Förskolebarns fria lek : En studie om pedagogers arbete med yrken i förskolan

Sammanfattning

The purpose of the study was to investigate how teachers and teaching assistants work with gender roles and vocational pattern among the children in preschool. To find out, a qualitative survey was conducted in the form of 11 interviews with preschool teachers and assistant personnel, who worked with children aged 1-6 years. The teachers and assistants worked in different areas and had differentlevels of education. The collected data was categorized into different themes based on the research questions. The material was analyzed based on Gottfredsson´s theory of circumscription and compromise, Hirdman´s theory of gender and also on earlier research. The result showed that the staff did not consciously work with the professions in preschool, but on the other hand unconsciously in different projects and themes. The children did not play vocations very often and children in vulnerable areas did not play vocations at all. Furthermore, the result of the study showed that most preschool-staff worked to achieve as gender-neutral-environment as possible, because preschool-staff considered that the indoor environment and material things affected the children to gender stereotypes. The study found that the forest is a gender-neutral environment in which cross-border-activities were established. Our conclusion of the study showed that the staff did not notice gender stereotypes among children playing vocations, although earlier research and theory show that these patterns develop at an early age. Furthermore, we concluded that preschool-staff lack knowledge about the methods and tools that best suit the work on gender issues and gender stereotypes. This has meant that the work and attitude of the staff varied. Personnel without preschool education and who worked for a long time have difficulty breaking old routines, where boys and girls are treated differently.