Denna studie syftar till att undersöka förskollärares perspektiv på barns inflytande, vilka begränsningar de ser för barns inflytande samt orsaker till dessa. Studien grundar sig på intervjuer som har kodats och kategoriserats för att besvara frågeställningarna. Tidigare studier har fokuserat på orsaker till begränsningar och till skillnad från det beskriver denna studie såväl orsakerna till begränsningarna som exempel på hur och när barnen begränsas. Barnen begränsas i sina valmöjligheter och tillgänglighet av material, sociala relationer och i miljön, där informanterna uttrycker att barnen begränsas på grund av personalbrist, rutiner, säkerhet och förhållningssätt. Dessa perspektiv och orsaker är inte skilda från varandra, de hänger ihop. Således kan tillgängligt material begränsa och ge barnen inflytande inom såväl sociala relationer som i tillgänglig miljö, och tvärtom. Den främsta orsaken till varför barnen såväl får inflytande som att de begränsas är pedagogernas eget förhållningssätt, vilket både tidigare studier och denna bekräftar.

The aim of this study is to investigate and analyze preschool teachers perceptions, approaches and responsibility with the concepts of teaching and learning. The questions that have been investigated are which perceptions of teaching and learning the preschool teachers have, how they approach teaching and how preschool teachers perceive their responsibility in the teaching. The phenomenographical approach is used as a theory to investigate the preschool teachers perceptions. The variation theory is used to show how preschool teachers conduct teaching and the development of pedagogical perspective is used to examine the perceptions of teaching and learning. The phenomenographical method is used as a qualitative method with interviews, to visualize the preschool teachers perceptions in different categories. The results in this study are that the preschool teachers have three different perceptions on the terms teaching and learning. The concepts are perceived as either synonymous, different or that these concepts have a connection. The results show that the preschool teachers approach the teaching based on the childrens needs and interests, from spontaneous situations or in controlled activities. The results also show that the preschool teachers responsibility in teaching is described in three ways which are a dual-assignment, to increase the quality and from the requirement of society. The conclusions of this study show that teaching and learning will be perceived and approached in varied forms because there are no clear guidelines in how education should take form in practice. The variation between the perceptions provides an insight that preschools will still be different, depending on the preschool teachers approach. / Syftet med studien är att undersöka och analysera förskollärares uppfattningar, förhållningssätt och ansvar om begreppen undervisning och lärande. Forskningsfrågorna i studien undersöker vilka uppfattningar förskollärare har om undervisning och lärande, vilket förhållningssätt förskollärare har med undervisningen och hur förskolläraren uppfattar sitt ansvar till undervisningen. Den fenomenografiska ansatsen används som teori för att undersöka förskollärares uppfattningar. Variationsteorin används för att synliggöra förskollärares förhållningssätt med undervisning och det utvecklingspedagogiska perspektivet används för att undersöka uppfattningarna om undervisning och lärande. Den fenomenografiska ansatsen används som en kvalitativ metod med intervjuer, för att synliggöra förskollärarens uppfattningar i olika kategorier. Studiens resultat visar att förskollärare uppfattar begreppen undervisning och lärande på tre varierade sätt. Begreppen uppfattas antingen som synonyma, som olika eller att dessa begrepp har ett samband. Resultatet visar att förskollärares förhållningssätt i undervisningen utgår från barns behov och intressen, från spontana situationer eller från styrda aktiviteter. Resultatet visar även att förskollärares ansvar till undervisningen skildras på tre sätt som ligger i ett dubbelt uppdrag, för att höja kvalitén och från ett samhällskrav. Slutsatserna för studien visar att undervisning och lärande bedrivs och uppfattas på varierade former i verksamheten, eftersom det inte finns tydliga riktlinjer för hur undervisning ska bedrivas. Variationen mellan uppfattningarna ger en insikt att förskolorna fortfarande kommer vara olika, beroende på förskollärarens förhållningssätt.

The aim in this study is to examine preschool teachers’ perceptions of sustainable development and to put it in relation to the global definition of social sustainability and study how this work can be associated with the value-based work in the preschool curriculum. The study contextualizes sustainability using phenomenography as theoretical approach. Phenomenography approach is also used in method based on qualitative, semi-structured interviews to study the preschool teachers’ perceptions. The results of the study show that there are varied perceptions in the meaning of sustainable development. The results also indicate that there is a lack of discussion regarding sustainable development to achieve a consistent approach in value-based work.

