| Summary: | This study examines the early learning educators’ view on the framework of "caregiving" and "education" in preschool. A qualitative method has been used by conducting and analysing four in-depth interviews with four early learning educators. Two of these are preschool teachers and two are nursery teachers: all of them are active within the Stockholm municipality. The interviews have been conducted over the phone, then recorded, transcribed, and analysed with discourse analysis as a basis. The study has a postmodern perspective and is aimed to be a "small story" in a larger context. This by approaching the subject using discourse analysis and displaying the early learning educators’ concept of this based on their experience as a preschool teacher or nursery teachers. That purpose of the study is therefore to answer the following questions: How does the early learning educator describe their outlook on these concepts based on their own experiences? In what way do they perceive the methods by which preschool teachers and caregivers put these concepts into practice? What discourses can be discerned in the early learning educators’ answers? The result shows that all interviewees emphasize the importance of distinguishing teaching in preschool from the teaching that takes place in primary schools. They express worry with regards to how the implementation of "education" in preschool may inadvertently result in preschool teachers trying to emulate the teaching that is conducted in schools. One of the interviewees uses the words "preschool education" to differentiate from "school education", and points out the importance of them being viewed as separate concepts. According to the interviewees, "preschool education" is characterised by spontaneity; something that can be drawn out in all situations and contexts as well as being dependent on the children's participation and interest. The interviewees describe "caregiving" as present in everything they do, but also an invisible discourse wich it's not very well-defined nor often talked about. The interviewees also describe it as a significant part of "preschool education". "caregiving" and "education" are thus related to each other and "preschool education" as a whole is linked to an ethical perspective within the framework of postmodern discourse.
|
|---|
