Bland figurer, gubbar och mutanter : En kvalitativ studie om pedagogers syn på populärkultur i förskolan

The purpose of the study is to investigate educators’ attitudes and didactic positions on popular culture as a form and a means of children’s learning in preschool. The questions posed in the study are: How do the educators define popular culture, which examples of popular culture do the educators give? How do the educators describe the spoken and unspoken rules and positions regarding popular culture in preschool practice? What are the risks and benefits when including popular culture in preschool, according to the educators? In this qualitative study four educators from different preschools have been interviewed. The preschools take as a starting point different educational philosofies. The study is based on Vygotsky’s sociocultural perspective in which children learn through interaction with others. The result of the study shows that popular culture is difficult to define. The educators give examples of cultural activities, games and toys. Popular culture is part of preschool and is made evident through children´s play. All educators show both positive and negative attitudes toward popular culture. It is considered positive when it is inherent in children’s interests and culture. On the other hand it is considered negative because of the possible bad influence on children or because of the risk of taking too much space in the children’s activities. All preschools had restrictions on popular culture in one way or another and the biggest differences can be found between the Waldorf preschool and the Reggio Emilia preschool