”De va svinhögt typ 250 kilo”- Förskolebarns mätande av längd, volym och tid i legoleken. Licentiatavhandling

The purpose of this dissertation is to study which mathematical measurement activities preschool children carry out, and how they communicate and solve problems during the activities. Focus is on the children's play with LEGO, and the measurement activities are length/height, volume and time.

The results show that children measure and compare length/height and volume in many different ways, and that they adapt the type of measurement to the context in question. The children use their own body, others' bodies, artefacts, numbers and counting as measurement tools. The measurements are used by the children individually and with others, and the dissertation shows that solving own or shared problems of the various constructions constitutes a large part of playing with constructions. When the constructions are finished, a time perspective is added to the play, where the children have different thoughts about the present, the past and the future. In their reflections about time, the children also consider velocity when talking about whether the different vehicles go quickly/slowly. The author assesses that the children's communication has a large impact on their play, and that they express their thoughts and ideas verbally, physically and through action.

The author concludes that three different processes can be interpreted as central for the LEGO play: measurement activities, communication and problem solving. Various mathematical considerations play a dominant role in the three processes.

The empirical material consists of video footage from two preschool classes with 22 and 33 children, respectively. Focus was on children aged 2-5 years, and the recordings were collected through participant observation, in which the author sometimes took part in the children's play. The children played with small, medium and large LEGO bricks (the largest bricks could be used to build houses or towers of human size). The video footage was analysed in steps, and the author categorised the data material focussing on the children's use of mathematical concepts in their play.

Albinsson, A. (2016).”De va svinhögt typ 250 kilo”- Förskolebarns mätande av längd, volym och tid i legoleken. Licentiatavhandling. Institutionen för samhälls- och välfärdsstudier. Linköpings universitet. Norrköping.