Purpose
The study investigates how Norwegian kindergarten teachers work with the integration of refugee children, and especially how safety is understood as emotional support and comfort. The study also analyses how the concept of the ‘traumatised’ refugee child is constructed and maintained through professional practices and dominant psychological discourses. The research questions are:
- How does the concept of safety arise as a coordinator of everyday social relationships among kindergarten teachers?
- How does the trauma discourse contribute to the categorisation of refugee children by kindergarten teachers?
Result
The study reveals that kindergarten teachers often perceive refugee children as potentially traumatised and in need of safety. Teachers describe ‘safety work’ as a key part of the integration process, where they provide emotional support through comfort, physical closeness, and attention to the children’s emotions. This contributes to establishing a perception of refugee children as vulnerable, which may result in a standardised approach to addressing their needs. Such categorisation can make it more challenging to view the children as individuals with their own resources and strengths, instead highlighting their vulnerability and need for protection.
Design
The data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 13 kindergarten teachers in three kindergartens in Southern Norway, including a refugee reception kindergarten. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using institutional ethnography, where the researcher used participants’ descriptions as a starting point to map the institutional processes that affect their work with refugee children. The analysis focused on how the concept of safety was practiced in daily routines and how institutional discourses influenced kindergarten teachers’ understanding of their work.
References
Kimathi, E. (2022). The construction of a ‘traumatized’ refugee child in need of safety in Norwegian kindergartens. Journal of Comparative Social Work.