Språk- och identitetsutveckling i förskolan : Förskollärares beskrivningar av sitt arbete med flerspråkiga barn.

Sammanfattning: The purpose of the study is to study the preschool teacher´s descriptions of their work to support multilingual children's language development and the strengthening of their identity in preschool. In order to achieve the aim, the following question has been formulated: What methods and materials do preschool teachers describe that they use to support multilingual children's language and identity in preschool? Previous research shows a lack of knowledge among educators about how they should work to be able to develop children's identity and support children's development in the Swedish language and the children's mother tongues. A qualitative method has been used in this study where interviews in combination with observations have been carried out at preschools in southern Sweden. The study's theoretical starting points are social constructionism and the sociocultural perspective. The results show that preschool teachers use the same working methods and methods to both develop children's language and communication skills but also to strengthen their identity. Methods and working methods that appear in the results include image support, body language, TAKK, language bags and the Kippin Family. The results of the study also show the importance of highlighting children's mother tongue and offering them security so that they can develop and form new skills. Finally, it emerged that the preschool teachers’ commitment and attitude affect children's learning and development in preschool.