Ann Christin E. Nilsen

Cooperation and coordination around children with individual plans

Abstract In this article we discuss the relationship between cooperation and coordination around six children with special needs who attend Norwegian day care centres. The children in focus have ‘individual plans’, in which goals, roles and activities at the centre of the cooperation are documented, and are as such a coordinating device. Each child has a cooperative team consisting of parents, representatives from day care centre, the childs special educator, the public health nurse and, for instance, their physiotherapist, family doctor etc. to support them. The cooperating teams are headed by a coordinator, who in most cases is the public health nurse. Methods used in the study are individual interviews with at least four representatives from each cooperative team, as well as two focus group interviews with representatives from two different specialist units. The research design is action oriented, and involves, in addition to data collection, two seminars with parents and practitioners from the day ca...

Gender differences in Norwegian children’s work at home

The division of labour between men and women has been thoroughly discussed in Norway over the last decades, in research as well as in political and public debate. In contrast, there has been little recognition of children’s involvement in work, and differences between girls’ and boys’ work is seldom addressed. This article looks at the extent of children’s work at home, how work is distributed among girls and boys, and whether gender variations correlate with parents’ socialization goals, work statuses and level of education. The findings show that there are small but significant differences between girls’ and boys’ involvement in work at home. It is also found that there is a significant gender bias in how children perceive expectations of work and participation at home. There is, however, little evidence to support that gender differences derive from gendered differences in parents’ socialization goals (values) or as gendered role models (work status and educational level). The authors argue that the variations are more likely to derive from a generalized socially constructed image of what mothers and fathers do. This article contributes to the ongoing discussion about the reproduction of gender roles and gendered practices in a society characterized by a strong orientation towards gender equality.

An Examination of the Role and Responsibilities of Kindergarten in Multidisciplinary Collaboration on Behalf of Children With Severe Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to examine the role and responsibilities of Norwegian kindergarten (i.e., preschool for ages 0–6 years) from the perspective of participants involved in multidisciplinary collaboration on behalf of children with severe disabilities and their families. The authors employed a multiple-case study approach comprising 26 interviews across six cases. Findings suggest that kindergarten is considered an important partner for families and a major contributor to the provision of services. Kindergartens were valued for their (1) close relationships and intimate knowledge of children as individuals, (2) the sense of security and relief of stress that they provided to parents, and (3) for acting as a “driving force” in multidisciplinary collaboration. Findings are discussed in relation to two contrasting views of the kindergarten professional as an early childhood expert and as a compassionate caregiver who, in many ways, functions as an extension of the parental role. The authors conclude that it is the latter of these two perspectives that dominates perceptions of kindergarten professionals among participants.

Who’s at risk? Expanding the categorical understanding of children at risk of social exclusion through measures of self-esteem

Abstract A strong focus on early intervention involves broad categories by which to assess children at risk of social marginalisation. Most of these categories relate to family characteristics and qualities. In this article, we explore social vulnerability from children’s perspectives and consider whether their self-esteem provides evidence for risk of social marginalisation, here understood as exclusion from social, academic, and cultural communities. The data are derived from a survey of 10-year-old children in the south of Norway on their everyday life and well-being (N = 1360). We have constructed an index of global self-esteem. First, we find a significant correlation between low global self-esteem and personal social vulnerability. Next, we quite surprisingly find no significant correlation between children’s global self-esteem and their family characteristics. The final analysis reveals a correlation between children’s global self-esteem and their social networks. These results prompt us to question some of the common assumptions about the association between family characteristics and social vulnerability. Our results show that more attention should be paid to children’s social networks, regardless of family characteristics. More importantly, the results show that global self-esteem – including self-evaluations of academic skills, athletic skills, feelings of self-worth, and sociability – is a fruitful approach to expanding our categorical understanding of children at risk.

The expansion of early childhood development services and the need to reconceptualize evidence

The provision of early childhood development services is expanding in developing countries. The rationale behind this expansion is rooted in developmental psychology, socio-economic and human rights narratives. However, there are some limitations to this rationale, which are in particular related to the implicit universalism it assumes. This article outlines how early childhood development interventions imply a policing of families and childhood, which calls for a stronger consideration of context. As a consequence, the scope of what counts as evidence in early childhood development research needs to be questioned. The article is a theoretical contribution to the discourse of what early childhood development ‘does’. A critical approach, addressing the ideals and values that are communicated in early childhood development programmes and how they relate to dominant parenting ideals and practices in the society in question, should be an integral part of the expansion of early childhood development in the global South in the future.

Boys’ construction of fatherhood when their fathers are absent

In this article, we address the question of how boys whose fathers are absent construct an image of fatherhood. Drawing on the stories told by three boys whose fathers are absent, we explore how the boys, in the relation with their mothers, siblings and others, construct and negotiate an image of fatherhood, including how they envisage themselves to be as fathers in the future. The data material consists of life-mode interviews with the boys and their mothers. Theoretically, we are inspired by social constructionism and cultural psychology. We find that the boys aspire to become fathers who engage in close and mutual relations within the family, who are emotionally and practically available, who are consistent and predictable, and who participate in activities with their children. This image of fatherhood is in line with the contemporary expectations to fathers in our culture. In developing this notion of fatherhood, the role of the mothers is crucial, and we find that they – in their repertoire of motherhood – propose to their sons a cultural orientation that affirms their sons’ identity as men and future fathers.

When texts become action. The institutional circuit of early childhood intervention

ABSTRACT Building on ideals of social cohesion, equality of opportunities and socio-economic benefits, there has been an increasing awareness in Norway of kindergarten employees’ responsibility to initiate early childhood intervention. The process of identifying children in need of intervention involves a complex chain of actions in which documentation is at stake. A massive textual representation of children takes place, in which children are categorized as certain types. The textually-mediated social construction of children has feedback effects on the categories and the classification system itself. The article builds on an institutional ethnography of early childhood intervention, starting within the standpoint of kindergarten staff, and provides a detailed account of an institutional circuit. It displays how texts within this circuit contribute to rendering certain actions institutionally accountable.