Niðurstöður rannsókna með börnum gefa til kynna að börn tali um leik þegar þau fást
við viðfangsefni sem þau stýra sjálf, taka sér hlutverk og nýta efnivið á fjölbreyttan hátt.
Hlutverk fullorðinna er talið mikilvægt í leik barna en hugmyndir um það hvernig nálgast
megi leikinn eru ólíkar, allt frá því að stýra eigi leik barna yfir í það að láta hann afskiptalausan.
Rannsóknir með börnum sýna að þeim finnst mikilvægt að hinn fullorðni, leikskólakennarinn,
fylgist með leiknum og sé nálægur svo hægt sé að leita eftir stuðningi
hans. Auk þess vilji börn geta deilt uppgötvunum sínum með fullorðnum. Hér verður greint
frá rannsókn sem var gerð með þriggja til fimm ára börnum í tveimur leikskólum á Íslandi.
Markmiðið var að öðlast betri skilning á hlutverki leikskólakennara í leik út frá sjónarhorni
barna. Myndbandsupptökur af athöfnum barnanna voru notaðar sem kveikja að samræðu
við þau. Börnin fengu tækifæri til þess að horfa á upptökurnar, ræða þær og útskýra
hlutverk kennaranna í leiknum. Niðurstöðurnar benda til þess að leikskólakennarar séu
oftar áhorfendur að leik barna en beinir þátttakendur. Börnin höfðu mismunandi stöðu í
leiknum, sum voru ráðandi en önnur fylgjendur. Staða þeirra í leiknum hafði áhrif á það
hvernig þau litu á hlutverk kennaranna. Börnin sem voru ráðandi í leik sáu oft ekki hvernig
leikskólakennarinn gæti verið þátttakandi í leik án þess að skemma hann en þau sem voru
fylgjendur í leiknum þurftu gjarnan á stuðningi leikskólakennarans að halda og sóttust
eftir nærveru hans í leik sínum. Rannsóknin gefur innsýn í hlutverk fullorðinna í leik barna.
Með því að hlusta á hugmyndir barna um leik og fylgjast með stöðu þeirra í barnahópnum
geta leikskólakennarar ígrundað og endurskoðað hlutverk sitt í leik barna.
Play in preschools is a complicated phenomenon that has been studied from different
perspectives and paradigms. Researchers have connected children’s play in preschools
to activities where the children are in control, take on roles, and use materials in
different ways. Research conducted with children aims to learn from children’s knowledge
and experiences. Furthermore, research with children about their perspectives
on the role of educators in their play has indicated that children find it important for
educators to observe their play and to remain nearby so that the children can seek
their support and can share their discoveries with their educators. This article discusses
an ethnographic research project conducted with children aged three to five years
in two preschool settings in Iceland. The study is built on the UN’s Convention on
the Rights of the Child and Corsaro’s (2015) construct of the sociology of childhood,
which views children as competent and active participants in the preschool society.
The aim of the study is to add to the understanding of educators’ roles in children’s play from the children’s own perspectives. Video-stimulated recordings were used
to support children’s conversations about their play activities in the preschool settings.
Children’s activities were video-recorded, and they were invited to watch the
recordings and discuss the educator’s role in their play. The conversations with the
children were also video-recorded and transcribed for further analysis. The researchers
considered their ethical responsibilities throughout the entire research process.
All gatekeepers gave their written consent and the children were gatekeepers in their
own account. They were informed about the study and gave their own written accent.
The findings show that the preschool educators seldom took part in children’s play
activities; their role was often to be close to the children and to observe and react
when the children needed help or something went wrong. The children took on different
roles in their play; some children took on the roles of leaders in play, while other
children followed these leaders. In addition, some children liked to make joint decisions
in their play. The children’s status within the peer group influenced how they
explained the educator’s role in regard to their play. The children who were leaders in
the play did not see how the educators could be involved in their play without ruining
it. However, the children who followed the leaders needed the educators’ support
and wanted them to take part in their play. The study concludes that play cultures
in preschools could be reviewed. Educators might reconsider their participation in
children’s play, especially concerning children who sometimes are passive observers
of the play rather than active participants. The study provides insight into children’s
perspectives of the role of educators in children’s play in preschools. By listening to
children’s ideas about play and observing their status in play, educators can consider
or review their roles in children’s play.
