The purpose of the study was to investigate if empathic communication (see definition further down) can contribute to children´s participation in a preschool environment. The purpose is answered through my research questions: Does the preschool teachers work through an empathic approach, and if so how is it manifested in their cooperation with the children? Empathic communication in this context is equated with the term non violent communication; (nvc) an approach and a model of communicating with empathy, compassion and openness, which in itself, may contribute to less violent language and actions among children and adults, as well as greater cooperation and participation levels in their activities. The empirical data for this qualitative theses was collected through two interviews with two preschool teachers working in one nvc oriented preschool. I used semi-structured interviews, which is characterized by open questions and a curious and open attitude for me as an interviewer, where I tried to follow the interviewee by asking follow-up questions. Another part of the material I collected through non-participating observations of twelve children and one preschool teacher, in their everyday activities in a nvc oriented preschool. The theoretical understanding is based on the socio cultural perspective, a theory used to describe awareness of circumstances surrounding individuals and how their behaviors are affected specifically by their surrounding, social and cultural factors. This perspective also relates to how we communicate, understand, relate and cope with one another. The three socio cultural concepts cooperation (described through Vygotskijs theories), children´s participitation and empathy, (all parts of the nvc process), are presented and  described as a ground for the analyze of my empirical data. The Results presents the observations and the interviews, analysed through the social cultural view, in line with Vygotskijs theories of cooperation, as well as through the implication of the concepts children´s participation and empathy. The results are also discussed in the sight of the results of two research surveys, presented in my essay, one investigating the effect of using the nvc as a model in preschools, the other one investigating children´s particiaption in a preschool environment. The conclusions of the study are that empathic communication (nvc) in many ways, can contribute to children´s participation in a preschool environment. This is seen in the interviews and confirmed in the observations; in the children´s behaviors, preschool teachers approach and the unity in their cooperation. The results of this study is also confirmed by other studies in the research field. However, to consolidate my conclusions further, more and deeper studies in this area is needed.

Handledare:Ingrid SandénExaminator: Lotta AndersonBakgrund:I dagens samhälle är förväntningarna högt ställda på oss i yrkeslivet, i familjelivet och i många andra sociala sammanhang. Egenskaper som ”utåtriktad”, ”verbal” och ”social” betraktas som livsviktiga färdigheter. Hur bör skolan förhålla sig till de elever som saknar dessa färdigheter? Syfte:Syftet med denna uppsats är att i rollen som specialpedagog undersöka och beskriva de uppfattningar ett antal pedagoger ur ett arbetslag har beträffande två elever med inagerande beteende samt att belysa ett för pedagogen tänkbart förhållningssätt till inagerande elever. Metod:För att synliggöra inagerande elevbeteenden används två fallbeskrivningar. Dessa baseras på halvstrukturerade intervjuer med sex pedagoger som under en treårsperiod arbetade med eleverna bakom fallbeskrivningarna. Resultat/Diskussion:Varje form av inagerande handlar i grund och botten om en obalans i interaktionen med andra. I skolan innebär ett inagerande beteende ett hinder för en god måluppfyllelse. Inagerandet är problematiskt även utanför skolan. Skolan måste bli bättre på att utveckla ”hela eleven”. Med stöd i Schibbyes relationsteori finns goda möjligheter för pedagogen att bli den tillerkännande pedagogen som ser och bemöter också den inagerande eleven.