Listening to Preschool Children – Children’s Participation in Outdoor Environment

Author(s):

Karin Engdahl

Conference:

ECER 2010

Network:

25. Research on Children's Rights in Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

25 SES 02, Childrens' Voices, Participation and Agency

Paper Session

Time:

2010-08-25

11:15-12:45

Room:

AUDITORIUM IV, Päärakennus / Main Building

Chair:

Solveig Hagglund

Contribution

Listening and responding to young children's perspectives have a long tradition in the Swedish preschool (cf. the national curriculum Lpfö 98). This paper will highlight article 12 in United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC, 1989). It will discuss how teachers engage and listen to children in different outdoor contexts. Based on an analysis of a qualitative study carried out in two different Swedish Preschools, results are presented through three examples. In these, it’s argued how an understanding of children's outdoor participation is dependent upon how the preschool teachers are listening and communicating with the children.Children’s influence on decision making with reference to the environment, assures them that it is a special place for them. Children can play, explore and interact with the natural world in many different ways, i.e. physical interaction with materials and the natural environment. Children learn the rules and principles that make the world operate. Participation in outdoor activities allows children to connect with themselves and others (Engdahl, Brodin & Lindstrand, 2006). Preschool teachers are expected to have a responsibility to communicate and cooperate with the children about activities in the outdoor environment. However, in this study, it is evident how teachers vary in their strategies and interests concerning how to listen, communicate, cooperate and negotiate with the children.

Method

The study has an ethnographic approach in so far that the children were observed and interviewed in an everyday context. The daily interaction of the children, one to six years of age, was followed during a period of one and a half year. Thus, data collection includes outdoors observations, photographs and walk around tours. Children were asked to describe the preschool yard from their point of view, to talk about their play and experiences of the environment. The children are regarded as active social actors. Interviews and conversations are essential parts of the study. In acknowledging children as research participants, this study used a research design and a methodology enabling a collaborative effort with the preschool children.

Expected Outcomes

Relating to children and their play and interaction outdoors, it might be regarded as important for teachers to reflect on this from the perspective of their own ideals. They might practice a living dialogue with the children about the preschool yard. Children can be regarded to have the right to make their voices heard and also have their views taken into account (UNCRC, 1989). Along with this, it is important that the child´s opinions are heard and respected. Teachers ability to develop an atmosphere where the child is comfortable enough to take decisions and confident to speak out is of importance.

References

Bauman, Z. (1990). Att tänka sociologiskt. (Thinking sociologically) Göteborg: Bokförlaget Korpen. Björklid, P. (2005). Lärande och fysisk miljö. En kunskapsöversikt om samspelet mellan lärande och fysisk miljö i skola.(Learning and physical environment. A literature survey on interaction between learning and physical environment in preschool and school). Myndigheten för Skolutveckling. Engdahl, K. (2005): Vi vill leva – leva för alltid. En empirisk studie av barns lek och samspel i utomhusmiljöer. (We vant to live-live forever. An emperical study of children´s interaction and play in two prescool yards) Forskningsrapport 41, TKH-serien. Lärarhögskolan i Stockholm. Engdahl, K., Brodin, J., Lindstrand, P. (2006). Play and Interaction in two prescool yards. Jane Brodin and Peg Lindstrand (Eds.) Interaction in Outdoor Play Environments - Gender, Culture and Learning  Nr 47 (2006) . HSFR. (2002). Forskningsetiska principer inom humanistisk-samhällsvetenskaplig forskning. Stockholm: Vetenskapsrådet.(Swedish Research Council. The Scientific Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences(HSFR) Research ethics rules). Ivarsson, M.-P. (2003). Barns gemenskap i förskolan. Doktorsavhandling. (Children´s spirity of community) Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis. Kaiser, L& Ölander, M. (1999) Etnologiskt fältarbete.(Ethnological fieldwork Lund: Studentlitteratur. Mead, G. H. (1934/1976). Medvetandet jaget och samhället från socialbehavioristisk ståndpunkt.(Mind Self and Society. (Ed)( Charles W Morris,1934) Kalmar: Argos Förlag AB. Merriam,S.(1988) Case Study Research in Education. Jossey-Bass.Inc. Publishers, San Francisco: USA. Mårtensson, F. (2004).Landskapet i leken. En studie av utomhuslek på förskolegården. (The landscape in children´s play. A study of outdoor play in preschools.) Alnarp. Mänskliga rättigheter - Konventionen om barnets rättigheter. Regeringskansliet: UD info, 2003. Pramling Samuelsson, I., Sheridan, S. (1999). Lärandets grogrund.(The basis of Learning) Lund: Studentlitteratur. Ärlemalm-Hagsér, E. (2006) Gender, Playing and Learning in natural outdoor environment. In J. Brodin& P.Lindstrand(Eds) (2006). Interaction in Outdoor Play Environments-Gender, Culture and Learning. TKH-report No 47,Child and Youth Science, Stockholm Institute of Education. www.codex vr.se Forskning som inkluderar barn.(Research including children) www.rb.se/sv/Barnkonventionen/Korta Versionen(The children´s rights, The Convention and the Rights of the Child.

Author Information

Karin Engdahl

Umeå University

Applied Educational Science

Umeå

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