The aim of this study is to increase the knowledge regarding the selection process of picture books by pre-school educators. My intention is to find out which criteria educators use to select the books. I have restricted the study to pre-school educators, because I wish to find out how they work with the selection process and which criteria and considerations are included. I also want to know if the children have influence in the book selection and how the books get to the pre-school. The study is based on qualitative interviews with educators at a pre-schools in my area as well as relevant publications. The questions the educators were given were semi-structured. The theoretical starting point for the study has been Vygotskijs sociocultural theory. The results showed that the educators made diferent considerations regarding the book selections, it was importent for the educators that the children had influence either through selecting the books them self or that the educators selectet books that the children where intrested in and the educators borrowed a lot of books from the library

This study investigates whether male workers at the preschool feel treated differently from their female colleagues. My theoretical perspectives are gender and social constructivist theories are used in this study. When analyzing the results of the interview, variation is used as it highlights the understandings, attitudes and discourse of how people view each other in terms of their gender. During this study, I interviewed six male preschool workers and categorized their response in different themes. I formulated open ended interview questions in order to answer my research questions. The descriptions of the interviewees’ response were analyzed and the findings were written down.   My findings from the interviewees shows that gender perception influence and affect how women and men are treated at the preschool. The results also shows that male workers at the preschool interact differently with children compared with the female ones.

The aim of this study is to explore the way teachers in pree-school are relating to and working with pre-schoolers in concentration difficulties in the indoor environment. We have chosen to study if pedagogues are working in a way where they are trying to help the children or if they are considering concentration difficulties as existing within the child. In that way we will become aware if the teachers are working in a way where the child are considered as a child in concentration difficulties or as a child with concentration difficulties. The method used in this study is qualitative interviews consisting open ended questions where total of five pedagogues took part. The questions posed in the study are: • How do educators relate to children in concentration difficulties? • What importance does the indoor environment have on children in concentration difficulties? • What importance does society have on pre-school teachers' work on children's ability to concentrate? Bronfrenbrenner´s theory and Malaguzzi´s philosophy will be the root of this study. By this philosophy and theory, the meaning of a pedagogic environment and the child´s background will be seen. This study will lift the meaning of a committed pedagogue who can create a meaningful environment that helps the kid to concentrate. This exploration will also show the need of normalisation of differences and a working way against the norms and valuations of the society. The analysis of the results show that the teachers thinks that an open way to work with children in concentration difficulties is meaningful. In this way the teachers can find a way to help the children by creating environments which works for every child. What the teachers did not think about were that an opened way to work means no expectations on the children. By working without expectations means a working way free from the society’s norms and valuations but that it shows it their work from time to time.

Den här studien syftar till att analysera hur genus görs i sagor som blir lästa i förskolan. I min studie analyserar jag folksagor och konstsagor från 1800-talet samt moderna sagor. Metoden jag använder är kvalitativ litteraturanalys med ett poststrukturalistiskt perspektiv på genus. Resultatet visar att de äldre sagorna förstärker de traditionella könsrollerna medan de nyare sagorna försöker utmana dem. Det manliga är norm i sagor och kvinnan ses på som det andra könet. Forskning visar att litteratur påverkar barnens identitetsskapande och hur barnen uppfattar omvärlden. Min analys kan användas för att uppmärksamma förskollärare på vikten av att vara normkritisk i valet av sagor. För att kunna uppnå läroplanens mål om jämlikhet och lika rättigheter oavsett könstillhörighet, måste förskollärare vara medvetna om vilka normer sagorna de läses speglar. / This study aims to analyze representations of gender in fairy tales read in preschool. I have analyzed folk tales and literary fairy tales from the 19th century and contemporary tales. The method I have used is qualitative literature analysis with a poststructuralist perspective on gender. The results show that older fairy tales maintain the traditional gender roles more than newer fairy tales. The male is norm and women are considered the other sex. My analysis can be used to draw the attention of preschool teachers to the importance of norm criticism in storytelling. Research shows that literature affects how children perceive the world and children's identity formation. In order to achieve the curriculum's goals of gender equality and equal conditions regardless of gender, preschool teachers need to be aware of the norms the fairy tales they read to children contain.

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how preschool teachers work with language development regarding children who speak Swedish as their mother tongue as well as children with other first language. This thesis will also examine how the teachers look upon their mission to help the children in their language development both regarding the Swedish language as well as a pontential other first language. The results are based on a qualitative study with semi structured interviews and proceeds a sociocultural perspective based on the theories of Vygotsky. Nine teachers were interviewed. They work at four different preschools where the children who attend are between one and five years old. The results show that the teachers who participated in the study work with language development in the Swedish language with both planned activities and spontaneous by communicating with the children, and that they use the samr work methods regardless of the children's mother tongue. / Syftet med denna undersökning är att ta reda på hur förskollärare arbetar språkutvecklande både med barn som har svenska som modersmål och med barn som har annat förstaspråk, samt hur förskollärarna ser på möjligheter och svårigheter i sitt uppdrag att hjälpa barn i sin språkutveckling både i det svenska språket samt deras förstaspråk. Resultaten bygger på en kvalitativ undersökning med semistrukturerade intervjuer och utgår ifrån ett sociokulturellt perspektiv med Vygotskijs teori om den proximala utvecklingszonen och scaffolding i fokus. Nio förskollärare som arbetar på fyra olika förskolor som har barn i åldrarna ett till fem år intervjuades. Resultaten visar att förskollärarna i studien arbetar språkutvecklande både i planerade aktiviteter med olika sorters material samt spontant genom att kommunicera med barnen. De visar också att informanterna arbetar på samma sätt med språkutveckling oberoende av barnens modersmål.

The purpose of this essay is to find out if there is a general understanding of what the concept of ”a competent child” is in the writings of Maria Montessori, as well as in books written about Loris Malaguzzi. The essay then compares this with the answers from pre-school teachers in two Montessori and two Reggio Emilia pre-schools about their understanding of what a competent child is, how that shows in their behaviours and attitudes towards the children and in how they use this to arrange the pre-school physical environment. The essay also takes a look at how the teachers work with documentation, how they perceive their chosen pedagogy helps them in their work with the pre-school curriculum and with the requirement that the pre-school teachings should be grounded in the scientific method, and also explores what does the teachers think about their role as a teacher. The essay then tries to analyse why Reggio Emilia has grown to be the predominant pedagogy   in the Swedish pre-schools and why Montessori has not. The investigation is based on qualitative interviews as well as observations made by the author. The study is based on Vygotskijs socio-cultural theory, which could be summarised that we all learn in social relations.   The conclusion of the study is that there is a general understanding about the competent child in the books written by Maria Montessori and Loris Malaguzzi, as well as in the teacher’s answers to interview questions and in their acting in teaching situations. The study could see some differences in the design of the physical environments, theteachers’ views of their roles in their answers about the curriculum and that the pre-school should be based on the scientific method. These answers combined with the authors’ observations, the literature used for reference and the socio-cultural theory written by Vygotskij brings the author to the conclusion that Reggio Emilia could be seen as modern version of Montessori. Reggio Emilia is more up to date with a modern take on the role of teachers in advancing children’s learning and development, and the pedagogy also has the socio-cultural theory as a base for understanding how both adults and children learn. The Reggio Emilia pre-schools visited by the author also work with aesthetic expressions in a way that the pre- schools based in the Montessori pree-schools don´t. Reggio Emilia also ”gave” the Swedish pree-schools a tool for seeing the children, the teacher´s and the pree-school itself. It gave us pedagogic documentation.