Much of the current discourse surrounding the practice of early reading has emerged from policies that dictate the definition and means by which reading is taught and by which reading success is measured. Although this discourse directly influences the work of preschool teachers, little is known about what preschool teachers think about early reading and how they develop these understandings or constructions. Research concerning preschool teachers’ constructions is useful because of the potential influence on teachers' decisions and classroom behaviors. The purpose of this study is to better understand preschool teachers’ constructions concerning early reading and the process of learning to read. Six preschool teachers, with a variety of personal, educational, and professional experiences, from four diverse early childhood programs in the North Texas area were interviewed over a nine-month period during which each participant was interviewed for approximately three hours. Through systematic, inductive analysis, three themes were identified under an overarching theme of the interdependent and relational nature of early reading influences: out-of-school interactions, in-school interactions, and interactions with text. Without exception, these teachers referred to their life experiences as influencing their approach to teaching in general and to teaching reading in particular. The goals these preschool teachers had for their students and their instructional decisions were indications of their unique and evolving constructions of early reading and are absolutely grounded in their practice – in their life experiences and in their daily interactions with children. This study suggests that stakeholders should remember that these practical experiences are a primary influence on how preschool teachers think about early reading and the process of learning to read.

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / The socio-emotional development of children has an extremely important impact on the overall development of children. Globally, extensive research has been dedicated to the socio-emotional development of children with regard to play, socio-emotional programmes, school readiness and school success. However, there is limited current research within the South African context relating to socio-emotional development in early childhood and its importance for school readiness, specifically from the views of educators. This study explored preschool teachers’ understanding and classroom experience of socio-emotional development in early childhood and the role it plays in school readiness. This study utilises the Albert Bandura’s social learning theory which posits that adults function as “environmental experts who model appropriate behaviours and structures the environment” in ways that encourage appropriate behaviours in children. A qualitative methodological framework with an exploratory research design was used. A total of 12 preschool teachers from both community-based preschools and primary schools with a Grade R programme were recruited. Data were collected with semi-structured interviews and analysed thematically in accordance with Braun and Clarke (2006). Participants’ rights such as informed consent, anonymity and confidentiality were guaranteed throughout the research process. Ethics guidelines stipulated by the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee at the University of the Western Cape were strictly adhered to. The main findings were that preschool teachers understand socio-emotional development as consisting of inter- and intrapersonal skills. Teachers viewed themselves as role models who encourage and model appropriate and prosocial behaviour in the classroom. Lastly, preschool teachers view age appropriate development in all areas as absolutely essential for school readiness.

The transition from home to preschool is a very emotional and sometimes distressing period for both parent and child. The teacher plays a significant role, in that they are entrusted with the distressed and separation anxious child, and assist in helping both parent and child to adjust to the change. Research in the field of early childhood separation anxiety has suggested that, when the child has difficulty managing their anxiety, maladjustment can potentially predispose them to various other forms of pathology later in life. Thus, the potential implications of maladjustment simultaneously imply the importance of understanding and helping anxious and struggling preschoolers to adjust to developmental demands. This study qualitatively explored the perspectives and experiences of teachers, and how they have come to make sense of and respond to separation anxiety in children. Four private preschools in the Johannesburg area participated in the study and a sample of thirteen teachers were interviewed. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews which were audio-recorded. A thematic content analysis of the collected data revealed two core themes concerning teachers’ views on separation anxiety. The first theme addressed the ‘challenges encountered’ during the transitional period, which focused primarily on the presentation, impacts and predisposing factors of separation anxiety. The second major theme addressed ‘helpful qualities in the caregiver role’, which discussed useful qualities to be considered when engaging with a separation anxious child. Collectively, these findings presented an understanding of the various ways in which teachers make sense of and respond to separation anxiety during the transitional process. These qualitative insights also add to the existing body of literature, highlight areas for future research and attempt to offer thoughts on how separation anxiety can be managed, as to avoid further exacerbation and implications on later development.

