“Democracy in Research Circles to Enable New Perspectives on Early Childhood Education and Didactics”.

The purpose of this article is to present the results of a trial with two research circles. A research circle is a group consisting of both researchers and practitioners. The aim of the group is to build a bridge between research and practice through democratic participation and thus create new knowledge, which can be didactically utilised in preschools. The purpose of the article is to investigate whether the two circles meet the requirements for democratic selection and process; whether a bridge between research and practice is built; and whether new knowledge to be used in early childhood education is created. The authors of the article have each participated in one of the circles as a researcher. The first circle concerns itself with the question of gender in early childhood didactics and the second is concerned with ‘new didactic challenges in preschools’.

The article first addresses whether selection process with regard to the circles’ participants was democratic, and whether the activities undertaken by the circles were democratic. This is required in order for the knowledge created by the circles to qualify as research. Three aspects regarding this are discussed: Did the participants have equal opportunity to sign up for the circles? Is the composition of the circle such that the participants feel equal? Are the participants equally qualified to contribute with knowledge in regard to research and/or the specific practice that are the point of departure for the discussions in the circles? The circles differentiate on the following points:

-      All participants in the gender circle are preschool teachers and this makes them equal. On the other hand, the subject is very specific and the discussion in the circle showed that there was great variation with regard to how much the individual participants knew about the subject. The discussions primarily concerned broad topics which were selected by the head of circle inspired by the participants’ practice-based questions.

-      The selection of the participants in the circle about didactic challenges in preschool was more unequal. The participants had various backgrounds; they were students, teachers from teaching colleges and preschool teachers. However, the subject was so broad that all participants could contribute to the discussion on equal terms, both at the beginning and further on in the process. This resulted in a collective knowledge process that led to actual research.

When comparing the two circles, differences in duration and outcome were evident.

-      The gender circle ran over two years and resulted in the formulation of actual research questions. The other circle ran over one year and conducted a series of minor empirical studies.

-      The gender circle produced a report, while the work of the other circle was included directly in the two participating students’ exams.

Two results regarding the democratic aspects of the circles were highlighted:

-      The circles enabled generation of collective knowledge based on dialogue in an equal and democratic meeting between the participants and the heads of the circles and between practice and research.

Through this interaction between practical knowledge and research, it becomes possible to create new knowledge and raise questions about existing knowledge. Moreover, the new knowledge is defined by shared ownership and a common process; this means that in future it will be easier for the individual participants to gain new knowledge while remaining critical toward this knowledge.

The data material is made up of recordings, summaries of discussions and log books from the participants in the two research circles. The first circle (the gender circle) comprised five participants - four preschool teachers and one researcher who also acted as the head of the circle. The second circle (new didactic challenges in preschools) comprised seven participants - two preschool teachers, two teachers from a teaching college, two student teachers and one researcher who also acted as the head of the circle. The analysis is based on separate data from the two circles and on a comparison of the two. The heads of the circles are also the authors of the article. The data material was collected after the circles had been completed. Two reports regarding the circles have previously been published - one from each of circle. These are referenced in the article.

Månsson, A. & Reich, L. (2014). “Democracy in Research Circles to Enable New Perspectives on Early Childhood Education and Didactics”. I: Bergman, L. m.fl. (red.): Childhood, learning and didactics. Educare-vetenskapliga skrifter, 2014:2. Malmö: Malmö Högskola. 39-61.