Konflikthantering och hierarki : En studie av konflikter, hierarki och makt utifrån förskolepersonalens perspektiv

Sammanfattning: During my years working in pre-school, I have been fearful of bumping into colleagues and ending up with a conflict in the workplace. I have worked in a handful of preschools around Stockholm and more or less have encounted the same phenomenon everywhere.   In my study, I want to immerse myself in this phenomenon. I want to hear from those who work in preschools if they also have experienced what I have experienced.  In order to complete this qualitative study, I have used semi-structured interviews with preschool teachers and pre-school assistants to collect empirical data for the purpose of transcribing and interpreting it. Interviews have taken place in the southern suburbs of Stockholm within the reach of the metro.   The study shows that preschool assistants and preschool teachers have fairly similar views of conflicts and conflict management but differ in their solutions of how to respond to and work with them within the work team. The study also reveals that the assistants often feel inferior to the teachers despite the similarity in tasks and this is because of the power that comes with higher education. At the same time that assistants feel inferior, they also have a great respect for the pre-school teachers.   The main reason for conflicts between educators is stress, misunderstanding and criticism, but they can also involve lesser issues.   Furthermore, the study shows that it is necessary and desired to have more knowledge about conflict management, but that this is rarely available due of the lack of time.