Detta är en fallstudie som ämnar undersöka hur förskolans yngsta barn utforskar naturvetenskap i utemiljön samt hur förskollärare interagerar med dem i deras utforskande. Den tidigare forskning som är relevant för studien presenteras sedan beskrivs utvecklingspedagogiken vilken är studiens teoretiska utgångspunkt. De metoder som använts för studien är observationer av barn och förskollärare samt samtal med förskollärarna. Resultatet visar att de yngsta barnen utforskar naturvetenskap på flera olika sätt och förskollärarna både initierar utforskande och tar tillvara på barnens egna utforskande. Studien visar viktiga aspekter för barnens utforskande; - vad som finns tillgängligt för barnen i utemiljön - att förskollärarna är närvarande där barnen är - att den yta som finns tillvaratas så att barnen får möjligheter till lugn och ro att utforska. / This is a case study that intends to investigate how the preschool's youngest children explores natural science in the outdoor environment and how preschool teachers interact with them in their exploration. We will present previous research that is relevant for the study and describe the developmental pedagogy which is the study's theoretical starting point. The methods used for the study are observations of children and preschool teachers and conversations with preschool teachers. The result shows that the youngest children explore natural science in several different ways and the preschool teachers both initiate exploration and capture the children's own exploration. The study shows important aspects for children's exploration; - what is available for the children in the outdoor environment - that preschool teachers are present where the children are - that the available area is utilized so that the children have the opportunity for peace and quiet to explore.

Domestic violence is a public health and international problem. Previous research outlined the extensivity of the problem internationally and the missing approaches of professionals who work with young children. The study aims to explore the methods and routines used by preschool teachers in approaching suspected cases of domestic violence among preschool children in Sweden. The results show that there are only a few available methods and routines given by governmental agencies in guiding the preschool teachers to approach such cases. As an alternative, the preschool teachers themselves develop individual approaches like observation, documentation, and collaboration with different actors involved. The interviews were conducted with semi-structured interviews with four preschool teachers to give a deeper understanding of their knowledge about the topic and experiences with suspected cases of domestic violence and methods and routines. The normalization process theory (NPT) was used to highlight the complexity of modifying methods and routines for complex problems e.g. domestic violence. The method of deductive thematic analysis provided pre-determined themes connected to the theory and new themes emerged from the data during the analysis process.

The term teaching became a part of the Swedish curriculum in 2018. The term was supposed to contribute a new understanding for teaching in preschools. The curriculum says that teaching should cover both care, development and learning and that these should become a whole. Teaching in preschool is often a disputed term in the context of the specific settings of social constructions when it comes to teaching in preschools. The aim of this study is to analyze how eight preschool teachers approaches and reflects to the term teaching in eight different preschools and whether different pedagogies might affect their outlooks. We wanted to see how the term teaching can give children the opportunity to learn and develop new things. We wanted to see what differences and similarities we could find between the different preschools and the preschool teacher’s approach. Further we will examine what might separate them from each other when it comes to Reggio Emilia and Montessori pedagogy. The following questions are the starting point for the study: - In what way do the interviewed preschool teachers feel that the concept of teaching should be used in practice to stimulate children's development and learning? - How do the preschool teachers relate to the concept of teaching based on the different pedagogical focus at the respective preschool? The method we have chosen is a qualitative research method with sound recording. We have chosen to interview eight different preschool teachers that works in the same county which is Stockholm county. The theoretical framework considers development pedagogic, Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory and Malaguzzis theory about environment and the hundred languages of children. We have chosen these three theories to answer the aim and the questions of the study and we will return to those in the study’s results and discussion part for analysis. Our results are expressed in three different narratives which are: Goal-oriented learning processes Preschool teachers approach to the concept of teaching based on Vygotsky´s socio-cultural theory and on the revised curriculum Care versus learning. Our results point out difficulties that we could find in our study. Preschool teachers had a hard time understanding the term teaching even if the term teaching barely is a new term in the curriculum. The majority expressed that they thought it was too wide and that you could interruptive the term in a lot of different ways. In our results, we came to the point that depending on what social constructions the teachers have in mind, they will have a different outlook and approach on the term teaching. Many of the teachers said that they see teaching like a goal-oriented learning process while other teacher said that learning is spontaneous learning situations.

The aim of this study was to explore preschool-teachers views about children's outdoor physical activities. the purpose of the study was to investigate how preschool-teachers use physical activites in their daily work. Scientific research shows that physical activities are good for the motoric and the cognitive development. Ten different preschool-teachers in three different towns in Sweden were interviewed about how they comrehend outdoor physical activities and how they promote children to be active outdoor. The study is analyzed from four different perspective: space, time, materials and the role of the preschool-teacher in three categories. The study explored what possibilities and obstacles the preschool-teachers could see in their profession. The study concluded that preschool-teachers are positive to physical activities, but need more qualification about how to promote the development of the motoric and cognitive skills. / <p><strong>Fastställt via akademichefsbeslut HIG-STYR 2019/7 den 2019-01-07</strong></p><p><strong> </strong>Daniel Petterson, fil dr, univ. lekt Pedagogik och Erika Björklund, fil dr, univ. lekt Pedagogik går in som examinatorer på PEG700 under veckorna 1 till och med 3, 2019 då Peter Gill, prof. Pedagogik, gått i pension från och med 2019-01-01.</p>

