“People interpret things differently” : Preschool and home cooperation

This study focuses on preschool and home cooperation in a Swedish context. Both Swedish and international reports and research emphasize this subject as an important matter for Early Childhood Education. However, several factors such as diversity in society and preschool, different people’s interpretations, and different individual and societal conditions such as resources show that it is a complex topic to approach. The aim of the thesis is to examine how preschool teachers interpret the content and the implementations based on the preschool and home section in the newest revision of the Swedish curriculum (Skolverket, 2018). There are two research questions examined. How do preschool teachers interpret the content in the parent and home section in the Swedish curriculum? How do preschool teachers interpret the implementations of the parent and home section in the Swedish curriculum? Preschool and home cooperation is examined through semi-structured interviews with preschool teachers. The theoretical framework for this thesis is curriculum theory and the collected data is interpreted through thematic analysis. The results show that the preschool teachers found the topic important for a well working practice despite it not being a prioritised matter to discuss on a regular basis. Different factors such as consensus in the work team, diversity in the parent groups build up a complex system with several factors that need to work to create good relationships and cooperation with all families. The discussion addresses how the curriculum theoretical aspects of formulation, norms and values impact the preschool teacher’s interpretation and implementations concerning preschool and home cooperation based on the preschool and home section of the curriculum.