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Preschools in Sweden are facing increasing requirements for introducing quality systems, and documentation practices are becoming a central part of the preschools’ work. This article examines how Swedish principals perceive the assignment of documentation regarding special educational needs (SEN). Drawing on the theoretical work of Schön, this study explores how preschool principals describe the purpose and value of SEN documentation and their own role in its practice. The findings suggest three positions towards SEN documentation, described as: Resisting, which questions the purpose of the documentation and its target group; Accepting, where documentation is used as a useful administrative tool and for structuring working practices; and, an Enthusiastic position, highlighting the benefits of documentation for individual children, staff members, and the organisation. The findings indicate that principals have a large scope for autonomy to shape and use different types of professional knowledge, which reflects different articulations of the best interests of children.

This article examines the use of digital documentation systems for preschool special education in Swedish municipalities. Drawing on concepts of organisational learning, the research examines the extent to which municipalities use digital systems and their rationales for such use. A survey of municipalities' use of digital documentation systems indicated three different system types, and findings from interviews with officials in six municipalities suggest two core rationales that guide documentation systems for special education in preschools. The first rationale focuses on managing knowledge rooted in systems' formal properties and legal-regulatory frameworks. The second concerns managing professional practice through documentation processes, access, and communication. Digital solutions have consequences for managing and processing documentation and the utilisation of professional knowledge. For the municipality to be a learning organisation, greater interactions are needed between the two, and special educational knowledge needs to play a greater role and be generated and stored through documentation practice.

Identifying special educational needs (SEN) in preschool often involves various methods of observation, mapping, and planning through documentation. These documentation practices store, communicate and distribute written content through templates and documentation systems. There is variation in such systems and approaches to documentation in different municipalities, and this has significant consequences for the ways in which knowledge is differently produced, used and shared within preschool contexts, and across wider municipality settings.

This thesis aims to gain a deeper understanding of how SEN documentation is perceived and utilised by key actors at different municipal and preschool levels; how it contributes to creating knowledge and values in early childhood education and care (ECEC); and how the (fairly) new digital systems are employed to produce and handle SEN documentation processes and practices in preschools and municipalities.

The empirical data builds on semi-structured interviews with municipal officials and principals, group interviews with preschool work teams and a survey that maps the prevalence of digital systems for SEN documentation in ECEC by Swedish municipalities. The data analyses draw on theoretical concepts of organisational learning, knowledge formation and agency.

The findings from the empirical material reveal diverse perceptions of SEN documentation and its value in various levels of preschool education stakeholders (municipal officials, principals, and work teams). This creates tensions among professionals and across levels regarding what and whose knowledge is to be inscribed and thus meaningful. In addition, digital systems for SEN documentation are becoming increasingly prevalent in preschool practices and this shapes how SEN documentation is visualised and realised, with preschool principals and work teams raising new challenges and identifying tensions and ambiguities in the process. The findings suggest that SEN documentation through analogue and digital systems plays an important role in (re)conceptualising SEN. In addition, the particular governing of documentation practices across different systems affects how SEN knowledge is generated, evaluated and distributed within municipalities and preschools, and hence sets parameters for organisational and professional learning.

This article explores how work teams in early childhood education and care (ECEC) describe their digital documentation practices regarding special educational needs (SEN), and the professional practice possibilities within digital systems. Drawing on the concept of teacher agency, group interviews with 18 staff members within work teams in ECEC were conducted across three Swedish municipalities. The findings show how the different designs and concepts of digital systems provide facilitating and limiting work contexts that in turn shape the work teams’ interactions. The article highlights the significance of variable levels of access different professionals have in different systems that may restrict their participation with the documentation process and reinforce divisions within the work teams. Furthermore, it illustrates the constraining context of time and pacing in the digital documentation processes that leads some work teams to devise alternative options and, in the process, assert professional autonomy.

Research topic/aim: Early childhood education (ECE) is facing a possible challenging task of transforming analogue practices into digital. Research shows that digital systems are already being used by the preschool practice for communication and pedagogical documentation (Masoumi 2015; Knauf 2020). Though the use of digital systems is becoming an increasing part in the preschools education (Virtanen, 2018) systems are not neutral in educational settings and part in shaping the teachers gaze (White et al., 2021). Little is known about the digital use for documentation of special educational needs (SEN) in ECE, and particularly the SEN knowledge it includes. This ongoing study fills a gap by exploring the knowledge and knowledge use by different actors involved in the process of using digital systems for SEN documentation.

Theoretical framework: Drawing on Freeman and Sturdy (2014) this study identifies different movements and forms of knowledge that are embedded within digital documentation systems for SEN, specifically inscribed and enacted knowledge, and describes how these construct different opportunities for access, professional reflection, and definitions of SEN conceptions. 

Methodology: The empirical data for the study is based on a survey of Swedish municipalities’ use of digital systems for SEN documentation as well as 18 semi-structured interviews with key informants from six municipalities who represent five different digital systems found in an earlier survey (Vretblom, under review). 

Expected findings: Preliminary findings suggest that different forms of knowledge relate to both administrative questions and practice activities within ECE. The specific SEN knowledge inscribed in the different digitals systems depends on (a) which professionals feed into or use knowledge in the system and how they (can) enact this knowledge into practice, (b) which purpose(s) the knowledge serves, and (c) what type of knowledge is required by the structure of the digital system. The findings contribute new insights and understandings regarding digital SEN documentation practices in ECE. 

