En kvalitativ studie om förskollärares förhållningssätt till barnen och kunskapande : En jämförande studie mellan en Reggio Emilia förskola och en traditionell förskola

The purpose of this study is to determine which approach preschool teachers from a Reggio Emilia inspired preschool and a traditional preschool have on children, knowledge, learning and their own role in children’s learning. The two pedagogical approaches have different basic visions; Reggio Emilia follows the thoughts of Lori Malaguzzi and the traditional preschool follows the Swedish curriculum Lpfö 98. The main research questions asked were: What view on children, learning and knowledge does the preschool teacher from a Reggio Emilia inspired preschool have in comparison with a traditional preschool? Which role does the teacher believe that they should take regarding children’s learning? What differences and similarities can be identified in the teachers' perceptions? To carry out this study, I used a qualitative research method. I interviewed four preschool teachers, two from a Reggio Emilia inspired preschool and two from a traditionally operated preschool. The teachers’ approaches have been analyzed by a social constructionist view on the child, knowledge building, learning and the teacher's role. Dewey, Vygotskij and Freinet are the main theoreticians of the view on children and knowledge. Meanwhile modern researchers account for the theory regarding the role of teachers and the educational environment. The result of the study showed that all teachers had the same approach regarding children, knowledge, learning and their own role. My conclusion is that teachers' attitude permeates all activities and that it affects children's learning in the end. Although the pre-schools were conducted with different pedagogical approaches, this study revealed that there were no differences in teachers' ways of looking at the children, knowledge, learning and their own role in children’s learning