Ansattes vurdering av barns trivsel i barnehagen

Sammendrag

Rammeplan for barnehagen vektlegger at barnehagen skal bidra til barns trivsel, men det er uvisst hvordan ansatte i barnehagen vurderer ulike faktorers betydning for barns trivsel. Et spørreskjema ble sendt til 25 norske barnehager for å undersøke hvordan de ansatte vurderte faktorer som påvirker 3–6-åringers trivsel, og hvordan de tilrettelegger for barns trivsel. De 105 respondentene vurderte psykiske, fysiske og sosiale forhold som svært viktig for barns trivsel, samtidig som litt over halvparten vurderte kognitive forhold som viktig. Kognitive forhold med større krav til læring og skoleforberedende aktiviteter kan utfordre den tradisjonelle barnehagepedagogikken som er preget av lek, trygghet og sosiale forhold. Barnehagens utemiljø ble vurdert som bedre tilrettelagt for barns trivsel enn innemiljøet. Ansatte med lengre ansiennitet vurderte at de bedre ivaretar og fremmer barns trivsel sammenliknet med ansatte med kortere ansiennitet. Resultatene viser at ansatte vurderer trivsel ulikt, noe som utfordrer praksisfeltet og barns trivsel i barnehagen.

English abstract

Norwegian ECEC practitioners’ assessments of children’s well-being in kindergarten

The framework plan for Norwegian kindergartens emphasises that the kindergarten shall facilitate children’s well-being, but it has not been established how the practitioners assess the significance of various conditions for well-being. A questionnaire was sent to 25 Norwegian kindergartens to investigate how the practitioners assessed factors that affect 3-6-year olds’ well-being and how they facilitate well-being. The 105 respondents considered psychological, physical, and social conditions as extremely important for children’s well-being, while just over half considered cognitive conditions as important. Cognitive conditions with greater demands on learning and school-preparatory activities may challenge the traditional pedagogy, as characterized by play, security, and social conditions. The outdoor environment was considered to facilitate well-being better than the indoor environment. Practitioners with longer seniority considered themselves to take better care of and promote children’s well-being than practitioners with shorter seniority. This suggests that practitioners assess wellbeing differently, which influence the field of practice and children’s well-being.