The aim of this study is to analyze the experiences of preschool teachers’ on dance activities in preschool settings. My main focus lies in understanding how big and which kind of role dance has in different preschools. I used three questions to get answers regarding my idea:What experience does preschool teachers have regarding dance in preschool?What knowledge does preschool teachers have regarding dance in preschool?What knowledge does the preschool teachers have about dance as a tool for learning? As a method I used a qualitative interviews’ with four preschool teachers’. I have recorded and transcribed the interviews’ and analyzed the result with a hermeneutics approach. The theoretical frame of the study is founded on a theory based on a phenomenological and a hermeneutic phenomenological perception and a socio-cultural theory of learning. In my search for previous research about dance in preschool I found out that there is little research on the matter so with this study I would like to highlight the importance of using dance as a method of development and learning. The result shows that preschool teachers’ interpret the curriculum in different ways and it affects how they work with dance in their preschool activities. Dance is mentioned in the curriculum, as one of several ways of expression, but it is not clear how they should be interpreted. Preschool curriculum talks about what the children are expected to develop and learn, but it does not appear in what way or methods to be used to achieve this. Another conclusion of the result shows that the preschool teachers’ who of which were interviewed mentions how dance is used in preschool depends on the preschool teachers’ knowledge and interest in dance.  The result also shows that the preschool teachers’ I have interviewed had a lot of knowledge concerning dance as a tool for learning, but still dance has a small space in preschool.

高教學品質對幼兒生理、心理及日後學習成就皆有正向的影響，探討幼 教師與家長教學品質概念為本研究的重點。本研究採取質性研究方法，訪談 基隆市一間公立幼兒園不同教學年資之四位幼教師，以及不同幼兒成長階段 之四位家長，探討其對幼教教學品質之觀點。透過比較其概念差異，以促進 幼教師與家長觀點的對話與整合。 研究結果如下：一、幼教師與家長皆重視結構品質對教學品質的影響。 二、幼教師與家長對歷程品質關注之差異為對優質課程的理解不同。三、幼 教師對結果品質的關注不足；家長對結果品質給予相當程度之關注。四、幼 教師之教學品質概念與教師專業有高度連結，但概念中缺乏與家長合作與評 量的概念。家長視幼教師為教學品質之保證，並以幼兒之展現作為主要判斷 依據，但忽略了自身對教學的影響與家庭教育的重要性。五、幼教師與家長 對教學品質概念之差異，在於對優質課程的理解及關注層面不同，以及歷程 品質與結果品質之間的失衡。 根據研究結果，本研究提出實務現場與後續研究之建議：一、對教學現 場建議：(1)完整瞭解幼教品質的概念；(2)認識本身教學品質之階段，以及 與家長概念差異；(3)建立密切的親師夥伴關係。二、對幼兒家長建議：(1) 認識並瞭解幼教師對幼教品質的概念；(2)多與幼教師當面溝通。(3)了解自 身對教學品質之重要性，以合作代替要求。三、對教育機關建議：(1)舉辦 幼教教學品質研習，促進瞭解幼教師與家長幼教品質概念之差異，尋求親師 合作之道。(2)舉辦家長幼兒教育研習，協助家長認識並瞭解幼兒發展與專 業幼兒教育。四、對後續研究建議：(1)關於幼教課程專業性與豐富性之思 辨。(2)如何建立親師夥伴關係之探討。 / In recent years, teaching quality has come into the spotlight in preschool education. High quality teaching has a positive effect on children's physical, psychological and future learning achievement. However, there seems to lack a clear definition of preschool teaching quality which results to some barriers between preschool teachers and parents, that limited the possibility to enhance higher quality of teaching. This study utilized qualitative research method to collect datas from a public kindergarten in Keelung City by interviewing four preschool teachers and four parents. The datas were analyzed through open coding, axial coding and selective coding. The results are as follows:(1) When defining teaching quality， preschool teachers pay more attentions toward the process quality showing in the classroom while parents pay more attention toward the structural quality and the outcome quality.(2) Preschool teachers correlated teaching quality with teaching professionalism while parents considered preschool teachers as the guarantee to ensure teaching quality and the outcome behavior of children as the main evaluation standard. (3) Different cognition between perschool teachers and parents--imbalance between process quality and outcome quality. Based on the conclusion, this study provides several suggestions for practical and other further researches for reference.

The aim of this dissertation was to interpret and analyze how preschool teachers described their professional skills and to deepen understanding about this. Two questions were used to achieve this aim. The first question concerned what preschool teachers talked about regarding their experiences work in praxis. The second question concerned the manner in which preschool teachers' individual and collective reflection could contribute to new insights regarding their professional skills. Based on the three different forms of knowledge that Aristotle inspired: episteme, techne and fronesis skills can be said to consist of both theory and to a high degree, of practice in which the various forms both interact as complementary. Thus it is not enough merely to have scientific knowledge (episteme), or to know how something should be done only by general rules and principles (techne) to possess a skill. Rather professionalism is largely characterized by fronesis, a concept that can be translated as practical wisdom, and it cannot always be put into words. Dewey has highlighted the importance of reflection over every day conduct as an important tool to both broaden and alter the quality of practice work in praxis. In order to fulfill answer the aim of the dialogueseminar method was seen as a viable approach to collect empirical data. The emphasis of the method was to continuously reflect, both individually and in interaction with others and then share stories about their experience of practical work in praxis. The results showed that preschool teachers' professional skills emanated from their own life-world experience. Through this it was possible to focus and link practical action to two prominent themes. The themes were: expectations and approach and they describing the basis for the practical conduct preschool teachers related to and put into various concrete settings from the context they were operating in. Based on the study's second question, reflection was highlighted as both important and central to raising awareness of- and making new insights visible. According to preschool teachers, it had been enriching and energizing to be given opportunity to do this and the reafter to share their thoughts about their profession in dialogue. The results showed that preschool teachers' professional skills, with a focus on practical work, could both be widened and developed. Partly through individual reflection, but above all through collective reflection and conversations.

