Mid Sweden University

Swedish School-age Educare Centers [SAECs] are predominantly integrated within primary schools, andstudies have highlighted problems related to the physical learning environment. This study aims toinvestigate, analyze, and explain how the indoor physical learning environment constitutes opportunitiesand constraints from the pupils’ perspectives. The study was conducted through walk and talk conversationswith pupils in four SAECs. The pupils’ descriptions were analyzed using a reflexive thematic analysis andinterpreted through the theoretical frameworks of Sociology of Childhood, structuration theory andpsychological ownership theory. The results show that the physical learning environment is a complexinterplay between people and the physical, social, and organizational environment. Four themes, containinga duality of possibilities and constraints, were identified: variety and diversity; privacy protected places;premises and organization; and well-being and belonging. These themes relate to educational aspects, suchas students’ agency, creativity, play, socialization, recovery, participation and sense of ownership. The studyconcludes that the design of the physical environment should not be too complex, as structural conditionslimit the pupils’ freedom and agency. The findings underscore the importance of creating spaces thatpromote both independence and belonging for students.

The field of ‘Extended Education’ is increasing globally due to that many countries acknowledge the need for supervision, care and educational support for children, in addition to the regular education system. Swedish School-age Educare [SAE] is an optional part of the school system, regulated by the Education Act (SFS 2010:800) and curriculum (SNAE, 2022). SAE includes 4,380 facilities, a majority of them municipally operated, but 16.0% are privately run, serving 480,000 children, aged 6–12 (Skolverket, 2022). In the last decades, the focus of SAE has shifted from social-pedagogical to educational-scientific, emphasizing teaching, academic skills, and integration within schools. Studies have highlighted unequal conditions and varied educational opportunities in the SAEC spaces (Grewell & Boström, 2020; Lager, 2020), but there is limited of research in the area. This is the overall study of a consolidation thesis, which aims to understand, illuminate and contextualize the physical learning environment of four SAE centres, in order to understand its significance for teaching and pedagogical practice. The aim is framed by two research questions:

1) What possibilities and constraints in the physical learning environment can be identified from the perspective of pupils and staff?

2) How can these possibilities and constraints be understood based on structuration theory (Giddens, 1984), childhood sociology (Corsaro, 2018) and the theory of psychological ownership (Pierce & Brown, 2020)?

The results show that physical resources such as premises and interiors, in combination with organizational, social and psychological aspects, have a major impact on how teaching and pedagogical practice are shaped. The integration of theories has provided a deeper understanding of how the learning environment affects social relations, the individual's sense of control, participation, and identity development.

The relevance of this study is that it can contribute with children´s and staffs’ perspectives to the research area, as well as raising important areas for future research. The study will be of relevance architects, researchers, politicians, officials, teachers and parents.

References

Corsaro, W. A. (2018). The sociology of childhood. SAGE. 

Education, S. N. A. f. (SNAE, 2022). Curriculum for compulsory school, preschool class and after-school care: Lgr22. https://www.skolverket.se/publikationer?id=13128 

Giddens, A. (1984). The constitution of society: outline of the theory of structuration. Polity Press. 

Grewell, C., & Boström, L. (2020). Fritidshemmets lokaler och materiella resurser i relation till verksamhetens kvalitet. In SOU 220:34 Utredningen om fritidshem och pedagogisk omsorg (pp. 493-516). Statens offentliga utredningar. https://www.regeringen.se/rattsliga-dokument/statens-offentliga-utredningar/2020/06/sou-202034/ 

Lager, K. (2020). Possibilities and Impossibilities for Everyday Life: Institutional Spaces in School-Age Educare. International Journal for Research on Extended Education, 8(1), 22-35. https://doi.org/10.3224/ijree.v8i1.03 

Pierce, J. L., & Brown, G. (2020). Psychological Ownership and the Physical Environment in Organisations. In O. B. Ayoko & N. M. Ashkanasy (Eds.), Organizational behaviour and the physical environment (pp. 67-95). Routledge. 

SFS 2010:800. Skollag. Utbildningsdepartementet. https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-och-lagar/dokument/svensk-forfattningssamling/skollag-2010800_sfs-2010-800/ 

Skolverket. (2022). Elever och personal i fritidshem: Läsåret 2021/22. Skolverket. http://www.skolverket.se/publikationer 

The curriculum states that Swedish school-age educare (SAEC) should offer students a meaningful leisure time and stimulate their development and learning through SAEC teaching, which is defined as a combination of care, development, and learning. In recent decades SAEC has relocated from a social to an educational arena with a different governance, teacher qualifications, terminology, physical location, and integration within schools (Boström & Augustsson, 2016). Studies have highlighted problems related to the conditions of the physical learning environment (Boström & Augustsson, 2016; Lager, 2020), although the empirical research in this field is limited. The aim of this study is therefore to investigate how the physical learning environment, from a staff perspective, enables or limits teaching in four SAEC centers. This is important, in that according to Harms et al. (2014), pedagogical quality in extended educational settings arises in interaction between features that include physical, organizational, and social aspects. The study concludes that regionalization, dimensioning, layout of the premises, and organizational aspects, together with the staff’s psychological ownership and/or subordination, have a clear impact on the nature and quality of teaching, the staff’s opportunities to develop their teaching, and the students’ possible choices and activities.

