Communication with young children in preschool: the complex matter dealing with child perspectives and curriculum

This presentation aims to share results from a study concerning the preschool teacher as a curriculum-maker to preschool. The research question addressed is “what is characteristic for the curriculum offered, as it appears in one teacher’s verbal communication with 1-3 year old children?”. The study is carried out in Sweden and the research area is motivated by the need for knowledge about the implications that a goal-oriented preschool curriculum and broad discretion for teachers might imply for activities in preschool. A qualitative case study with a narrative approach has been adopted and follows the Swedish research council guidelines and ethical rules in social science research. Empirical data consists of videotaped observations of communication between a single teacher and a number of children aged between 1 and 3 during one morning in preschool. The results show that the teacher has an idea of bringing up and to conceptualize children’s near surroundings. Further on there is an idea of inclusion and to teach children different abilities. They also show that the teacher frequently uses questions as a means of communication, where a large number of shifts between different children and different issues are particularly characteristic. Although this contributes to a child perspective, it also implies a teacher-centred position and a fragmented way of exercising the discretion vis-à-vis the curriculum. The findings are discussed and related to curriculum theory and to early childhood perspectives. This research is expected to have impact on understandings of how preschool teachers deal with their teaching assignment for the youngest children in preschool.