Barnehagens læringskulturer – underveis mot vekslende læringshorisonter.

The purpose of this study is to examine the challenges and opportunities of a number of daycare facilities in Norway with regard to preparing children for life-long learning. The author asks how daycare facilities are understood as a learning culture, and how they deal with the expectation that they are to enhance their role as an arena for learning and for preparing children for their future school life.

The educators interviewed in the study express that they feel uncertain about how to develop a learning culture in the daycare facility, and the study concludes that it is challenging for daycare facilities to base their learning on a culture that educates the child. The study shows that the way early childhood educators think about and understand the content and methods used in the daycare facility has changed over recent years. Furthermore, the study shows that early childhood educators face the challenge of having to view children’s learning from two different perspectives. On the one hand, daycare has traditionally focused on children’s play, that is a here-and-now perspective. And on the other hand, they also have to consider the more long-term perspective for children’s learning where focus is on knowledge, academic skills and the children’s readiness for school. The changes made to daycare facilities over recent years have entailed that staff now focus more the children’s academic development. The early childhood educators are positive toward the general increasing interest in the role of daycare facilities, however at the same time they also express concern that children should also be allowed to learn through play. The educators feel that they are torn between a traditional understanding of the daycare facility and the daycare facility as an integral part of school culture.

The data material consists of interviews with four early childhood educators and five school teachers. The early childhood educators and teachers had just completed a project on collaboration between daycare centres and schools. The data material is based on questions to the early childhood educators and teachers about whether their collaboration has led to any changes in the way they view learning and approaches to learning in daycare. They were also asked whether their collaboration has led to any changes in learning activities in the daycare centres. Analysis of the data is a description of, and reflection about, these two questions. A hermeneutic method was used. The data material can be divided into three categories: 1) alternating learning horizons, 2) increased focus on goals, knowledge and skills, and 3) the daycare facility’s learning culture, traditions and expectations.

Berge, A. (2012). Barnehagens læringskulturer – underveis mot vekslende læringshorisonter. I: Vist, T. & Alvestad, M. Læringskulturer i barnehagen. Flerfaglige forskningsperspektiver (s.44-66). Cappelen Damm Akademisk.