Denna avhandling presenterar en undersökning av hur den fysiska lärmiljön i svenska fritidshem formar elevers och personals möjligheter till delaktighet, inflytande och autonomi, samt belyser dess pedagogiska implikationer. Genom en metasyntes av tre studier, baserade på intervjuer och observationer i fyra fritidshem, utforskar avhandlingen samspelet mellan individuella aspekter och rumsliga, materiella och organisatoriska faktorer i den pedagogiska praktiken. Studien integrerar tre teoretiska modeller: struktureringsteori (Giddens, 1984), teorin om psykologiskt ägarskap (Pierce et al., 2001) och barndomssociologi (James et al., 1998), för att belysa hur struktur, ägarskap och agens samspelar i fritidshemmets kontext. Resultaten betonar den fysiska lärmiljöns betydelse som verktyg för att stärka elevers trygghet, självständighet, delaktighet och inflytande samt personalens flexibilitet och professionella autonomi. En central insikt är att stabila lokalförhållanden, men med anpassningsbara och flexibla rum ger elever och personal möjlighet att skapa lärmiljön tillsammans, vilket främjar ägarskap och stärker engagemang. Studien problematiserar balansen mellan trygghet och autonomi och menar att stabilitet bör utgöra grunden i fysiska och organisatoriska strukturer, för att ge förutsättningar för handlingsutrymme genom relationella dynamiker i den vardagliga praktiken. Avhandlingen bidrar med kunskap och vägledning för pedagoger, skolledare och beslutsfattare samt stärker den akademiska diskussionen genom en integrerad teoretisk modell och en strävan att förena empiriska insikter med teoretisk analys och praktisk tillämpning.

This thesis presents a study of how the physical learning environment in Swedish School-age Educare Centers (SAECs) shapes students' and staff's opportunities for participation, influence and autonomy, and highlights its pedagogical implications. Through a metasynthesis of three studies, based on interviews and observations in four SAECs, the thesis explores the interplay between individual, spatial, material and organizational factors in pedagogical practice. The study integrates three theoretical models: structuration theory (Giddens, 1984), psychological ownership theory (Pierce et al., 2001) and sociology of childhood (James et al., 1998). The results emphasize the importance of the physical learning environment as a tool for strengthening students' safety, independence, participation and influence, as well as staff flexibility and professional autonomy. A central insight is that stable conditions regarding staff and premises, including adaptable and flexible spaces, give students gives opportunity to be participate in the creation of the learning environment. which promotes ownership and strengthens commitment. The thesis problematizes the balance between security and autonomy and argues that stability should be the basis of physical and organizational structures, to provide conditions for agency through relational dynamics in everyday practice. The thesis contributes with knowledge and guidance for educators, school leaders and policy makers and strengthens the academic discussion through an integrated theoretical model and an effort to combine empirical insights with theoretical analysis and practical application.

About half a million children in Sweden, aged 6-12 years, attend School-Age Educate Centres [SAECs] before and after school and the SAEC settings are often integrated within the school itself. The aim of this study is to describe, interpret and problematize how the premises enables or limits teaching activities in the SAEC:s. Previous research has reported shortcomings in the physical learning environment in SAECs (Lager, 2020) which also has been confirmed by a governmental report (Sverige, 2020). The study is motivated by the lack of research within the area of physical learning environments in Extended Education.

The study investigates aspects related to the premises that enables and/or limits teaching activities in the SAEC:s. The research questions are:

What, in SAEC's premises, enables and limits teaching activities from the perspective of the staff and from the perspective of the students?

What rules and resources are used by the staff and how are they used to enable staffs teaching and students’ activities?

The theoretical framework is based on the theory of structuration (Giddens, 1984) which is used to describe and analyze, how actions, through structures, produce and reproduce the social system in the SAEC. Data was collected through fieldwork at four SAECs. The fieldwork included walk-and-talk conversations (Klerfelt & Haglund, 2014), interviews and field notes with the children and the staff. Data was thematized through a Codebook Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2019).

The results are described through themes and subthemes that highlights aspects of the premises that limits and/or enables students’ activities and staffs teaching. The main focus are concerning dimensioning, connection and floor planning, of the premises. Expected results are to gain insight into how staff and students reason about the premises.

The relevance of this study is that it can contribute with children’s and staffs’ perspectives to the research area, as well as raising important areas for future research. The study will be of relevance for actors such as architects, researchers, politicians, officials, teachers and parents.

