Transition Between Swedish Preschool and Preschool Class: A Question About Interweaving Care and Knowledge

This study highlights teachers’ experiences with transition from Swedish preschool to preschool class, i.e. from the daycare centre to the formal school. One assumption was that transition activities, to favour continuity in the long-term, need to focus on children’s learning within the target areas that the policy documents specify for preschool. Empirical data were collected through a combination of a questionnaire and interviews. The study shows that transition activities occur between institutions. These are in place to allow for a safe transition for children rather than to allow for continuous and long-term learning in the target areas in the curriculum. Care for children and beliefs about the types of school activities have an impact on the activities and standpoints in the transition processes. Professional assessment of children’s learning and the need for greater consensus within various types of schools in terms of the learning of the individual child in different fields are discussed.