Research project Children, sexuality and preschool
How children and the preschool's responsibility are constructed in contexts of sexuality, sex education, and integrity.
Previously, we have researched sexual abuse in preschools and specifically media reporting on sexual abuse, prevention, and preschool. We have also studied how preschool teacher students experience education on sexual abuse, as well as men's experiences of working in a preschool and of risking being suspected of being pedophiles.
Right now, we are particularly interested in the intersection of sex education, younger children, and preschool. What ideas exist about sex education and younger children? What language is used when discussing sexuality, children, and preschool?
Examples of research material are various types of media material and children's books. Analytically, we often start from critical discourse analysis (where we have also created an advanced-level course focusing on critical discourse analysis and debates about preschool). Critical discourse analysis provides us with tools to study how preschool is made into a projection surface for societal issues and challenges, but also how representatives of preschool act as agents contributing to shifting and changing what is possible to think about children, sexuality, and the preschool's responsibility.
Anna Westberg Broström (main supervisor), Helena Bergström (supervisor), and Anne-Li Lindgren (supervisor) jointly supervise doctoral student Magdalena Hulth, whose project is focused on sex education in preschool.