Barnehagens fysiske miljø i nyere faglitteratur – et systematisk litteratursøk for tidsrommet 2000-2010.

The purpose of this study is primarily to build a searchable literature database regarding “rooms of the daycare facility” which is cost free and accessible to everyone. The literature database can be downloaded from : http://barnehagerom.wordpress.com/.
The research network “Spaces and places for children” is behind the website. Moreover, the purpose of this study is to illustrate how to carry out a thematic literature search and to present selected results of the search.

The study shows that, under the ‘architectural perspectives’ category , 47 studies were found regarding specialist architectural, building or landscape factors as well as descriptions of the entire physical environment, or aspects of this, in the daycare facility. Under the ‘pedagogically/didactically substantiated contribution on the physical environment’ category, 136 relevant references were found, primarily regarding the physical environment at the daycare facility in a pedagogical or didactic perspective, children’s play and their growing environment, learning environment and materials as well as toys and learning resources. The studies in this category cover both learning environment as described in the management documents and learning environment as described as specific examples from the daily practice at the daycare facility. A total of 16 relevant references were categorised under ‘health, environment and safety’. Here are studies which centre around the connection between the physical environment and health as well as environment and safety. Relevant aspects are hygiene, indoor climate and the quality of occupational safety and health.
In the last overall category, ‘physical environment on the basis of specific specialist areas at the daycare facility’, 68 studies were identified. The studies under this category deal with ‘communication, language and text’, ‘body, movement and health’, ‘art, culture and creativity’, ‘numbers, space and design’ andas well as ‘nature, environment and technology’. The researchers ascertain that in the survey they see areas on which there is no research, e.g. there is a lack of research on upgrading and renovation of existing daycare facilities and outdoor areas. Other examples of areas in which the researchers have not found any research are the children’s specific use of the physical environment, how the environment influences their everyday life as well as how they are supported or prevented in play and in everyday activities.

The researchers have searched for relevant studies, i.e. studies on the physical environment, rooms and materiality at daycare facilities, primarily in the Norwegian databases Bibsys, Academic Search Elite and Eric. In addition, manual searches were carried out in Nordic journals as well as in the Norart and Idunn databases. The search was limited in time for studies from the period 2000-2010, and all types of publications, except study work below Master’s, level are included. The study does not explicitly account for the relevance criteria. The researchers got 526 possible relevant hits in the first phase. Then all studies were screened for relevance, which led to the exclusion of 259 irrelevant sources. The 267 relevant references were included in the further analysis process, in which the studies were categorised and structured under four main topics with two to five sub-topics. The four more main topics are: 1) architectural perspective, 2) pedagogically/didactically substantiated contributions on the physical environment, 3) health, the environment and safety and 4) physical environment on the basis of specific specialist areas at the daycare facility. The researchers provide selected examples of results from the four main topics.

Moser, T. & Olsen, H.K. (2012). Barnehagens fysiske miljø i nyere faglitteratur – et systematisk litteratursøk for tidsrommet 2000-2010. I: Krogstad, A., Hansen, G.K., Høyland, K. & Moser, T. (red.). Rom for barnehage: flerfaglige perspektiver på barnehagens fysiske miljø (s. 287-304). Oslo: Fagbokforlaget.