Att utveckla undervisningen i förskola på vetenskaplig grund och beprövad erfarenhet: Förskollärares professionella lärande i ett aktionsforskningsprojekt

The study investigates how Swedish kindergarten teachers develop their professional expertise through an action research project focused on research-based teaching in kindergarten. The project is about the introduction of Socratic dialogues as a new teaching method. The research questions are: 1) What significance do the kindergarten teachers’ previous experiences of conversing with children in teaching have for their professional learning? 2) How can an action research process with different scientific tools and methods help challenge kindergarten teachers’ professional learning? 3) How can kindergarten teachers’ professional learning be understood in light of the theory of communities of practice? By answering these questions, the study seeks to shed light on how research-based practice can be integrated into kindergarten teachers’ work.

The results show that kindergarten teachers, through participation in action research, became more aware of their teaching practices and developed a deeper understanding of Socratic dialogue. They adapted the form of dialogue so that it better suited their pedagogical approach, which led to increased professional competence. The collegial collaboration, characterised by openness, trust and critical reflection, contributed to a renewed teaching practice that was more aligned with research-based principles.

The data collection consisted of collegial conversations between kindergarten teachers, as well as written documents produced in the project. In total, eight collegial conversations were transcribed and analysed, along with log books, video recordings of conversations with the children, and written project documentation. The analysis focused on how the Socratic form of dialogue was negotiated and adjusted to suit the kindergarten teachers’ view of teaching.

Bergmark, U., & Westman, S. (2022). Att utveckla undervisningen i förskola på vetenskaplig grund och beprövad erfarenhet: Förskollärares professionella lärande i ett aktionsforskningsprojekt. Utbildning & Lärande, 16(1), 7-22.