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The aim is to deepen the knowledge of preschool teacher students’ constructions of a future professional identity in reflection texts and the dilemmas that emerge in relation to a changed educational context for preschool. 40 reflection texts have been analyzed based on teachers’ personal interpretative framework (Keltchermans, 2009). The result shows that professional self-understanding is expressed in the form of a democratic role model with relational skills who work for different content with the child in the center, anchored in the democratic mission. Based on policy documents, previous experiences and pedagogical theories, subjective educational theories are expressed. An implicit dilemma is how the democratic role model is described in terms of actions that are characterized by instruction and adult control. An explicitly expressed dilemma concerns the limitations of the framework factors for pedagogical choices. At the same time, the frame factors are understood to form the basis for reflective actions that respond to the changing conditions of preschool.

Syftet är att fördjupa kunskapen om förskollärarstudenters konstruktioner av en blivande yrkesidentitet i reflektionstexter och vilka dilemman som framträder i relation till en förändrad utbildningskontext för förskola. 40 reflektionstexter har analyserats utifrån lärares tolkande referensram (Keltchermans, 2009). Resultatet visar att professionell självförståelse uttrycks i form av en demokratisk förebild med relationskompetens som verkar för olika innehåll med barnet i centrum, förankrat i det demokratiska uppdraget. Med utgångspunkt i styrdokument, tidigare erfarenheter och pedagogiska teorier uttrycks personliga värdesystem. Ett implicit dilemma är hur den demokratiska förebilden beskrivs utifrån handlingar som karaktäriseras av instruktion och vuxenstyrning. Ett explicit uttryckt dilemma berör ramfaktorernas begränsningar för pedagogiska val. Samtidigt förstås ramfaktorerna utgöra grund för reflekterat handlande som bemöter förskolans förändrade villkor.

This study is interested in teachers’ use of digital technology for differentiation of teaching in early school years, focusing in particular on teaching reading and writing. The study is qualitative in nature and is based on field studies in grade 2 (aged eight), along with focus groups involving teachers who work with and around pupils. Two research questions have served as a guideline for the study:  1. What characterises teachers’ experiences and didactic usage of digital technology when teaching children (to read and write), and 2. How is digital technology used to promote different dimensions of reading and writing processes? The results show that teachers use digital technology to differentiate teaching in various ways; by illustrating, motivating, individualising and making the didactic content accessible, for example. Digital technology is used when teaching children to read and write in order to promote both individual skills and activities promoting communication and creating meaning. Digital technology appears to provide opportunities for teachers to offer particular support within the classroom framework and offer pupils tasks at custom levels, thereby helping to provide a more inclusive didactic space. This study highlights teachers’ somewhat ambivalent approach and balancing of different didactic choices in relation to digital technology.

Denna studie undersöker två lärarkategoriers, i studien benämnda som förskoleklass-lärare och grundskol-lärares, allmändidaktiska arbete med sociala relationer i övergången mellan förskoleklass och årskurs 1. Detta är ett relationellt arbete som sker över tid och handlar om att samordna vuxnas och barns handlingar och uppfattningar i en utbildningsmiljö. Samordnandet syftar till att möjliggöra en undervisningsmiljö och utgör i övergången en viktig del av hur barn upplever sammanhang och mening. 

Med utgångspunkt i ett deltagande i de två lärarkategoriernas pedagogiska praktiker syftar studien till att få en fördjupad förståelse av den mening lärare i förskoleklass respektive grundskolans år 1 ger sitt didaktiska arbete med sociala relationer i övergången. Med en tolkande ansats och med hjälp av begrepp, inspirerade av teorin om professionella representationer, fördjupas förståelsen av lärares handlingar som uttryck för den mening som ges arbetet.

Den mening lärare ger sitt arbete med sociala relationer handlar övergripande om att underlätta för barn och vuxna att möta skilda kulturella och sociala undervisningssammanhang. I resultatet framkommer att lärares arbete med sociala relationer ges en något skild framtoning i respektive skolform. Förskoleklassen beskrivs som en mer socialt inriktad praktik där grupprocesser och normer blir ett tydligt undervisningsinnehåll till skillnad mot årskurs 1 där sociala relationer succesivt sammantvinnas med hela undervisningssammanhanget, främst i form av klassrumsregler. I lärares handlingar framträder hur normer och värden, relationer och samverkan tillsammans med strukturer och organisation utgör delar av lärares arbete med sociala relationer. Det är ett arbete som till stor del är erfarenhetsbaserad. Analyserna visar hur de två lärarkategoriernas handlingar tar form och ges mening utifrån gränsdragande processer som klargör skillnaderna mellan de båda utbildningspraktikerna förskoleklass och årskurs 1. Samverkan mellan förskoleklass och årskurs 1 bidrar till ett upprätthållande av skillnader i synen på barn, verksamheternas innehåll och hur respektive yrkesroll gestaltas. Mening för arbetet med sociala relationer ges därmed olika innebörd för olika lärarkategorier.

Studien bidrar till att belysa hur lärares målmedvetna handlingar för att skapa en fungerande undervisningsmiljö i övergången blir särskilt värdefulla ur utbildningssynpunkt, i form av uppmärksammade socialisationsprocesser.

This study investigates preschool-class teachers and primary school teachers approach to didactic work on social relationships in the transition from preschool class to primary school.  The didactic work is seen as a relational task that evolves over time coordinating adult´s and children’s actions and perceptions in the context of education. Further, it enables a supportive teaching environment and is an important part of how children experience meaning making processes in transitions. With the aim to gain a deeper understanding of the meaning preschool-class teachers’ and primary school teachers’ apply to their didactical work with social relationships in the transition, data material has been produced through participating in teachers’ pedagogical practice in three different schools. With an interpretive approach and with concepts inspired by the theory on professional representations, teachers’ actions are understood as expressions of meaning of their didactic work.

The results shows that the meaning of the work of social relationships is generally to facilitate children´s and adult´s experience of new cultural and social education settings. It appears that the work on social relationships have a slightly different appearance in the two different school forms. The preschool class is described as a socially oriented setting with processes of the group and norms as a clear content of education. In primary school the work on social relationships is gradually intertwined in the teaching context, foremost as classroom rules. Teachers’ actions, their values and norms of specific abilities, as well as relations and cooperation along with structures and organization of the education environment is seen as part of the work on social relationships. The work is target-oriented based on familiarity acquired through evidence based experience and on a practical doing, which is made up of distinguishing processes clarifying differences as well as maintaining certain common practices in education of preschool class and primary school. Thus, collaboration between the two teaching professionals seem to affect the way children are viewed, and how the pedagogical content of the institutions and teacher roles are shaped. Hence, it impacts the work regarding social relationships and different meaning appears to different teaching professionals.

The study contributes with knowledge on how didactical work regarding a teaching environment in the transition has been identified and highlighted as particularly meaningful, from an educational perspective and processes of socialization. 

Children all around the world pass through a number of transitions in educational systems. These transitions are organised in different ways in different countries. In Sweden, children pass through three school forms in early childhood education: preschool, preschool class and primary school. In a research project funded by the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish POET group conducted case studies in three municipalities, using participant observations, semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews. The aim has been to deepen the understanding of children’s learning journeys from preschool into school. A second aim has been to examine the long-term implications of educational practices across the transitions for children’s learning and participation. In this chapter, some findings from the research project are presented. The results show how the complex structure of Swedish early childhood education creates challenges for children and their learning journeys.