Children´s development of social identity in transitions. Game Playing: negotiating rules and identities.

This dissertation examines children’s development of social identity in periods of transition, where they go from one public institution to another. The dissertation consists of four articles, three of which are about children at daycare centres.

The five-to-six-year-olds as well as the 12-13-year olds are both reflexive and non-reflexive in the preparatory phase of the transition. Children from both age groups negotiate their own, and others’, identities through what is perceived as appropriate activities
and relations with regard to age, gender and institutional framework. Both age groups experience unexpected, demanding circumstances in the transition and react to these by accentuating their personal participation areas, resources and social strategies, even if there is a development pressure to change these.

This study is a motivated ethnographic study. Data collection consists of interviews with five-to-six-year-olds and 12-13-year-olds as well as observations of the children’s interaction in various contexts before and after an institution change.

Winther-Lindqvist, D. A. (2009). Children´s development of social identity in transitions. København: Det humanistiske fakultet, Københavns Universitet. Winther-Lindqvist, D. A. (2009). Game Playing: negotiating rules and identities. Amercian Jounal of Play, 2(1), 60-84.