Relevance to Nordic educational research: The study has relevance to Nordic educational research as it points out different forms of SEN knowledge that is enabled by the digital systems, that can be of use for professional practice as well as the governing bodies of municipalities in Nordic contexts.

Den här pågående studien kartlägger och undersöker svenska kommuners användande av digitala system för att dokumentera särskilt stöd i förskolan. Digitala system har kommit att bli en alltmer framträdande del i förskolans utbildning där system alltmer ersätter den pappersbaserade dokumentationspraktiken i förskolan (Cowan & Flewitt,2021). Intresse riktas därmed mot om dessa system även används för specialpedagogisk dokumentation i förskolan? Studien undersöker därför om digitala system används, vilka digitala system som används samt vilka funktioner dessa digitala system bidrar med? Studien består av en kartläggning av digitala system i samtliga Sveriges kommuner samt 18 semi-strukturerade intervjuer i sex olika kommuner. Deltagarna i intervjuerna bestod av nyckelinformanter på huvudmannanivå inom områden såsom förskola, digitalisering och specialpedagogik. Argyris och Schön (1978;1996) teoretiska ramverk används i relation till digitala system som en plats för en kommuns organisatoriska kunskap. Utgångspunkten för studien är att systemets arkiverande och sparande funktioner via mallar, arbetsprocesser och beviljade accesser skapar organisatoriska kartor i vilka förskolans professionella ska navigera efter. De preliminära resultaten visar att det digitala formatet av just dokumentationer gällande särskilt stöd i förskolan är relativt nytt för flera kommuner samt att det sker via en variation av system. Kommunernas användande av ett digitalt system förklaras med bland annat utgångspunkter i säkerhet och lagstiftning samt även genom tillgänglighet och åtkomst av dokumentation. Kommunernas organisatoriska kartor förefaller innehålla administrativa perspektiv på systemets användande där funktioner som hurdokumentationer ska göras förklaras av systemet medan frågor gällande innehållöverlämnas till professionella att tolka och genomföra. Resultatet av studien kan komma att vara viktigt för att förstå olika drivkrafter, processer och effekter när administration och praktik ska samverka via digitala system med gemensam utgångspunkt i dokumentationer gällande särskilt stöd i förskolan.

This study focuses on how actors at the municipality level justify the use of digital systems for documenting special educationalneeds (SEN) in early childhood education (ECE). Digital systems are increasingly replacing the paper-based documentation in ECE (Cowan & Flewitt, 2021). However, little is known about if and how SEN documentation is included in these digital systems. Addressing that gap, this study investigates the occurrence of, and rationales for, digital SEN documentation in Swedishmunicipalities. Drawing on Argyris and Schön (1996), I view digital systems as environments for organisational knowledge. In this environment, templates and accesses create organisational maps that professionals must navigate. The study was conducted within the interpretive paradigm. First, I investigated if, and what, digital systems that were used for SEN documentation in all 290 municipalities in Sweden. Next, I interviewed a total of 18 key informants from six municipalities. A thematic approach was used to analyse the interviews (Cohen et. al 2011). Participants gave their written informed consent before the interviews. Data was anonymised and followed the ethical guidelines of the Swedish Research Council (SRC, 2017). The preliminary findings show that informants mainly use ‘security’ and ‘legislation’ as rationales for using digital systems. Moreover, it seems that the organisational maps created by the digital systems, outline how SEN documentation should be conducted, whereas the question of what to document is left to ECE professionals. The findings highlight a gap between what ECE professionals need and what the digital systems offer when it comes to SEN documentation. 

This study focuses on principals' responses regarding documentation of special educational needs (SEN) in Swedish preschools. The curriculum allows large scope for principals to interpret and implement SEN documentation, which raises questions about values, knowledge, and processes that steer SEN documentation. According to the curriculum, the aim of documentation is to evaluate and analyse the education. However, research suggests that practitioners are uncertain about documentation in relation to SEN (Renblad & Brodin, 2014) and that documentation more often focuses on children than on evaluating the education (Lutz, 2009; Palla, 2018). This study draws on Schön's (1995) theoretical framework regarding professional knowledge as co-constructed through reflective processes in preschools and in relation to principals as agents. Following an interpretive paradigm, ten in-depth interviews were conducted with principals of Swedish preschools. The interviews were analysed through a thematic approach (Cohen et.al, 2011). The principals were provided with written information about the study and gave their written informed consent before the interviews. The data was anonymised, and all the ethical requirements of the Swedish Research Council were followed (SRC, 2017). Even though all principals in the study work towards the goal of an inclusive preschool, the analysis reveal three main positionings towards documentation (resisting, accepting, enthusiastic). The positionings are characterised by different views on: The value of documentation; The space for reflection in the documentation process; The principals' own role in coordinating, structuring, and evaluating documentation. The findings are important for understanding how to improve SEN knowledge management in preschools.

I barnträdgårdens verksamhet kunde barn från olika sociala klasser mötas, även om det fram till 1980-talet var relativt liten andel barn som var i det vi idag kan kalla förskoleliknande verksamhet. De fattiga barnen skulle genom att tillbringa tid på barnträdgården skyddas mot fattigdom liksom det som följde med fattigdom såsom sjukdomar, hunger, smuts och oreda. Barn till bättre beställda skulle tränas i självständighet och förberedas för skolan. Genom de barnobservationer som genomfördes i barnträdgården från början av 1930-talet har vi idag ett historiskt material där skyddsaspekter riktade mot barn kan studeras.