Despite the common occurrence of teaming in preschool classrooms, very little research has explored the experiences of teachers working in such a context. Due to a high turnover of preschool teachers and a recent change in the educational requirements of lead teachers in Head Start, it is anticipated that the number of young and inexperienced lead teachers is likely to increase. The purpose of this case study research is to illuminate the teaming relationships between young, recently qualified lead teachers and their assistants working together within one classroom. Over the course of a school year, interviews and observations were conducted of two Head Start teaching teams. Five major themes were revealed through data analysis: understanding of roles; organization of work; use and resistance of power; development and management of conflict; and support from within and outside the team. Analysis across the findings of both cases showed that identity and power played a central role in team functioning. The teachers' identities, perceived threats to their identities, and their understanding of the power differential played a significant role in the way the teams organized their work, the way the teachers viewed their roles within the team, and the conflict and support they experienced. Conclusions of the study are discussed through the lens of identity process theory and elements of Bourdieu's theory of power and practice. Implications for teacher professional development and the need for increased institutional support for teaming in preschool is presented.

<p>Syftet med denna studie att undersöka yrkesverksamma förskollärares förhållningssätt till den organiserade rörelselekens betydelse för barns kommunikativa lärande. Bakgrunden ger läsaren en litteraturgenomgång kring barns kommunikativa lärande och den organiseraderörelseleken i förskolan samt samband mellan dessa två faktorer. Dessa faktorer framhållsäven utifrånett mångkulturellt perspektiv och utifrån Lev Vygotskijs pedagogiska teori. Datainsamlingsmetoden som använts för att samla in relevant data utifrån undersökningenssyfte, är genom halvstrukturerade intervjuer med utgångspunkt i en kvalitativ studie. Totalt treintervjuer med kvinnliga, yrkesverksamma förskollärare har genomförts. Resultatet visar attsamtliga respondenter anser att rörelseleken är ett ypperligt instrument att stimulera barnsspråkutveckling och även övriga lärande, då den exempelvis ger barnen konkretasinnesupplevelser. Studien framhåller dock att rörelseleken endast är ett av flera pedagogiskaverktyg vid stimulans av barnens kommunikativa lärande. Eftersom att detta är en idiografiskstudie, innebär det också att detta resultat ej går att generalisera i allmänhet.</p> / <p>The purpose with this study is to examine preschool teachers conceptions of the organized physical play and its importance for young children’s communicative learning. In the background the reader is given a knowledge at the learning of children’s communication, the physical play in preschool and its connections between each other. Its also gives a short view at the learning of communication out of a multicultural perspective and also a pedagogicaltheory out of Lev Vygotsky. In this specific study it was qualitative research interviews that was used as a method, with 3 female preschool teachers. The result of the study shows that educated preschool teachers regularly thinks that physical play is an excellent instrument to stimulate the verbal communication of children. That’s because it gives children concrete experiences. But the study underline that the physical play only are one of many pedagogical tools. Since this study is based upon three interviews, the result can not be generalized into a bigger perspective.</p>

<p>The aim of the present study is to describe and analyse how an inter-cultural perspective presents itself in the didactic considerations and in the practice of preschool teachers on a multiethnic preschool.</p><p>The theoretical perspective upon which the study is founded is social constructivism, but in addition to this Ingegerd Municio’s idea of two existing discourses present within the institutions in the Swedish educational system, as well as René León’s concept of a diversified normality, has been used as theoretical tools and points of departure.</p><p>The empirical investigation consists of a qualitative field study at a multi-ethnic preschool, where participating observation and group interviews have been used to collect data. In these teachers from the preschool have participated.</p><p>The results and the analysis of the data show that an inter-cultural perspective surfaces in the didactic considerations and in the practice of the preschool teachers in their construction of a diversified normality. The diversified normality thus constructed is constituted through different social processes. I have here identified the following ones: the preschool teachers emphasize differences among the children in general, they allow that the children behave differently and they allow them to be different; they recognize “cultural” differences, differences in origin, and frames of reference, and they recognize that the children at the preschool are bilingual.</p>