Barns livsvägar genom daghem och skola

Sammanfattning: The aim of this study is to investigate children's life experiences, especially from day care and primary school, in their eyes to describe these two educational settings and to see what meaning and importance they have in forming children's lives and self-concepts. The study has a life history approach and a children's perspective. It is thus retrospective. A life story was written by 107 youths, 15-16 years of age out. Of these 23 youths were chosen, taken on a round tour to their former day care centre and primary school and then interviewed.The results of the study were combined with theory into a model for development and learning in context. It emphasizes the importance of quality relationships both to persons and to content in educational settings. Different patterns of relationships among small children change over time to a better quality in relation to peers than to teachers. Individual ways of handling changes and disturbances in relations, like bullying, are described. They result in relationships and values of different quality, showing that development can go in different directions and must be put in relation to values in society. Relations to peers and to content in interests outside school seem to be the most important factors in forming children's self-concept and future selves.To become a good pupil seems to be a great challenge, while the relation to content is not much considered. Children's lack of influence makes it difficult to establish a relation of good quality to content in school. The main conclusions are that children should be seen as whole persons. Priority should be given to support in case of disturbances in peer relations. Children should get more influence. Relations to content and teachers might then be improved and play a more important role in children's life stories and future plans.