The focus of this doctoral dissertation is the teaching preschool teacher and how the teaching mission is transformed and shaped by different actors. The perspectives of three actors are addressed in empirical studies; 1-2 year old preschool children, the preschool principal and the preschool teacher. The overarching aim is to generate knowledge about how these actors contribute to teaching.

The preschool children contribute to teaching by participating and showing initiatives by using a vast variety of different non-verbal expressions and gestures. Principals contribute to teaching by creating conditions. These conditions consist of inviting preschool teachers to take active part in a meaning-making process that involves shaping and transforming of the understandings of teaching. These transformed understandings then influence preschool teachers’ teaching. Preschool teachers handle and manage teaching as a concept and as a new part of their mission during collegial discussions over time. By using professional core values, preschool teachers transform and adjust the concept of teaching in coherence to preschool practice and tradition. One of these professional core values consists of being sensitive to the initiative of children and building on the interests and needs of children when teaching.

The two main results are (a) the importance of non-verbal communication when teaching, and (b) preschoolification as a strategy for preschool professionals when handling policy. Preschoolification is a strategy used by preschool principals as well as preschool teachers in order to transform the concept of teaching by using professional core values. By adding or changing the definition of the concept of teaching found in the School Act, the concept is transformed to fit preschool practice rather than letting preschool practice be a victim of schoolification.

Den här avhandlingen fokuserar den undervisande förskolläraren och mer specifikt hur undervisningsuppdraget formas. Tre empiriska studier har genomförts utifrån olika aktörers perspektiv: de yngsta förskolebarnen, rektorerna och förskollärarna. Avhandlingen skapar kunskap om hur dessa olika aktörer på olika sätt bidrar till undervisningssituationer i förskolan.

De yngsta förskolebarnen bidrar till undervisningssituationer genom att delta och visa initiativ, vilket sker i huvudsak genom icke-verbal kommunikation. Rektorerna bidrar till undervisningssituationer genom att skapa förutsättningar för förskollärares förståelse för undervisning som begrepp och uppdrag. Förskollärarna bidrar till undervisningssituationer genom att ta ansvar och genomföra undervisningen tillsammans med barnen.

Avhandlingens sammanvägda resultat visar den icke-verbala kommunikationens betydelse för undervisningssituationer och på förskolifiering som en strategi för professionen i hanteringen av ny policy. Förskolifiering sker när rektorer och förskollärare fyller begreppet undervisning med ett innehåll som rimmar väl med förskolans tradition och kultur.