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The aim was to investigate Swedish parents’ attitudes and experiences in two counties, concerning the use of paid parental leave. The counties Västerbotten has the highest and Skåne the lowest paid parental leave use among fathers. Two municipalities with high and low parental leave use among fathers were studied in respective county, Umeå and Lycksele (Västerbotten) as well as Lund and Tomelilla (Skåne). The methodology was inspired by grounded theory. Data was collected during 2008 and comprised of 32 interviews with fathers and mothers, 20 interviews with key persons like midwives and HR-managers at male dominated enterprises. It also included basic statistics on the municipalities. The results indicate that a traditional division of household labor is a stronger pattern in Skåne couples compared with Västerbotten couples. The same pattern occurs in municipalities with a low parental leave use among fathers compared with those with a high use. A more positive attitude to the parental insurance is found in the municipalities with a high parental leave use among fathers compared to those with a low use. One explanation could be that changes tend to first occur in heterogeneous environments with a relatively young and well educated population, which is the case for Umeå and Lund. In Västerbotten, the Swedish Social Insurance Agency and enterprises had campaigns during the 1990s to increase men’s parental leave use which may have contributed positively. Fathers in both counties express positive experiences from having been on parental leave. A dominant impression is that employers overall have shown a positive attitude to fathers’ leave taking.

This paper investigated Swedish parents’ motives for, experiences of and gender equality in relation to paid parental leave. The purpose was to explore similarities and differences in attitudes and experiences between parents in the two regions in Sweden with the largest difference in paid parental leave use among fathers. Data were drawn from interviews completed in 2008 with 16 heterosexual couples with a child born 2005 or 2006. The semi-structured interviews were analyzed according to grounded theory. In terms of experiences of the leave, a positive similarity in the study was that the couples described that they got to know the child better. Some negative similarities were that they felt they were alone and restricted. Primarily, the fathers in the northern part, focused on the lack of male networks. A traditional division of labor was a stronger pattern among couples in the southern region compared with the couples in the northern region. Tendencies are indicated towards an increased child-orientation, which could be connected with a change in hegemonic masculinity. In conclusion, the differences discovered between the four communities may to a great extent be depending on a cultural lag. This implied that change in values tend to take place first in social environments with multiple heterogeneous actors.

The purpose was to explore similarities and differences in motives, experiences and gender equality between parents in two municipalities (one smaller than the other) in each of the two counties in Sweden with the largest difference in paid parental leave use among fathers. Data were drawn from interviews in 2008 with 16 heterosexual couples with a child born 2005 or 2006. The semi-structured interviews were analyzed inspired by grounded theory. A positive similarity was that couples experienced that they got to know the child better. Negative similarities were that mothers and fathers occasionally felt alone and restricted, fathers emphasized lack of male networks. Traditional division of household labor is a stronger pattern among couples in the southern county compared with couples in the northern county. Tendencies are towards increased child-orientation among fathers, which could connect to change in hegemonic masculinity, not necessarily related to increased gender equality in household labor. Differences may depend on that changes in values tend to first occur in heterogeneous social environments, such as the larger municipalities. In the northern county, extensive campaigns have been held during the 1990s to encourage men’s use of paid parental leave, which may have contributed to regional difference.

Positive  functioning  relates  to  the  ability  to  live  a  good  and  healthy  life,  but  for  children  with  special  needs,  this  might  be  compromised  and therefore factors related to positive functioning should be explored. As their restrictions concern a variety of general life situations including issues such as peer group interaction, participation, autonomy and self-determination, the focus should be on the children’s capabilities when they act in their natural environments. Functional abilities and the creation of opportunities in a challenging environment are optimal for new learning to take place, leading the child towards a positive end point. This article analyses constructs of engagement, participation and flow, indicating their interrelatedness and association to positive functioning. Outcomes change and unfold over time, indicating that functioning should be considered dynamic, context-dependent, culturally and historically conditioned. The article concludes with a suggested model for intervention to enhance positive functioning of children with special needs.

Recently the phenomenon of entrepreneurship by political aspirations has entered the school setting. This is a world-wide development affecting education in practice and theory. In 2009 the Swedish Government launched a strategy stating that entrepreneurship should run like a common thread through the educational system. Since childhood is considered the ideal stage to influence attitudes towards entrepreneurship, and preschool constitutes the beginning of this publicly imposed “red thread”, this setting is of particular interest. In school practice the concept of entrepreneurship is translated into entrepreneurial learning. In this study we seek to investigate what characterises entrepreneurial learning in a preschool context according to preschool teachers by conducting both critical incident questionnaires and an in-depth interview using stimulated recall method. The empirical results suggest that entrepreneurial learning has developed the preschool teachers’ educational discussions and has affected the children’s entrepreneurial skills. Further, when analysing the material as to what supports and hinders a positive entrepreneurial learning situation, four main themes emerged: ongoing reflection, active participation, a meaningful learning situation and a tolerant atmosphere.

The aim of this study was to examine how preschool teachers in Sweden and Denmark perceive children's learning in preschool. The study aimed to answer the following questions: What is 'learning'? How do children learn? What are the best conditions for children's learning? What is the role of participation in children's learning? The results show that from the teacher's perspectives, children's learning is connected to children's social interaction and development in which the children's initiatives are crucial. Learning, to a great extent, results from children's active involvement. There are many similarities between how Danish and Swedish preschool teachers think of learning and participation. This supports earlier assumption about the coherence of Nordic preschool beliefs which unites education and care. 

This comparative study investigated the perspectives of preschool teachers in Australia, Denmark, Estonia, German, Greece and Sweden aboutlearning and participation in preschool. A structured survey questionnaire investigated four main questions: What situations can be characterised as learning? What activities are important for learning? What are the best conditions for children's learning? How do preschool teachersunderstand participation in relation to children's learning in preschool? Results suggest that play, interactions with other children and adults, the provision of different activities and teacher support are important for children's learning. While similarities were noted, results indicate some disparity between countries and a further in-depth interview-style study is recommended to provide a deeper understanding of teachers’perspectives and practices around children's learning.

The purpose of this study is to examine how students on a teacher education programme interpret entrepreneurial learning. The study was performed in Sweden, based on a design theoretical and multimodal perspective on learning and communication which provides the basis for how we understand learning processes in early teacher education. The sample consists of course literature, teachers' PowerPoint presentations and handouts, and narrative texts written by students. The meaning given to entrepreneurial learning is presented from the analysis of the setting, in the teaching materials and the transformation in the students' texts. We conclude that entrepreneurial learning seeks to challenge traditional, authoritarian ways of teaching. However, it appears to be necessary in order to develop entrepreneurial abilities. There is a difficulty in finding a balance between control and freedom.

Questions regarding entrepreneurship have become a matter of great importance in Sweden as well as in the European Union at large. Since 2009, the government decided that entrepreneurial learning is to be conducted throughout the entire public school system in Sweden, from preschools to higher education. Because entrepreneurial learning is a fairly new concept to professionals in schools and preschools, our study contributes to the development of knowledge concerning how teachers perceive and realize it in practice. To study the meaning that the Swedish pre-and primary school teachers ascribe to the notion of entrepreneurial learning, a stimulated recall method was adopted. The study was conducted in Sweden in 2014 and involved preschools and primary schools. The sample consists of three preschools with children 3-5 years old and two primary schools, one represented by a mixed group of children from preschool-class to grade 3 and the other by a preschool-class group. The results show that teachers’ understanding of entrepreneurial learning is connected to entrepreneurial learning as entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial learning as science and technology, and entrepreneurial learning as personal development.

Questions regarding entrepreneurship have become a matter of great importance in Sweden as well as in the European Union at large. Since 2009, the government decided that entrepreneurial learning is to be conducted throughout the entire public school system in Sweden, from preschools to higher education. Because entrepreneurial learning is a fairly new concept to professionals in schools and preschools, our study contributes to the development of knowledge concerning how teachers perceive it and realize it in practice. Our questions are: What are the meanings that Swedish pre- and primary school teachers ascribe to the notion of ‘entrepreneurial learning’?, Within what areas do pre- and primary school teachers perceive that entrepreneurial learning happens? What are the possibilities and constraints in realizing entrepreneurial learning in schools and preschools?

