Jurisdiktion och arbetsfördelning : Yrkesgruppers arbete med särskilt stöd i förskolan

Sammanfattning: The overall aim of this licentiate thesis is to increase our knowledge about the division of labor in the work with children in need of special support in preschools as described by the occupational groups of preschool teachers and special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs). This is explored in two separate studies.In the first study, the tasks, perceptions, and roles of SENCOs in preschools are examined. The study is part of a total population study where all SENCOs in Sweden (n = 4252) who were examined by the examination acts of the years 2001, 2007, and 2008 were sent a questionnaire. In a later phase of the procedure, the responses from SENCOs who work in preschools were extracted from the survey. These responses were analysed in Study I involving 523 participants. The results show that SENCOs’ working hours are primarily spent on consultation. SENCOs further report that they are able to influence their colleagues’ views on children's difficulties to a high degree. Most SENCOs in the study believe that the most important reason why children encounter difficulties in preschools is that preschools are poorly adapted to deal with children's differences. The results of this study are theoretically interpreted on the basis of Abbott's (1988) reasoning about jurisdictional control. Persson's (1998) two perspectives on different ways of understanding children's difficulties, namely a categorical and a relational perspective, are also used to interpret the results.Study II analyses how preschool teachers describe which occupational group claims jurisdiction over the work with children in need of special support. The data consist of interviews with 15 preschool teachers. The analysis of the data is based on Abbott's (1988) division of professional work into three aspects: a) formulating a problem, b) reasoning about the problem, and c) treating the problem. The results show that the area where preschool teachers claim jurisdictional control is related to the formulation of the problem. Preschool teachers do not, on the other hand, seem to claim jurisdictional control over the part of professional work that concerns reasoning about the problem. The results show a contradictory image of the treatment of the problem. Preschool teachers sometimes describe themselves as claiming jurisdictional control over treatment and other times describe how SENCOs have jurisdiction over the treatment of the problem.In the licentiate thesis, Abbott's (1988) reasoning about jurisdiction of occupational groups and Persson's (1998) categorical and relational perspectives for understanding children's difficulties are brought together and put in relation to different perspectives on inclusion.