“Mealtimes in Swedish preschools: Pedagogical opportunities for toddlers learning a new language”.

This article deals with mealtimes at Swedish preschools. The author examines the pedagogical possibilities for multilingual toddlers to learn a new language through participation and communication during mealtimes. The purpose of this study is to examine how mealtimes as an institutional activity are constituted, and how toddlers with Swedish as their second language are guided in their participation during this mealtime activity. The study's research question is: What is communication like during mealtime, and what topics characterise this communication?

The analysis shows that mealtimes allow teacher-assigned language activities that enable the children's participation. There is flexibility in the children's level of participation, and the children can initiate and introduce new topics. Ideas and topics presented by the children are brought up by the preschool teacher or by other children, and this develops conversations. However, the study shows that there is a limit to topics which can be brought up within the institutional context of a Swedish preschool. There are no topics about the children's own culture. This may be due to the fact that the topics have to be common for all children so that everyone can participate. The spoken language was Swedish. The results show how learning is situated as a communicative and participatory experience, and that common and shared topics are crucial for participation.

The empirical data basis consists of video footage of mealtimes for eight groups of toddlers from eight preschools in five areas with different socio-economic conditions in a Swedish town. The video footage was analysed as learning situations. Ten children aged 20-25 months with Swedish as their second language took part in the study. The staff also took part in the study. In addition to video footage, field notes were used as data.

Kultti, A. (2014). “Mealtimes in Swedish preschools: Pedagogical opportunities for toddlers learning a new language”. Early years: An International Research Journal, 34(1), 18-31.