To study the meaning that the Swedish pre-and primary school teachers ascribe to the notion of entrepreneurial learning, a stimulated recall method was adopted. The study was conducted in Sweden in 2014 and involved preschools and primary schools. The sample consists of three preschools with children 3-5 years old and two primary schools, one represented by a mixed group of children from preschool-class to grade 3 and the other by a preschool-class group. The results show that teachers’ understanding of entrepreneurial learning is connected to entrepreneurial learning as entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial learning as science and technology, and entrepreneurial learning as personal development.

The theoretical framework for the study is an understanding of learning and development informed by a sociocultural perspective (Vygotskij, 1978; Lave & Wenger, 1991; Rogoff, 2003). A basic point of departure is that learning and development are situated in and an inseparable aspect of social practices (Säljö, 2000). In the analysis we consider teachers’ thoughts, understandings, and expressions as socially constructed and situated in certain practices. As an analytical tool we also use the concept zone of proximal development, or ZPD (Vygotskij, 1978).

In the study, we have highlighted both possibilities and constraints for entrepreneurial learning in schools and preschools. The meanings that Swedish pre- and primary school teachers ascribe to the notion of ’entrepreneurial learning’ are situated in the different communities of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991). Each school and preschool have had to do its own interpretations of what this concept entails and the understanding and interpretation of what the concept entails become dependent upon single individuals. One strategy that occurs is to connect entrepreneurial learning to a philosophy or way of working that is already known. At the same time, we see this as a strategy to make the preschool or the school externally visible, for parents, principals, and responsible authorities. Our study also shows that the activities associated with entrepreneurial learning make possible learning within the zone of proximal development (Vygotskij, 1978). In the category entrepreneurial learning as entrepreneurship, we can see that teachers design activities where children can collaborate with peers and communities outside the school. In the category entrepreneurial learning as science and technology, the teachers offer situations that challenge children’s everyday scientific knowledge. The activities within the category entrepreneurial learning as personal development also make it possible for children to think originally and to pursue an idea in collaboration with others.

The aim of this paper was to review published accounts of resilience-based approaches with and for disabled children and young people aged up to 25 years.  The review is part of a broader study looking more generally at resilience-based interventions with and for young people.  The authors attempt to summarise the approaches and techniques that might best support those children and young people who need them the most.  However, when compared to the number of evaluated resilience-based approaches to working with typically-developing children and young people, those including children and young people with complex needs are disappointingly lacking.  Of 830 retrieved references, 46 were relevant and 23 met the inclusion criteria and form the body of this review.  They covered a variety of intervention content, setting, and delivery, and diverse children and young people, making comparative evaluation prohibitive.  The difficulties in identifying suitable resilience-based interventions are discussed, together with the authors’ iterative approach, which was informed by realist review methodology for complex social interventions.  The review is set into a context of exclusion, an ableist mind-set and the political economy of research. It also provides recommendations for future research and practice development in this field.

The website of the Swedish National Agency for Education states that preschools are to promote entrepreneurial learning. Many Swedish preschools, therefore, have started to work consciously with entrepreneurial learning as a way of fostering pupils' creativity and ability to make their own decisions. This article investigates whether and how children in different preschool settings receive support and recognition in their efforts to make sense of the world around them. Nine preschool teachers and children from three preschools participated. Three video observations were conducted focusing on the work of each team of teachers. Our study challenges the assumption that an entrepreneurial learning design enhances pupils' learning, creativity, and decision-making. Even though the ambition is to encourage such abilities, our observations demonstrate that the learning design and setting do not always give children the opportunity to be creative. © 2015 Taylor & Francis.