Syftet med studien är att med hjälp av förskollärararnas berättelser beskriva vilka arbetssätt som förskollärarna upplever som framgångsrika och hur de skapar förutsättningar för lärande när det gäller barns lärande av det svenska språket. Två frågeställningar besvaras:   Vilka metoder beskriver förskollärarna att de använder när de skapar förutsättningar i lärandet av svenska till barn som inte har svenska som modersmål?   Vilka utmaningar beskriver förskollärarna att de stöter på när de skapar förutsättningar i lärandet av svenska till barn som inte har svenska som modersmål?   Studien är kvalitativ och den metod som används för att besvara frågeställningen är intervjuer. Urvalet av respondenter består av sex utbildade förskollärare som arbetar på sex olika förskolor. För att analysera empirin har vi utgått från Vygotskijs kulturhistoriska teori i hur lärande sker i samspel samt Säljös tolkning av Vygotskijs teorier om fysiska och språkliga redskap i lärandet av ett nytt språk. Vi har även analyserat resultatet med Piagets utvecklingsteori. Studiens resultat visar att samtliga förskollärare använder sig av flera arbetssätt och de lyfter fram olika argument för att motivera sina val av metoder för lärande av det svenska språket. Förskollärarna anser att de arbetssätt de använder är betydelsefulla för barns lärande och att metoderna kan användas på olika sätt för att främja barns lärande.

Utveckling av det svenska språket hos nyanlända barn i förskolan är en empirisk studie om pedagogernas arbetssätt, metoder och strategier för att främja nyanlända barns språkutveckling samt betydelsen av modersmålet för språkutvecklingen. Sex kvalitativa intervjuer genomfördes med sex pedagoger verksamma vid fem förskolor i mångkulturella områden i en medelstor stad i Sverige. De teoretiska utgångspunkterna som ligger till grund för studien är Vygotskijs sociokulturella teori, Piagets teori av den kognitiva utvecklingen, samt Bruners teori om språkutveckling. I resultaten har framkommit att utvecklig av det svenska språket hos nyanlända barn upplevs som en utmaning men samtidigt som en spännande uppgift för pedagogerna. Det har visat sig att trygghet, barns samspel, pedagogers närvaro och stöd, tecken- och kroppsspråk, olika stödmateral samt modersmålet är avgörande för barns språkutveckling. / Development of the Swedish language of newly-arrived children in preschools is an empirical study about preschool-teachers’ work procedures, their methods and strategies for supporting newly-arrived children’s language development and about the importance of the children’s mother tongue for their language development. Six qualitative interviews were conducted with preschool teachers working in five different preschools in multicultural areas in a medium-sized town in Sweden. The theories that form the basis for the study are Vygotskij’s sociocultural theory, Piaget’s theory of the cognitive development, and Bruner’s theory of language development. The result of the study shows that preschool teachers have experienced the process of the Swedish language development of newly-arrived children as a challenging as well as an exciting task. It has been also revealed that feeling of safety, interaction among children, presence and support of preschool teachers, sign and body language, various support material and mother tongue are crucial for children´s language development.

This study investigates practices of early childhood development (ECD) practitioners for children from three to five years in three ECD centres situated within the municipal boundaries of Buffalo City, East London. It does so by posing the following questions: What are the practices of ECD practitioners for children from three to five years in developing learners’ oral language and physical intelligence. This study, using a qualitative approach and Qualitative methods for data collection were used, that is semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. The findings reveal that for oral language development, storytelling and children sharing news seemed to be the most used practices. However, the practitioners in this study seemed to severely lack understanding of their selected practices. Practices for developing children’s physical intelligence included free play, which was unsupervised. Practitioners seemed not to have an understanding of constructive play which is very important for the development of learners’ physical intelligence. One of the factors reported to be the cause of the poor quality of their practices was the critical shortage of funding for practitioners’ professional training. Moreover, shortage of funds also contributed to poor and inappropriate infrastructure and a lack of resources and teaching aids. This study, therefore, recommends that the quality of ECD programmes could be one of the prime contributors to the quality and effectiveness of ECD provisioning.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain how preschool teachers think the subject of physics is shown in the preschool environment. A comparison was also conducted to see if there was any difference between the preschool teachers view of working with physics depending on when they were educated.   The study was conducted in the form of qualitative semi-structured interviews with active preschool teachers. The interviews were conducted in a calm environment and there was no disturbances. The interviews were used as a foundation to see if the preschool teachers thought they had sufficient knowledge in physics to be able to complete their work. A comparison was made between two newly graduated preschool teachers and two preschool teachers educated in the 1990s.   The results show that the preschool teachers think physics is an interesting subject, but they don’t work with it sufficiently. They believe the reason for that this is insufficient material, lack of time, conflicting colleagues and ignorance.