Informella förhandlingar : Barns delaktighet och inflytande i fritidshem

Sammanfattning: Informal negotiations "Children´s participation and influence in School-Age Educare centre” Within the activities at a School-Age Educare centre (SAE-centre), there are several formal occasions where the children participate and have influence. These occasions are most often initiated by educators. This study illustrates children’s reasoning about various ways they make use of when trying to extend their influence in their everyday lives at the informal arena at the SAE-centre. The intention was to investigate the strategies and abilities used by children to influence informal situations. The study shows childrens reasoning, how negotiations and decisions can shift levels of participation as formulated in Hart's (1992) participation model. Earlier research shows how democracy is expressed in schools, but above all, how democracy, participation and influence relate to curriculum and the intention to turn children into able citizens of a democracy. This study illustrates children’s reasoning about various ways they make use of when trying to extend their influence in their everyday lives at the informal arena at the SAE-centre. The result exposed four different abilities: the large mass, the benefits of compliance, the ability to see the mood and the skill of spotting the weak link. Impact capital as a concept is inspired by Bourdieu's theories of human capital. It gives a logical picture of children's different ways to get the upper hand in negotiations.