Children’s Perspective on Learning: An International Study in Denmark, Estonia, Germany and Sweden

Author
Sandberg, A., Broström, S., Johansson, I., Frøkjær, T., Kieferle, C., Seifert, A., Roth, A., Tull, M., Ugaste, A., & Laan, M.
Source
Early Childhood Education Journal, 45(1), 71-81.
Year
2017

Purpose

This article explores how children in Denmark, Estonia, Germany and Sweden describe their perspective on learning. The purpose of the study is to gain knowledge of how children perceive learning in preschool and other social contexts.

 

Result

The results indicate that the children are generally aware of their own learning and are able to express their perspectives on learning. The children describe practical, social and academic aspects of learning. Learning practical skills may include riding a bike, playing football or carrying out aesthetic activities. Social learning is about being able to play with other children and knowing the rules that are important to establish good relationships with adults and children. Similarly, the children talk about learning how to behave correctly, including following classroom rules. The children's perception of academic learning is centred around mathematics, reading and writing. Closely linked to academic skills, the children also talk about achieving different forms of factual knowledge, for example about nature.

Overall, the children express that learning can take place in four different ways: (1) on your own, (2) through training, (3) with help from adults and (4) together with other children. The children prefer to learn in collaboration with others and see adults and older children as mentors who can step in and help when necessary. Learning new, complex skills requires help from an adult, but practical skills, play and polite behaviour are learned from other children. According to the children, learning can take place at home, in preschool, school and during leisure activities.

When asked about what they would like to learn at school, the children generally answer that school is mostly about academic skills such as reading, writing and mathematics. The children's answers indicate that the children see a clear difference between activities in preschool and activities at school, in the sense that learning at school has a clear structure compared to preschool.

Design

The researchers used focus-group interviews to gain insight into the children's perspective on their own learning. A total of 181 children from the four countries took part in 51 focus-group interviews, with between three and six children in each group. Most of the children in the study were 5-6 years old, however, the Swedish part of the study also included 4-year-olds. During the interviews, the children were asked what learning is, and how you learn. Furthermore, they were asked about where you can learn and what they want to learn at school. The study was conducted using a child-centred approach, in which the children are seen as co-creating parties in the research process. The data was collected using qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis.

References

Sandberg, A., Broström, S., Johansson, I., Frøkjær, T., Kieferle, C., Seifert, A., Roth, A., Tull, M., Ugaste, A., & Laan, M. (2017). Children’s Perspective on Learning: An International Study in Denmark, Estonia, Germany and Sweden. Early Childhood Education Journal, 45(1), 71-81.