“När du blir förskollärare så signar du upp för att ha det yttersta ansvaret” : En fenomenografisk studie om förskollärares uppfattningar av ledarskapet i arbetslaget.

Sammanfattning

In Swedish preschool education, the preschool teacher’s specific responsibilities have evolved and become increasingly clarified over time. The role of preschool teachers has shifted from being a shared responsibility within the work team to, today, carrying responsibility for leading teaching activities aimed at supporting children's development and learning. This development is reflected, among other things, in the revisions made to the preschool curriculum, where the role and responsibilities of preschool teachers have been progressively articulated more clearly, thereby placing greater demands on effective leadership. The purpose of this study is therefore to highlight how preschool teachers perceive their leadership role within the work team. Six preschool teachers from two different municipalities participated in the study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and a phenomenographic research approach was used to analyze the data. The results reveal an outcome space consisting of six categories that illustrate different ways of perceiving leadership. These categories were named: Leadership as External to the Work Team, Leadership as Distributed Across the Entire Work Team, Leadership as Experience, Leadership as Relational, Leadership as a Personal Characteristic, and Leadership as Professional Identity. These categories are interconnected and can be understood as levels in a progressively deepening conception of leadership, ranging from viewing leadership as something external to the work team to seeing it as an integral part of professional identity. The study concludes that leadership is not perceived solely as a formal responsibility associated with preschool teachers. It may also be viewed as something external to the work team or as a shared responsibility regardless of professional role. At the same time, leadership is perceived as something that is created through relationships, grounded in personal characteristics, and incorporated as part of professional identity.