In Swedish teacher education, all preschool teacher students have to include a school-based element and to take part in a local educational practice, in a preschool or in another form of educational setting, such as a preschool class or after-school recreation centre. In this study, we have asked a group of supervisors about their perception of the content in learning, knowledge development and supervision and also what is going on in learning and knowledge development situations in practice. The theoretical bases for our analysis are theories of interaction and intersubjectivity. The results show that the content of learning and knowledge development is highly integrated with the situation and practice. A preschool teacher student's learning is understood by the supervisors as something that occurs in interaction, where children and preschool teachers are of great importance. The content of learning is related to practical exercise, observation and reflection together with other preschool teachers. Trying new theories and being curious are also associated with learning

At the European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) conference in Prague in autumn 2007, an international network of teacher trainers and researchers was formed to discuss and investigate what learning and participation meant for preschool teacher students and staff who work with young children. In Sweden, the first of these exploratory studies was conducted at Malardalen University and Stockholm University, and 56 preschool teachers and 56 preschool teacher students participated. The study was carried out with the critical-incident method. The participants were asked in a critical-incident questionnaire about how they understood the concepts of and relationship between learning and participation. Questions also were constructed so that the participants had the opportunity to link the concepts of learning and participation in a real situation in preschool. The results show that preschool teachers and preschool teacher students define the meaning of learning and participation in a similar way. It also showed that learning and participation are clearly related to each other.

The aim of this study was to analyse how a model for practitioner-oriented research can be used as a tool for professional development in the preschool. The focus of interest is the type of knowledge that is formed when researchers and preschool staff cooperate on local projects, and what this new knowledge means for the images of professional competence among staff and their regard to the research concept. The intention was to gain useful knowledge from experiences critically reflected in a team, related to theory and tested in local practice. The participants consisted of fifteen working-teams from preschools in two Swedish cities, together with three university-based researchers. After an introduction from the researchers, each team chose a theme. This was grounded in their local practice and was done over a period of eight months. During this period, the staff regularly met with each other in mixed groups and had supervision from the researchers. The results from the projects were documented and presented for all participants. The researchers further analysed these documents. Before and after the project, participants were asked to complete a questionnaire and were interviewed once. The results showed that the staff generally had a positive picture of the relevance of research-based knowledge for their developmental work, and increased their ability to use the group for constructive critical reflection on their professional work in preschool. The results are also discussed in relation to theories of group learning and situated learning.

För fritidshemmet betonar policydokument att elever ska stöttas särskilt utifrån det sociala lärandet. Elevers sociala lärande kan tolkas utifrån det som i läroplanen beskrivs som arbetet med skolans värdegrund. Värdegrundsarbetet är en central del av uppdraget och i läroplanen betonas även vikten av att personal är aktiva och medvetna i sitt uppdrag. Detta kapitel baseras på en studie, vars syfte är att belysa fritidshemspersonals perspektiv på arbetet med socialt lärande i fritidshemmet. Sammanlagt gjordes fyra gruppintervjuer med totalt 21 fritidspersonal, på deras respektive arbetsplatser. Resultatet visar skilda perspektiv på hur personalen förhåller sig till att samtala om värdegrundsarbetet och hur de beskriver sin verksamhet utifrån det. Dels visar sig en uppfattning om värdegrunden som underförstådd och att den inte är nödvändig att samtala om. Dels framträder bilden av en verksamhet med en uttalad medvetenhet om betydelsen av de kollegiala samtalen som grund för arbetet med att kontinuerligt främja elevers sociala lärande. Utifrån dessa perspektiv diskuterar vi kollegiala samtal som en del av ett didaktiskt reflekterat värdegrundsarbete i fritidshemmet.

This paper discusses the different ways which students and preschool teachers at two Swedish universities interpret the concept of professionalism. Data for this paper are drawn from a study conducted in two different urban areas of Sweden which explored the following four questions: (1) What does the concept of professionalism imply for preschool teachers and students? (2) What does a professional teacher do in pre-school / school/after-school recreation centre? (3) How is professionalism developed? (4) What does preschool teachers’ professionalism mean in comparison with professionalism in other closely related professions such as day care attendants or recreational pedagogues? Data from the study are interpreted against a theoretical background that problematises the concept of “professionalism” within the societal context of preschools in Sweden.

