”Styrernes arbeid med barnehagen som en lærende organisasjon”.

The study investigates what preschool managers think characterise a preschool as a learning organisation and how preschools can evolve to become learning organisations.

The interviews demonstrate that preschool managers’ descriptions of preschools as a learning organisation fall into four subcategories, corresponding to four types of manager:

1) "The teacher": In these preschools, a learning organisation is understood as a school, and learning is based on structured and targeted learning activities in a way that resembles learning at school. Many of the interviewees clearly reject taking such an approach in preschool. This is also seen in the questionnaire survey where only one third of the respondents indicate that they take this approach to a great extent when promoting a learning preschool (5 or 6 on a scale from 1-6).

2) "The trainer": There is a link between learning in the preschool and the learning and development of staff, i.e. learning is based on structured courses and other training. In the questionnaire survey, 41.4% said they had this approach to the learning organisation.

3) "The integrator": These managers have a holistic view of learning with regard to the children. This view is based on the child’s perspective and a close coupling between care, play and learning. For these managers the concept of a learning preschool is a forum that promotes children’s learning. A total of 73% of the respondents indicated that they have this approach to a learning preschool to a great extent.

4) "The process director": The term refers to informal learning where reflection, pedagogical documentation and network groups are used as instruments to promote learning among the preschool teachers. A total of 58.1% of the respondents stated that they have this approach to the learning preschool.

The study is based on a national questionnaire survey among preschool managers in Norway and ten interviews with preschool managers. The ten interviewed managers represent six municipal and four private preschools in two municipalities in Norway (a relatively large, urban municipality and a smaller rural municipality). The size of the preschools ranges from 20 to 100 children. The interviewees ranged in age from 35-60 and included two men. The questions and multiple choice answers in the questionnaire were based on the interviews so as to investigate if the same factors would transpire from the questionnaire survey as in the interviews. The questionnaire was sent to 2,600 preschools, randomly selected to represent preschools in Norway (with the exception of staffed playgroups (for children and their parents/guardians) and family daycare), and 1,310 managers have answered the questionnaire.

Gotvassli, K. (2014). ”Styrernes arbeid med barnehagen som en lærende organisasjon”. I: Mørreaunet, S., Gotvassli, K-Å., Hoås Moen, K. & Skogen, E. (red.): Ledelse av en lærende barnehage. Bergen: Fagbokforlaget. 59-75.