https://www.mdu.se/

The overall aim of this thesis is to explore the experience of parental collaboration in preschool, by addressing preschool teachers’ competence and parental responsibility as described by preschool teachers and parents. The results are based on in-depth interviews with 30 preschool teachers and 10 parents. Data were gathered and analysed by means of conventional content analysis and constructivist grounded theory (CGT). The empirical material is presented in four articles. The first article focuses on preschool teachers’ approaches when professionally supporting parents, in relation to various views of children, parents and childrearing. The second article describes and analyses preschool teachers’ views on teachers’ professional competence, in the context of home and preschool collaboration. The third article explores parents’ perspectives on, and experiences of, home and preschool collaboration. The fourth article focuses on how parents perceive the process of building good relationships with preschool practitioners. Finally, all four articles are analysed as a whole to provide a synthesis of the findings and the knowledge acquired about home and preschool collaboration in a Swedish context.

The findings demonstrate that both preschool teachers and parents value parental collaboration in the preschool. They also emphasize the importance of developing and strengthening the relationship between home and preschool. However, preschool teachers and parents approach collaboration from different starting points and perspectives. Preschool teachers endeavour to support parents in their parental role and consciously work to familiarize parents with their professional skills as regards children's learning and the content of the preschool curriculum. Parents, on the other hand, strive to shoulder their parental responsibilities by `remote parenting´, when persuading preschool practitioners to both `indivisualize´ and `individualize´ preschool practice. Time, continuity, and recognition are seen as central to building secure and authentic relationships. The results demonstrate the importance of preschool teachers critically examining the content expressed in the meeting between them and parents, as well as endeavouring to create preconditions for practical relationship building and collaboration in the preschool. Weak or non-existent relationships not only contribute to weakening parental participation and parental familiarity with the preschool, but also make it more difficult for guardians to exercise their legal parental responsibilities and support their child.