Decision-making factors for group organising in Swedish preschools

The study investigates the decision-making factors behind Swedish kindergarten teachers’ group organising practices. The research questions are: What type of latent factors come to light in the kindergarten teachers’ expressed decision-making when organising groups of children into smaller groups?

The results show that kindergarten teachers take into account both practical aspects (including the children’s age, the design of the room and the number of children per adult) and relational aspects (including the children’s need to feel safe and the social relationships between children and adults).

The study uses data from a Swedish survey on kindergarten teachers’ views on group sizes. The survey was conducted between 2012 and 2013 and was answered by 698 kindergarten teachers. The study focuses on one question from the survey: Do the following aspects play a role in group organising in kindergarten? This was followed by a list of 15 aspects that the kindergarten teacher could choose from.

Nasiopoulou, P. (2020). "Decision-making factors for group organising in Swedish preschools". International Journal of Early Years Education.