“You should feel that you can get involved and have influence, who else will you become?” : A study on educators’ perception on children’s participation and influence

The purpose of this study has been to find out the educators' perception of children's participation and influence in preschool. The study has focused on making a comparison between the teachers' perception and their way of working. The purpose has also been to find out whether the children's age has any influence on the extent to which the children are given the opportunity to participate and influence. The results of the study are analyzed and presented on the basis of the perspectives of participation and influence, power, the competent child and age. The study report also presents a comparison between the teachers' answers and their working methods. Studies results have shown that the educators work equally with their interview responses and that the children were given the opportunity to participate and influence to a very large extent. The age influence on the children’s opportunities for participation and influence has also been an aspect that has been focused on in this study. On the basis of the collected material, no difference has been observed, however, the teachers emphasized that the verbal language was an advantage and that different approaches were required depending on their age