e agem na sociedade em que estão inseridas, é que olho para as crianças-personagens dos filmes, que são protagonistas do meu trabalho. As análises foram realizadas a partir de três variáveis insistentes em cada filme, e é a partir delas que as cenas foram selecionadas: as crianças, quando estão entre elas: 1) mobilizam-se, engajam-se; 2) entram em conflito; 3) organizam-se para alcançarem seus objetivos. As interações entre as crianças-personagens dos filmes geraram dados riquíssimos para análise, que não se esgotam nas variáveis e nos trechos selecionados. / The present thesis has the following guideline question: what does it happen when children are among themselves? I elaborate these answers through my own analysis of five films, namely, I Was Born, But… (1932), War of the Buttons (1962), Lord of the Flies (1963), The Boys of Paul Street (1969) and The Song of Sparrows (2008). The films were chosen among other titles of the filmography of the discipline Cinema and Childhood offered by the Graduate Program in Education. The investigation aims to analyze the children-characters’ interaction with themselves in the five films. The analysis was done exploring Sociology of Childhood and its main concepts: child, childhood, children’s cultures, peer cultures and interpretative reproduction. As a theoretical referential I base my reasoning in SARMENTO (2003, 2005, 2009), CORSARO (2009, 2011), PROUT (2010), QVORTRUP (2010), DELGADO (2006) e BARTHES (1990). By means of the relationships established with themselves and with others, children produce cultures and are signified as social actors and active subjects in the process of their socialization. Therefore, children are not only beings in development but also protagonists of their own history acting in the society they are inserted. It is in this manner that I look to the children-characters of the films, which are also the protagonists of my work. I have established three variables that are insistently common to each of the films: 1) children mobilizing or engaging themselves; 2) children conflicting with themselves; 3) children organizing themselves in order to achieving their goals. In the search for a dialogue with Sociology of Childhood, I have selected scenes from the films that were analyzed, taking the variables as starting points. The children-characters have generated plentiful data for analysis that is limited to the variables nor to the selected scenes.