General provisions

The course is given within the teacher training program for preschools.

Entry requirements

Within the Preschool Teacher Education Programme: Swedish as a Second Language and Multilingualism in Preschool; Curriculum Theory and Didactical Perspectives on Education for Preschool Teachers; Follow-up and Analysis of Learning and Development, Preschool Teachers; Epistemology and Research Methodology.

Learning outcomes

The aim of the course is to enable the student to develop his/her scientific approach and his/her academic writing. This includes that the student is able to identify and formulate a proper research question and to select an appropriate method of investigation, as well as to be critical of of one's own and of others' results.

On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• carry out, under supervision, an individual assignment with a didactic perspective relevant for the profession of future preschool teachers.
• delimit and formulate a problem
• select appropriate and current research material and formulate theoretical approaches based on the chosen problem
• based on the formulated problems, choose appropriate methods, carry out the work as well as evaluate/analyse the results
• write and defend a scientific report that is well written and clearly structured
• critically analyse and evaluate another independent project in a defence seminar.

Content

• Problem formulation
• Studies of relevant research material
• Choice of methodological and theoretical starting points
• Carrying out of an individual assignment with a didactic perspectivethrough an empirical study
• Academic writing
• Defence and critical review of independent project.

Instruction

The course is given in the form of lectures, seminars and workshops. The independent work is carried out individually or in pairs under supervision.

Assessment

The assessment is based on three parts: First, the written report of the student's independent work; Second, critical review and defence of the student's independent work at a final seminar; Third, the student's critical assessment and discussion of another student's independent project.