Forskningscirkel  arena för verksamhetsutveckling i mångfald är en slutrapport av forskningscirkelarbetet inom projektet JämBredd, 2009-2011. I antologin presenteras projektet teoretiska referensram med mångfald, intersektionalitet och interkulturalitet samt erfarenheter av forskningscirkelarbetet i skola, förskola, omsorg, service och arbetslivet. Tio olika forskare från Mälardalens högskola har lett varsin forskningscirkel och skrivit om sina erfarenheter i olika kapitel. Antologin ger en bred bild av interkulturell verksamhetsnära forskning.

The first Swedish preschool for young children was established in 1836 to provide a practical solution to the problem of child supervision during the Industrial Revolution. During this period of intense industrialization, women began working in urban factories and thus required daytime childcare. A century later, in the 1930s, the Swedish idea of family policy was challenged by sociologists Alva and Gunnar Myrdal. They had a political vision of public childcare and championed a scientific approach to child development. A social pedagogical preschool was developed, emphasizing children’s right to an inspiring environment outside of the home. National reforms were implemented, establishing child health centers, child benefits for all children, and municipal grants for preschool teachers’ salaries.

Preschool teachers share their environment with young children on a daily basis and interventions promoting social competence are generally carried out in the preschool setting. The aim was to find out if and how preschool teachers' definitions of social competence are related to factors in the preschool environment like: a) the number of children having problems related to social competence; b) thesupport provided to the children; and c) the preschool environment and current research definitions. Method: 481 preschools from 22 municipalities in Sweden participated. Data was analyzed using a mixed methods design in which a qualitative content analysis was followed by group comparisons using quantitative methods. Results: Preschool teachers defined social competence mainly as intrapersonal skills, or as interpersonal relations. The definitions of social competence were not related to the numbers of children having problems related to social skills or social competence in units, the amount ofthe support provided to the children or the preschool environment. Conclusion: Preschool teachers' definitions of social competence are partly multidimensional, which implies that the interventions aimed at promoting children's social skills and social competence also should be multidimensional. Preschool teachers' definitions of social competence have little relevance to environmental factors, which indicate that social competence, as a construct is more dependent upon perceptions of the individual than on contextual factors.

This paper examines contemporary issues in early childhood teacher education in Sweden. The aim of the study was to explore dimensions of the construct of preschool teachers' competence as reported by 810 students enrolled in early childhood teacher education at 15 Swedish universities. The results showed that students' definitions of preschool teacher competence were composed of six different dimensions: a general pedagogical competence, specific content competence, distinct teacher competence, play competence, competence of child perspective, and collaborative and social competence. In general, there were quite large variations in how students perceived the concept of preschool teacher competence and the extent to which they believed they developed these competences during the course of their education. The different dimensions of preschool teacher competence are discussed in relation to the content of the early childhood teacher education in Sweden, the curriculum for the preschool and the concept of professionalism in Early Childhood Education and Care.

The aim of this article is to describe how field studies can be useful in teacher education. While participating in a specialty area called Play, learning and development, student teachers collected data about their own and young children's experience and perception of the outdoor environment. They observed, carried out interviews from a questionnaire, took photos, and drew pictures. After their own data collection, they were asked about their experiences of using these methods. The results showed that the student teachers were positive about the involvement of children, teachers, and parents in the data collection process. They also perceived that their knowledge had increased about children's ways of using the outdoor space. They did, however, find the questionnaire difficult to understand; and they thought it was hard to complete the assignment because of the time restraints. The authors conclude that field studies with varied methods are useful in teacher education. The way data were collected added to the student teachers' knowledge about children's outdoor environments and gave young children a chance to be involved.

Language environment is highlighted as an important area in the early childhood education sector. The term language environment refers to language-promoting aspects of education, such as preschool staff’s use of verbal language in interacting with the children. There is a lack of research about language learning in outdoor environments; thus children’s language learning is mostly based on the indoor physical environment. The aim of this study is therefore to explore, analyse, and describe how preschool staff perceive language learning in outdoor environments. The data consists of focus-group interviews with 165 preschool staff members, conducted in three cities in Sweden. The study is meaningful, thus results contribute knowledge regarding preschool staffs’ understandings of language learning in outdoor environments and develop insights to help preschool staff stimulate children’s language learning in outdoor environments.