Lika barn leka bäst? : En studie om förskolebarns kamratrelationer i den fria leken i utomhusmiljön

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this study is to unveil how inclusion in contrast to exclusion, between children, is being exercised during unrestricted play. Furthermore, the study intends to highlight how educators discern how children are given equal opportunities regarding influence and participation during unrestricted play. The following questions arise as a resultant: How can we recognize the appearance of relationships among the children during unrestricted play? How do the educators acknowledge that the children have an opportunity to influence and participation in the unrestricted play?The theoretical assumption used in this essay is based on the sociocultural perspective and sociologist William Corsaro’s theory about peer culture. As a basis for the survey method, we have interviewed five educators that consisted of preschool teachers and caretakers. The observations were made by studying both the young and older children’s section which in turn provided a wide scope of data. In summary, the result from this study demonstrates that both inclusion and exclusion are present during children’s unrestricted play simply since these phenomena coexist and are dependent on each other. In addition, relationships among children surface during social interaction based on the children’s various peer affiliations created within particular peer culture. These relationships vary based on aspects like age and language. In conclusion, the opportunity for children to have influence during unrestricted play presents itself during negotiations of different roles and can also be seen through their actions during this type of play.