The importance of preschool quality in Sweden is a subject of concern for preschool workers, researchers, parents and other stakeholders internationally. After the revision of the national preschool curriculum in 2010, the examination of the role of heads in outlining and maintaining quality has become a topic of concern, in particular regarding systematic quality work and the responsibilities of the heads in relation to this work. The purpose of this literature review is therefore to examine the extant research on how preschool heads in Sweden understand and work with the issue of quality in Early Childhood Education and Care. The research questions are: What is preschool quality, and how can it be assessed in the eyes of the head preschool teachers in Sweden? And, how do the heads fulfil their responsibilities inrelation to quality work in preschool? Four studies were reviewed and analyzed based on three criteria of measuring quality: structural,result,and processual. The results showed that the preschool heads had broad areas of measuring quality work, covering all three areas of quality. However, their practical quality work only covered some of these areas. Collaboration with staff, parents and other preschools wasmost commonly mentioned by the heads, as they are also problematised on their daily tasks in practice. Generally, there was an emphasis on structural quality more than processual and result quality matters. The findings and implications are discussed also in terms of the three areas of measuring quality: structural,result,and processual. Overall, heads might need more support and guidance from experts in order to achieve quality work in relation to processual areas of quality matters in preschool. Future research ought to examine quality of care in preschool (rather than quality of education) from the perspective of preschool heads.

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Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka om det finns några mönster och samband i hur förskolepedagoger upplever förutsättningar för barns lärande beroende på ålderssammansättningen i gruppen. Studien är kvantitativ med webbenkät som metod för insamling av data från pedagoger. Undersökningen omfattar alla förskolor inom en kommun i Värmland, totalt 55 kommunala avdelningar och 144 pedagoger. Följande ålderssammansättningar ingår i studien: åldersindelade grupper, småbarnsavdelningar (1-3), avdelningar för äldre barn (3-5) och syskonavdelningar (1-5). Studien har sin utgångspunkt i interaktionistiska teorier, vilket innebär att förskolans verksamhet studeras utifrån olika samspelade aspekter, faktorer och nivåer. I studien ses förutsättningar för barns lärande i förhållande till förskolans kvalitet, vilken i sin tur tolkas som ett komplext fenomen som skapas i samspel mellan olika faktorer på struktur-, process- och resultatnivåer. Studien fokuserar på samband mellan ålderssammansättning som en faktor för förskolans strukturkvalitet och flera aspekter av processkvalitet, nämligen utformning av pedagogiska miljön, pedagogernas sätt att organisera och genomföra verksamheten och pedagogernas samspel med barnen. Undersökningen visade att det finns betydelsefulla skillnader mellan grupperna med olika ålderssammansättningar i utformning av den pedagogiska miljön och även i pedagogernas samspel med barnen. Däremot är denna påverkan inte entydig och kan även förklaras med andra orsaker och faktorer, så som gruppens storlek, barnens ålder och pedagogiskt arbetssätt. Gruppens ålderssammansättning i sig är således inte avgörande för verksamhetens kvalitet, utan behöver ses i relation till andra påverkande faktorer. / The purpose of this study is to investigate whether there are some patterns and connections between the teachers’ experiences of the conditions for children’s learning and age settings at preschool groups. The study is quantitative, and a web survey is used to collect the data from the teachers. The study includes all preschools in a municipality in Värmland, Sweden. 144 preschool teachers from 55 municipal preschool groups participated in the study. Following age settings are represented in the study: same-age preschool groups, groups with children between 1-3 years old, groups with children between 3-5 years old and groups with children between 1-5 years old. The study is based on interactionistic theories, which means that the preschool is examined from various interacting aspects and dimensions. Conditions for children’s learning are seen in the study in relation to preschool quality, which is a complex phenomenon constituted in the interaction between dimensions of structure, process, and outcome. The study focuses on age setting as a structural aspect of preschool quality and following aspects of process quality: organizing of the pedagogical environment, teachers’ approach to organizing of daily activities and teachers’ interplay with children.  The results of the study show that there are important differences between groups with different age settings regarding organizing of the pedagogical environment and interplay between teachers and children. However, these differences are rather ambiguous and can be explained by other aspects and factors such as group’size, children’s age, and pedagogical approach. Therefore, age setting as such is not the key to preschool quality but must be seen in relation to other aspects and dimensions.