Sammenhengen mellom barns deltakelse i norske barnehager og utviklingen av språk og atferd i tidlig barndom. Resultater fra Den norske mor og barn-undersøkelsen.

The purpose of this study is to illustrate the relationship between children's language development and behaviour, and the type of childcare they are offered. This means whether the children are in childcare at daycare centres (barnehagene) or at home.

The study elucidates some of the potential advantages there may be in children being cared for at Norwegian daycare centres (barnehagene).

The overall conclusion of the study is that Norwegian daycare centres have a positive effect on children's linguistic communication skills. The study calls for more research that supports daycare centres' contribution to children's linguistic and behavioural development. Results of the study show that children who attend daycare centres from the age of 18 months to 3 years are less likely to have language delay than children who are looked after at home in the same period. Moreover, the results show that there is no significant correlation between behavioural problems at the age of three and at the age when the child begins in a daycare centre. Nor is there any significant correlation between the type of daycare facility and the percentage of children with behavioural problems. Gender turned out to be an important factor, as more boys than girls have language delay. With regard to behavioural problems, boys scored higher on externalising behaviour, whereas emotional problems were more common among girls.

This study is a longitudinal study conducted in the period 1999-2008 among mothers of children aged 18 months to 3 years. The data basis for the study is composed of questionnaire surveys from a comprehensive population study; the "Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study" (MoBa). A total of 41,730 mothers took part in the study over the nine years recruitment lasted. A total of 19,919 children constitute the basis of the results of the questions concerning the children's language development, and 73,068 children constitute the basis for the results of the questions concerning the children's behaviour. The empirical material is analysed statistically with a logistic regression model and a linear regression model, respectively.

Lekhal, R., Vaage, W.M. & Schjølberg, S. (2013). Sammenhengen mellom barns deltakelse i norske barnehager og utviklingen av språk og atferd i tidlig barndom. Resultater fra Den norske mor og barn-undersøkelsen. In S. Holmseth (red.), Utdanning 2013 – fra barnehage til doktorgrad (pp. 35-56). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå