Skjøre samspill. En deskriptiv og fortolkende studie av barn med dyp utviklingshemming og deres nærpersoner i barnehage og skole.

Research focus of the study is to describe as pedagogical practice,
dyadic interaction between severely mentally disabled children and their close carers at kindergarten and school. The study also examines how carers at kindergartens and schools, themselves describe and interpret the dyadic interaction with severely mentally disabled children as pedagogical practice.

Gjermestad concludes that the traditional understandings we have of learning must make room for new understandings, because the traditional understandings have no room for either individual experiences and understandings or individual sensitivity. Gjermestad points out that there is a considerable need for more aesthetic, contextualised and socio-cultural perspectives of children. Empirical data shows that much more is going on in an interaction situation than is typically noticed. According to the study, this lack of attention is because most of the time, focus is not on the child, but on the frameworks and conditions to which the child is subject. The carers, who took part in this study, have become more aware of a number of aspects in their interaction with the children, after having studied the video material together with the researcher.

The study has a phenomenological and hermeneutic approach. Observations have been made, video footage has been recorded and interpreting/analysing conversations have been held. Five mentally disabled children and their carers have been recorded on video in a number of interaction situations. The video footage was then analysed by the carer and researcher in a conversation, which was recorded on video. The conversations took place by carers and researchers together watching and analysing the videos, recorded in different interaction situations. These conversations were transcribed, and then the researcher interpreted the statements of the carers.

Gjermestad, A. (2009). Skjøre samspill. En deskriptiv og fortolkende studie av barn med dyp utviklingshemming og deres nærpersoner i barnehage og skole. Stavanger: Det humanistiske fakultet, Universitetet i Stavanger.