The governing document of the Swedish SAEC has shifted to become more focused on teaching and learning. The updated curriculum (SNAE, 2011) added new requirements of the educational programme through stating that activities should be 'based on the pupils' needs, interests and initiative' (SNAE, 2011, p. 23). The aim of this study is to explore how…

A Swedish preschool must be adapted to all children, regardless of ethnicity, religion or disability. Inclusion and the children's sense of participation are essential keywords in this work. The present analysis was based on two studies in which the staff's and parents' perceptions of significant factors and goal fulfilment for inclusive…

This study aims to examine preschool literacy practices during observations in Swedish preschools with a focus on environment, read-alouds and emergent writing. The study reported on in this article is based on empirical data from 433 observations in preschools in 80 Swedish municipalities that has been analysed qualitatively and quantitatively.…

Research directed at institutions focusing on diverse aspects of childrens social and cognitive development outside school is a growing field. This article discusses Swedish school-age educare centres for children between 6-12 years of age before and after school. These centres are regarded as important for young children's learning and care,…

How preschool teachers and children spend their time in preschool sets the stage for child engagement and learning. To describe characteristics of environments and activities and to compare child engagement in indoor and outdoor free play, systematic observations of children and teachers were performed in 78 Swedish preschool units. Results showed…

The aim of this study is to contribute knowledge about the politics of belonging that is embedded in the educational practice of early childhood institutions in Sweden, with the focus on children's doing of belonging. The research questions are: What appears as important aspects for belonging in everyday children's interactions in the ECE…

The aim was to investigate the staff's language support towards children in Swedish preschools after eight weeks of structured language support. This study took place after an initial study of six weeks' language support. To identify support of Language Learning Environment, Opportunities and Interactions an observation-tool was used. Structured…

This article aims to summarise research on this topic; analyse, reflect on and discuss earlier research on play and learning using a few empirical examples; and determine what constitutes an appropriate educational approach concerning war and weapon within an early childhood education and care (ECEC) setting. This is done by putting feminist…

The study aims to contribute to knowledge of children's views on their space to fend for themselves at a time in their lives when they face change and decreased institutional care, i.e. in the transition from organized to unorganized after-school activities. The study builds on interviews with 22 children who are about to leave or change…

The Swedish preschool curriculum places strong emphasis on the home -- preschool partnership and parent engagement in this regard is considered important for reasons such as promoting child well-being and a healthy development. The central target of inquiry of this study was thus to explores the three primary perspectives that interconnect in the…

This study aimed to investigate how 33 preschool teachers' and 30 special educational needs teachers in Swedish preschools documented and described children's speech, language and communication development. The views on concepts as 'scientific basis', 'proven experience' and ways to follow language development for children in need of extra-support…

As few studies have investigated how pre-school children produce and negotiate social positions when powerful positions are claimed, this study explores how 3-5 year-old children construct the social order of peer play when balancing the power game within the interaction. This is a video documented ethnographical case study where the methodology…

We discuss oral history interviews with academics who laid the foundation of research and pedagogies in daycare for under three-year-olds in Europe and North and South America since the 1970s. Their work is clearly embedded in the social-political context of their country: the left-wing programmes for disadvantaged families in the U.S.A.;…

Formal ethical issues for conducting research are highlighted in national and international guidelines. Even if such strategies are grounded in democratic and rights-based values, their implementation may produce challenges. This article foregrounds dilemmas that were derived from fieldwork conducted in preschool settings with children aged one to…

The aim of this study was to investigate in what ways children's language development could be supported from the staff at Swedish preschools in the 'Tambour situation' (the transition time at the preschool's reception area). The support of Physical Language Learning Environment and Language Learning Interactions were observed for children (1-5…