Barns tidiga lärande : en tvärsnittsstudie om förskolan som miljö för barns lärande

Abstract

The main aim of preschool is to promote children’s learning, implying that its quality is an important aspect to study. However, despite a long preschool tradition and a preschool system that is nearing completion, we have limited knowledge of the effect of preschool on children’s learning and knowledge formation. The overall aim of the study, Children’s early learning, is to gain knowledge of the characteristics of preschool as a learning environment by studying various preschool environments and the impact they have on children’s knowledge formation/experiences of different aspects of communication, mathematics and interplay. Questions at issue are: How does children’s knowledge formation emerge in relation to specific content areas in different preschool contexts? What quality aspects emerge as important for children’s learning in different preschool contexts according to the teachers and parents? How are these different quality aspects constituted and related to one another? A case study of bilingual children has also been conducted within the project. It is based on the question: What communicative patterns emerge in interplay among young children who have Swedish as their second language? The complexity of preschool, as a learning context, can only be grasped by adopting several research approaches, and examining it from diverse perspectives and dimensions. Therefore, the study is based on two theoretical perspectives: interactionistic theory (Ball, 2006; Bronfenbrenner, 1979, 1986; Bruner, 1996) and variation theory (Marton & Booth, 2000). The study is also based on a pedagogical perspective of quality (Sheridan, 2001, 2009). The study was conducted in Gothenburg. A stratified sample of eight districts was chosen in order to represent diverse geographical areas and living conditions as well as ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. Within these districts a random sample of 38 preschools was selected. All the children aged 1 and 2 years (230) in these preschools, plus their parents and teachers (120) participated. The study has a cross-sectional design and is divided into eight different parts and content areas. The data production is both quantitative and qualitative. Given the theoretical framework of the study, there are few methods available to observe young children’s learning and development. Therefore, the development of methods to observe children’s knowledge related to mathematics, communication and interplay may be seen as important results of this study. The results highlight a variation in preschool quality and in the ways the teachers communicate with and approach the children. Three different learning environments of low, good and high quality emerged, showing that children do not have equal opportunities for learning in preschool. The learning environments are: Separating and limiting environments, Child-centred negotiating environments and Challenging learning environments. Teachers and parents see preschool mainly as a democratic and social arena, even though learning of mathematics and literacy are becoming important contents in preschool education. The individual child’s learning and development are primary concerns. Play is emphasised and learning is accepted as long as it is based on the initiative of the child and/or is a by-product of play. According to the teacher’s observations, the children seem to be involved in creative and reciprocal interactions, characterised by joy and interest. The preschool context seems to offer children various positions, which may be described as interactive observational, adaptive and driving. The results indicate that a significant change in knowing/learning occurs between the age of 1 and 3 years with regard to children’s ability to approach and handle different tasks related to mathematics and communication. The results show that this is an important time in children’s learning, and that much depends on the quality of the preschool. These findings should benefit research on early childhood education on both a national and international level.