Barns vardag är på många sätt mångfacetterad, inte minst när det gäller konstruktioner av kön. I artikeln studeras konstruktioner av kön i termer av hur barns gränsöverskridande agerande framträder lokalt i en förskoleklass i Sverige.

ABSTRACT: The paper aims to discuss gender constructions, as they emerge in interaction at the micro level (Stokoe, 2000) in children’s verbal and bodily interactions. (Goodwin, 2000a, 2000b; ten Have, 2005; Schegloff, 1996). Within gender research there is still a lack of studies that discuss the importance of non-verbal actions, why I also want to highlight this. Theoretically the paper takes its point of departure on gender constructions as they occur in interaction. Depending of context, gender appears in various ways and changes over time (Connell, 2002; Skeggs, 2007; Thorne, 2005). Gender relations may consist of different patterns and thereby include different sorts of dichotomies and hierarchies between and within the sexes (Connell, 2006/2002; Thorne, 2005). In the analysis the theoretical understanding of the body is of importance. Bodies are not merely objects in social practises; they are also agents (Connell, 2002). According to Goodwin (2006), talking and gesticulating are different sign systems that function as different communicative recourses and the two sign systems are linked together and organised in order to create actions. Verbal and non-verbal actions create different kind of resources that are of importance of human’s interaction. Depending of context and activity the language and body have different meanings and impact. Our actions have to be understand as ongoing processes, during the time things are happening new things that are said or done become relevant while others become less important (Goodwin, 2000b). The analysis takes its starting point from conversation analysis (CA) where two separate video recordings, one from a preschool and one from a school class in the first grade, are analysed. The children in the preschool are attending their last year in preschool and are five years old and the children in the first grade are seven years of age. The data under investigation from the preschool is a single video sequence where a group of children are playing a ring game based on the fairy tale the Sleeping Beauty together with their preschool teacher. During the ring game different kind of verbal and non-verbal actions are expressed in terms of gender constructions. The analysis of the video sequence from the first grade focus on the verbal and non-verbal actions between two boys while they are lying on the floor. Over all the analysis shows that children’s verbal and non-verbal actions are important recourses of how gender is expressed. Depending of context this is expressed differently and cause different kind of reactions in terms of gender.

Artikeln visar på hur ordning och reda är en del i hur kön konstrueras i interaktion mellan barn och pedagoger i två förskoleklasser.

Sub-teachers are well-known phenomenon in gender research and described in several studies. In this article I argue that what is defined as sub-teachers in previous research include different functions and meanings in relation to gender constructions. The empirical data presented in the article is based on ethnographic fieldwork carried out in a preschool class. In the article I will highlight what is defined as ‘sub-teachers’ and ‘shock absorbers’ in the study. A sub-teacher is defined as a child who helps the teacher with traditional teacher tasks in the preschool class. Both girls and boys are doing this kind of duty, which differs from previous research, where this responsibility has been found almost exclusively reserved to girls. One way of creating silence in the preschool class is to place a girl or an adult next to noisy boys, which is defined as shock absorbers in the study. In the article I discuss whether these kinds of duties are expressions of possible ‘cracks in the wall’ or stable gender patterns in the preschool class.

The paper is based on work conducted in my dissertation that aims to explore gender constructions in preschool, preschool class and the first grade. In the analysis, gender constructions as they appear in children’s interactions and between children and adults are explored. Barrie Throne’s (1993) concepts borderwork and crossing are of theoretical importance in the study. The dissertation consists of two studies based on different sorts of empirical data. In the first study, video recordings from the FISK project [The Preschool and School in Collaboration Project] are re-analysed. The analysis takes its starting point from conversation analysis (CA). The second study consists of data collected from a separate fieldwork carried out in a preschool class, for which I have been personally responsible. On the whole, the analysis shows that borderwork situations are more frequent than border crossing. Gender boundaries were strengthened by the way the teachers interacted with the children. Also the children were part in this as for how they reacted to behaviour that was considered inappropriate. Especially boys experienced this, but what differs from previous research is that boys more frequently challenged gender boundaries. The recurring borderwork situations raise questions about equality in preschool, preschool class and school.

The results presented in the paper have arisen from an ongoing PhD project on Gender and Identity started in 2005 and will be finished in 2010. Taking gender theories (Connell, 2003, 2008; Thorne, 1993) as a point of departure the overall aim of the dissertation is to explore constructions of gender in preschool, preschool-classes and grade one. In the analysis constructions of gender as they appear in children’s interactions and in children’s and adults’ interactions will be explored. Of particular focus are crossing and borderwork (see Thorne, 1993). The empirical basis of the dissertation consists of two different kinds of empirical data presented in two studies. In the first study video recordings from the Preschool and School in Collaboration project [FISK – projektet] are re-analysed. The analysis takes its starting point from conversation analysis (CA) and for the first time the video recordings are analysed from a gender theoretical perspective. The second study follows the ethnographical tradition and consists of data collected from a separate fieldwork, mainly observations, carried out in a preschool-class. In Nordic (Swedish) research there are a relative lack of research concerning preschool classes, which is why a preschool-class where chosen for the second study. In the analysis of the data three overall themes of particular interest in terms of gender have been identified: order and discipline, gendered categorizations and body and intimacy. The results both show situations where gender is less distinct and situations where borderwork are expressed. Previous gender research shows that it is often harder for boys than girls to cross gender boundaries. My results, however, indicates that boys more frequently challenge stereotypical norms and act in ways that normally not are expected for boys. On the other hand other children quite often question this kind of behaviour and gender boundaries maintain.