Pedagogers möte med bilderböcker i förskolan.

The objective is to investigate the thoughts and reasoning of child carers in their use of picture books at the daycare centre. The study treats these as the basis for child carers’ work with books in their day-to-day pedagogical practice.  The study is based on data from a larger ethnographic study (Simonsson, 2004, Bilderboken i förskolan – en utgångspunkt för samspel).

The analysis results fall into four themes: 1) Carer-initiated book practices; carers organise practice with books in many different ways - at lunchtime, for assembly, by reading aloud for more than one child and library visits, 2) the importance of picture books at daycare centres - books are part of child culture and children’s development of cultural capital; a source of knowledge and a way of developing children’s concentration and imagination, 3) access to books - there are external frameworks which can be restrictive, and carers’ lack of skills in the area also limits access to books, 4) the role of the child carer - carers apply different strategies when purchasing and borrowing books and they monitor children’s book borrowing, but they also introduce children to new books and act as role models through the way they use books daily.  The overall conclusion is that child carers perceive books as being an important part of the daycare centre and that, through the common practices around books, children are embedded in a written-language culture. This means that books are perceived as an important tool through which carers can realise “the good childhood”.

The data primarily comprise focus-group interviews with child carers and to a lesser extent observation material.  The data have been collected from two daycare centres and a total of eight child carers and 52 children between 3-5 years old took part.  

Simonsson, M. (2006). Pedagogers möte med bilderböcker i förskolan. Linköping: Linköpings Universitet.