Influence And Participation In The Preschool Yard : A study about preschool teachers strategies to enable influence and participation

This study aims to find and make visible strategies educators use to enable influence and participations for the children in the schoolyard. The purposewas investigated through an unstructed survey with qualitative questions to give educators space to formulate their experince and thoughts about children´s influence and paritcipation in the yard. Shier´s (2001) participation model was used when designed the questionnaire, as well as a theoretical starting point when analyzing data. The model is a tool to make participation and influence visible. Importent concepts is highlighted such as attitudes as it turns out to be a significant aspect of the children´s opportunities in the encounter with the adult. The results show that the educators listen to the children´s opinions and wishes, that they can largely meet the needs, but factors such as lack of time and lack of staff can stand in the way. We see that Shier´s (2001) model challenges the preschool, at the organizational level where the educators do not have the same opportunities to influence. The challenge also ends up with the educators, are they prepared for a change, for example in routine situations? The focus in this study is more on a here and now perspective where in the results part of the study, different strategies emerge that are useful for the educators in the work of increasing children´s participation and influence in the yard. In the study´s conclusion, we present our knowledge contribution to the presschool profesion where we, among other things, highlight a result that strengthens previous research and literature. One result that clearly emerged is how crucial the educator´s attitude is in the encounter with the children for what opportunities are given to them