Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify ways of working, initiatives and processes conducted by seven municipalities in their initial work to recruit more men to work in preschools.
Result
The analysis shows that organisation plays a pivotal role for how this work is carried out in the municipalities. The municipalities that work actively to recruit more men in preschool have clearly defined working groups who know their mandate. This means that they know what they can or cannot do and which channels they can use. Such working groups can be composed of representatives from HR, preschool representatives and people with competences within equality/gender. Sometimes a head of administration participates or has been involved in forming the group. According to the author, the composition of the group reflects that the municipalities not only see the issue of male preschool employees as a question of equality, but also as an issue related to recruitment (HR) and aspects of preschool quality. The question of male employees can therefore be said to rest on three pillars: equality, recruitment/HR, and preschool quality. However, the analysis indicates that equality is the most pronounced of the three aspects in the initial phase of the municipalities' work.
Furthermore, the analysis suggests that formulation of objectives is important in work on change. The working groups are the driving force behind this work in the municipalities, and they prepare plans for working on the objectives set. These objectives can either be formulated by the working groups or by other municipal bodies. However, the working groups can see themselves contributing to achieving objectives set by other municipal bodies.
The development climate in the municipality also plays a central role. According to the author, results from the interviews indicate that how the municipality generally considers the work on equality also seems important. Finally, the study shows that several elements can seem distracting for work on increasing the percentage of male employees in preschool, including reorganisations and changes of management.
In conclusion, the analysis shows that work to recruit more men in preschool is carried out in many different ways in the municipalities, but that the organisation and objectives of the work are the most important factors, regardless of the size of municipality.
Design
The study examined seven municipalities, all included in one network aimed at increasing the number of men working in preschool. The study used a follow-up research design assuming in the form of interactive research/action research. The follow-up research in this study builds on network meetings, interviews and visits to the municipalities. The network meetings were interactive and their content was determined by the wishes and needs of the participants. Conversations from the network meetings were documented and form part of the overall empirical material collected through the follow-up research. Interviews were carried out with the key persons involved in the work to increase the percentage of men. These key persons included preschool teachers, preschool leaders and heads of administration. The interviews were semi-structured and qualitative, and were carried out individually or as group interviews.
The analysis focuses on the concepts view of knowledge (kunskapssyn), leadership support (ledningsstöd), formulation of objectives, organisation, and development climate (utvecklingsklimat). In the analysis, the author investigates whether these concepts unfold uniformly or differently in the municipalities, as well as how these are expressed in the interviews.
References
Heikkilä, M. (2017). Organisationsmodell för teamlärande – Tema: Fler män i förskolan. Utbildning och lärande, 11(1), 64-81.