"Perspektiv på barndom och barns lärande: En kunskapsöversikt om lärande i förskolan och grundskolans tidigare år." & "Stödja och styra: Om bedömning av yngre barn.

The purpose of the research review is to elucidate the Swedish research available from 1995 onwards on children's early learning at daycare centres, pre-school classes and in early school years.

The systematic review outlines the main research results from 1995 and onwards within the area of childhood and learning, and it provides an overview of the areas where Swedish research is lacking. Institutionalisation is an important part of childhood structure. Much research has been conducted about childhood and learning, however, the studies are primarily limited and they provide a fragmented snapshot of the area. The time children spend in kindergartens (pre-school) seems to be important for their subsequent success in school, especially for children from families with poor resources. These results, however, depend on factors such as quality of the kindergarten, the time the child spends at the institution and the ability of child carers to manoeuvre in relation to the child. Research into the importance of when children start in school indicates that the impact is associated with culture more than the impact on children's learning, but also that the child benefits from being in an environment that is not too focused on formal learning and activities controlled by adults. Many studies examine how children learn to read, but few studies focus on very young children's path to the written language. Swedish research into assessment and documentation has been conducted, in which research into assessment primarily focuses on the later school years and documentation research primarily focuses on daycare centres. Generally, the review identifies a lack of diversity in research methodology; that there are few major research projects, both in magnitude and in temporal extent; and that some matters have been well surveyed in relation to daycare centres, while others have been well surveyed in relation to later school years. Not least, the research review indicates that there is a lack of research into the impact of new family structures on children's relation to institutional life and learning, as well as research that follows children over several years to examine the relative importance of daycare for the children later on in life, including at school.

Based on a systematic search of primarily Swedish research, the research results are collated within the area of the systematic review. Nordic and international research have been included where it is deemed to be relevant with regard to Swedish conditions. The results are divided into four areas: perspectives on childhood and learning of children, the when and where of learning, the who, why, what and how of learning and finally assessment and documentation.

Skolverket (2010). Perspektiv på barndom och barns lärande: En kunskapsöversikt om lärande i förskolan och grundskolans tidigare år. Stockholm: Skolverket. Skolverket (2010). Stödja och styra: Om bedömning av yngre barn. Stockholm: Skolverket.