Children’s socialization into the mobile preschool: a priming event collectively performed by novice children, ‘old-timers’, and pedagogues

Författare
Gustafson, K. & Ladru, D. E.
År
2020

Syfte

The study investigates how children with different levels of experience collaborate with each other and with kindergarten teachers in order to socialise newcomers into the group. The context of the study is an open day for new children in a mobile kindergarten (‘The Pippi Bus’) in Sweden. Every year, a part of the kindergarten group is replaced. The open day is used so that children starting kindergarten after the summer and the children who are already in kindergarten are able meet before the summer holidays.

Resultat

The study shows that kindergarten teachers facilitate the arrival of new children by creating collective situations and by verbally inviting them into core activities with the more experienced children. The experienced children, in turn, are given the status of being proficient, and they invite the new children to join them in their daily routines. The newcomers show a willingness to engage in the activities. Together, the kindergarten teachers, the experienced children and the new children try to create an easy transition for the new children.

Design

The study is based on empirical data obtained through 14 months of fieldwork. The article focuses on one specific day in kindergarten, where five experienced kindergarten children and twelve new children meet during the open day.

Referenser

Gustafson, K. & Ladru, D. E. (2020). «Children’s socialization into the mobile preschool: a priming event collectively performed by novice children, ‘old-timers’, and pedagogues». European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 28(3):375-390.