Förskoleateljén som plats och som arena för estetiska lärprocesser

The study investigates how creative work and creative learning are conducted in Swedish kindergarten studios. The study focuses on three main areas: how kindergarten teachers introduce and stage aesthetic learning processes through the choice of materials and tasks, how children’s work and strategies align with the teachers’ intentions, and the significance of the room’s design and contents for creative activities. The study aims to shed light on the complexity of the creative activities using these three factors. The research questions are: 1) How do kindergarten teachers stage aesthetic learning processes through work with pictures in the studio? 2) How are aesthetic learning processes made visible in children’s work with pictures? 3) How does the studio design support and inspire children’s aesthetic learning processes?

The results show that the kindergarten teachers often listen to the children and give them opportunities to be creative. In planned activities, the approach varies from strict control to free guidance. Children’s learning in, about, with and through art shows different results. Sometimes, children leave the activity or find their own ways of doing it. Other times, the children inspire and support each other. Access to materials depends on the control exercised by kindergarten teachers, and the relationship between the children and the rooms is affected by the availability of the rooms. The study concludes that when materials and tasks are too difficult, it inhibits children’s creativity. When kindergarten teachers collaborate with the children and let go of control, creative work takes place on the children’s terms.

The data was collected through ethnographic field studies in seven studios in five Swedish kindergartens. The methods included video recording and field notes to observe and understand the interactions between adults and children, as well as the significance of the rooms in relation to the aesthetic learning processes. Video recording was used to document children’s and teachers’ activities in the studios, while field notes helped identify situations and dialogues that were not necessarily captured by the camera.

Lindh, Y. (2022). Förskoleateljén som plats och som arena för estetiska lärprocesser. Akademisk avhandling. Åbo Akademi.