“Man lär sig i lek” : En fenomenografisk studie om förskollärares uppfattningar av fenomenet fri lek i förskolan

The purpose of the study is to contribute knowledge about how preschoolteachers perceive children's free play in preschool. This has been investigatedwith a focus on when play is considered free, the importance of free play forchildren's development and learning, and the preschool teacher's influence onchildren's free play. The study is based on a phenomenographic approach,which means that data has been collected based on preschool teachers'perceptions of the phenomenon of free play. Central concepts for this type ofapproach are: phenomenon, perceptions, and outcome space. The method usedfor the study is a semi-structured qualitative interview where seven preschoolteachers were interviewed based on a flexible interview guide.The results of the study show that the participating preschool teachers perceivethat play is a central and important part of preschool activities. Free playpromotes several abilities in children, such as their development and learningin a social, cognitive, and emotional sense. The results of the study alsoindicate that free play is a way for children to process new experiences in orderto turn this into new knowledge. This happens both through mutual supportbetween the children and with support from preschool teachers.The conclusion of the study is that free play is perceived as important forchildren's development and learning in several different aspects. The preschoolteacher's presence in children's free play has also been shown to be of greatimportance.