Fra idealer til praksis. En Latour-inspirert studie av barnehageprosjektet ”Ergonomi og pedagogikk hånd i hånd – helse i hver bevegelse”.

With this study, the authors want to illustrate the physical and ergonomic environment in Norwegian ECEC centres (barnehage). This purpose should be understood in relation to the Ergonomi og pedagogikk hånd i hånd – Helse i hver bevegelse project (ergonomics and pedagogics go hand in hand - health in every movement) which was launched with the aim to reduce physical injuries that may arise after working many years as an ECEC teacher (barnehageansat). Based on the relationship between pedagogical and ergonomic ideals, the researchers set out to examine the tensions that may arise when the intervention seeks to improve ergonomic routines of adults while also improving children's physical opportunities for development.

The researchers conclude that a number of specific architectural considerations must be taken into account when planning and building new, modern ECEC centres in order to accommodate the ergonomic requirements of adults and children’s physical opportunities for development.

The findings of the study indicate that there are significant tensions between children's endeavours to be independent and adults' tendencies to tidy up and create a safe environment. According to the researchers, one explanation could be that people do not necessarily interact with the material surroundings according to the design intentions. Moreover, the physical surroundings seem to call for a variety of uses, which complicates the task of creating synergy between ergonomic and pedagogical ideals.

The study is designed as an ethnographic study, in which data was collected through participant observations. The study builds on Bruno Latour's theory on materiality and humanity. This perspective is supplemented by a discourse analysis that makes it possible to understand how discourses influence the interaction between pedagogical practices and the material conditions of the ECEC centre. The study was conducted at a newly-built ECEC centre with unique architecture. Based on the basic principle that the architectural design of the ECEC centre should sustain the children's autonomy, most of the equipment and articles for daily use were placed within the children's reach. The researchers collected data from one of the ECEC centre's seven teams over 14 days within a period of three months.

Jordal, M. M. & Solbrække, K.N. (2015). Fra idealer til praksis. En Latour-inspirert studie av barnehageprosjektet ”Ergonomi og pedagogikk hånd i hånd – helse i hver bevegelse”. Nordisk Barnehageforskning 10(3), 1- 17.