Greinin er byggð á rannsókn sem ætlað er að varpa ljósi á viðhorf og reynslu leikskólakennara og leiðbeinenda í einum leikskóla í Reykjavík af samstarfi við foreldra- og barnahóp með fjölbreyttan bakgrunn og menningu í upphafi leikskólagöngu. Tímamótin eru kölluð aðlögun og er þar vísað til inntöku nýrra barna í leikskóla. Hugmyndafræðilegur grunnur rannsóknarinnar er að mestu sóttur í smiðju fræðimanna sem hafa rannsakað þau þáttaskil sem verða þegar börn hefja grunnskólagöngu. Margir sömu þættir koma einnig við sögu við upphaf leikskólagöngu. Litið er á börn sem mikils megnug og skapandi og að námsumhverfi og námskrá skuli byggjast á áhuga og aðstæðum barna og taka tillit til þess að þau eru ólík (Educational Transitions and Change Research group, 2011).
Gagna var aflað með eigindlegum rannsóknaraðferðum; einstaklingsviðtölum, rýnihópaviðtölum og vettvangsathugunum á þremur deildum í leikskólanum. Greining gagna fór fram með þemagreiningu, en hún er sveigjanleg aðferð sem notuð er til að skipuleggja og greina gögn (Braun og Clarke, 2013). Niðurstöður rannsóknarinnar sýndu að leikskólakennarar lýstu hlutverki sínu í aðlögunarferlinu sem tvíþættu. Annars vegar að koma á og viðhalda tilfinningalegum tengslum við foreldra og börn. Hins vegar að hafa yfirsýn, ýta undir samstarf innan deilda og miðla þekkingu til samstarfsfólksins. Leiðbeinendur ræddu um virka þátttöku í aðlögunarferlinu og í samskiptum og tengslum við foreldra barnanna eftir að formlegri aðlögun lauk. Þátttökuaðlögun var talin reynast vel sem sameiginlegt námsferli foreldra, barna og leikskólastarfsfólks. Fram komu vísbendingar um að foreldrar af erlendum uppruna ættu frekar í erfiðleikum með þátttöku og að börn af erlendum uppruna upplifðu í mörgum tilvikum erfiðari aðlögun en börn íslenskra foreldra. Rannsóknin sýnir að það er fagleg áskorun að þróa starfshætti sem stuðla að því að skapa samfellu í lífi barna með fjölbreyttan bakgrunn og menningu frá upphafi leikskólagöngu.
The aim of the article is to shed light on the attitudes and experiences of educators in a preschool in Reykjavík, in collaboration with parents and children with diverse backgrounds and cultures, in the transition to preschool. The purpose is to understand the meaning of this aspect of the work and thus add to existing knowledge. The ideological foundation of the study is largely drawn from scholars who have studied the changes that occur when children begin compulsory schooling. Although the research mainly focuses on the beginning of primary schooling, it can be argued that many of the same factors also apply to the onset of preschool for young children. Children are considered to be powerful and creative, and the learning environment and curriculum should be based on children’s interests and circumstances and take into account that they are different (Dockett & Einarsdóttir, 2017; Dunlop, 2017; Educational Transitions and Change Research group, 2011). Thus, continuity in children’s lives should allow for the experience of the children’s homes in their transition to preschool (Margetts, 2002). The changes are characterized by a complex process in which the concepts of transition and adaptation are intertwined. The process of adaptation begins at home and continues until the child and his or her family experience themselves as participants and belong to the new environment (Margetts, 2014). The child is moving from one environment to another, from home or day-care to a new place: the preschool. The process is considered to be an integrated learning experience for children, parents and preschool teachers (Drugli & Undheim, 2011).
The article aims to answer two questions:
What are the views of educators working with children with diverse backgrounds and cultures in the transition to preschool?
How is the preschool emphasizing the continuity of the children’s lives?
The preschool that participated in the study has extensive experience in working with families of foreign origin. Children under the age of two started in three units in the fall. Five individual interviews were conducted with the unit leaders. Interviews with two of them were carried out in August, before the children’s transition to preschool. The second phase of interviews took place when most of the children had been in the preschool for two to three months. Interviews were also conducted with the preschool principal and the acting assistant principal. All the interviews were semi-structured (Kvale & Brinkmann, 2009). Two focus group interviews were conducted; on the one hand, with the personnel who worked with the children, and, on the other, with one of the unit leaders and a preschool teacher who supported a child in one of the groups. In focus group interviews, it is not assumed that people agree but that within-group communication influences participants’ thoughts and ideas (Lichtman, 2013; Litoselliti, 2003). Observations were made at the beginning of the children’s start in the preschool, where the focus was mainly on communication between parents, children and staff. Observations were also made when some time had passed since the children started. The formal analysis process was inspired by thematic analysis. Thematic analysis, according to Braun and Clarke (2013), is a flexible method of organising and analysing data to identify and describe repeated patterns or themes within a set.
The findings revealed that professionals described their role in the transition process as twofold. Establishing and maintaining emotional relationships with parents and children was important. Furthermore, having an overview, fostering collaboration within the units and disseminating knowledge to colleagues was also essential. Other staff working with children discussed active participation in the transition process and maintaining relationships with the children’s parents after the formal transition was completed. Parental participation in the transition process was considered to be successful as a joint learning process for parents, children and preschool staff. However, there were indications that parents who did not speak Icelandic had difficulties in participating. Also, that children of foreign origin in many cases experienced a more difficult transition than children of Icelandic parents. The study shows that it is a professional challenge for preschool educators to develop, from the beginning, a pedagogical approach that contributes to all families experiencing themselves as participants and belonging to the new environment.
