Medvirkning, danning og demokrati i barnehagen: En casestudie av et prosjektarbeid om bærekraftig utvikling

Abstract

The topic of this article is children’s participation in the kindergarten. The data is gathered from a project among children from three to five years about sustainable development that I followed in six months. The content of this kindergarten project is based on the book The old man and the whale, written by the Norwegian author Stian Hole. Briefly sketched, my research on this describes how the children take part in the unfolding drama, when the main character in the book, Cornelius, pops up ”live” in the kindergarten, searching for the whale he once saved. The research questions are directed against the children’s experiences with democratic influence by currently taking part in the project, and how these experiences have contributed to their formation processes. The analytical approach within this study is based on the Habermas concepts lifeworld and system, communicative and strategic action; in addition to Bernstein’s concepts of weak and strong classification and framing. Further in the analysis, concepts from the political philosophies of Hannah Arendt and Cornelius Castoriadis are used. The aim of this article is to contribute, both empirically and theoretically, to our knowledge about children’s participation and, furthermore, direct attention to the connection between participation, liberal education and democracy.