The aim of this study is to describe, interpret and problematize children’s perspectives in relation to premises and material resources in Swedish School-Age Educate Centres [SAECs]. The SAEC settings are often integrated within the school itself. Previous research has reported shortcomings in the physical learning environment in SAECs (Boström & Augustsson, 2016) which also has been confirmed by the School Inspectorate's reviews (Skolinspektionen, 2010, 2012, 2018)

The study answers the question of how the students in four Swedish SAECs describe indoor premises and material conditions and in what way they provide for activities in SAECs. The theoretical framework of the study is based on sociology of childhood (Corsaro, 2018) and learning environments in SAECs (Harms, Vineberg Jacobs, & Romano, 2014).

Data was collected through walk-and-talk conversations (Haudrup Christensen 2004) with the children on the SAEC premises. The data was analyzed using inductive content analysis (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005). The results are described through themes regarding the physical learning environments and the possibilities and challenges children depict in the settings, i.e. space and equipment, noise levels, structuralization and possibilities for influence and participation. The result also shows that the method, walk-and-talk conversations and children’s perspectives have a strong potential to contribute by making children’s voices heard with the aim of helping to develop both the physical learning environment and social practices in SAECs. The relevance of this study is that it can contribute with children’s perspectives of the research area, as well as raising important areas for future research.

Fritidshemmens miljöer har under en lång tid kännetecknats av stora variationer, ojämlika förutsättningar och bristande funktionalitet enligt forskning och rapporter. Kunskap om fritidshemmens lokaler och materiella miljö och dess relationer till verksamhetens kvalitet, är av avgörande betydelse för att kunna bedöma vilka förutsättningar som krävs för att kunna fullgöra uppdraget att erbjuda en likvärdig och kvalitativ verksamhet. Syftet med denna studie är därför att beskriva, tolka och analysera forskning om lokaler och materiella resurser i relation till verksamhetens kvalitet i fritidshem. Studien karaktäriseras av en integrativ och systematisk forskningsbaserad litteraturöversikt som kombinerar resultat från olika forskningstraditioner, inklusive kvalitativa och kvantitativa studier. Studiens resultat presenteras i två huvudteman: Fysisk lärmiljö i fritidshem och Kvalitetsaspekter i relation till fysisk lärmiljö i fritidshem. De övergripande slutsaserna är att underdimensionering av lokaler och brister i funktionalitet påverkar fritidshemsverksamhetens kvalitet negativt på flera olika sätt. Konsekvenserna omfattar bland annat trängsel och höga ljusnivåer, en hårdare strukturering av verksamheten, en ökad styrning av eleverna samt begränsningar i den fritidshemsdidaktiska förutsättningarna. Det faktum att ojämlika förhållanden mellan olika fritidshems konstaterats under en lång tid tyder på att huvudmännen kan behöva tydligare riktlinjer för utformning och funktionalitet av fritidshemmens lokaler.

The aim of this research review is to describe, interpret and problematize existing research in the field of quality in School-Age Educare Centres [SAECs]. More specifically, the study looks into what previous research reports about how centre premises and physical/material learning environment affect and correlate with quality in SAECs. Another aim of the study is to identify possible didactic consequences and implications as well as areas for further research.

The study is motivated by the discrepancy between the recent formalization of the status of SAECs and the enhanced expectations for students’ learning in SAECs which this formulation entailed, and  reported shortcomings in the physical learning environment in SAECs (Boström, Hörnell, & Frykland, 2015; Skolinspektionen, 2010, 2018). This discrepancy makes it important to investigate and describe what the physical learning environment in SAECs means in terms of quality within the setting. 

The design of the study is an integrative and systematic literature review [SLR] (Polit & Beck , 2008) which is analyzed with a qualitative content analysis (Russell, 2005). The database search gave 203 findings, from which 54 sources were analyzed and categorized in terms of; content, research methods and theoretical perspectives. Trends and topics in the field where identified, analyzed and problematized.

The results of the study are shown as three major themes: Physical learning environments in SAECs, Quality in relation to physical learning environments in SAECs and Didactics in relation to the physical learning environment in SAECs. The study showed that there is support for the notion that the physical learning environments are of importance for the quality outcomes in the SAECs. The results also show examples of how the physical learning environment might support, as well as limit, pedagogical processes in SAECS. The study revealed a knowledge gap within the research field, both in general, but also specifically from the student perspective. The study raises some questions as to whether the existing SAECs’ premises and physical environment support teaching and learning processes as they are described in the governing documents. 

The relevance of this study to Nordic Educational Research is that it can contribute with an overview of the research area from an educational and didactic perspective, as well as raise important areas for future research. The study will be of especial relevance for other actors such as politicians, officials, teachers and parents. 

Keywords: Extended Education, School-Age Educare, Learning Environment, Systematic Literature Review, Didactics

References

Boström, Lena, Hörnell, Assar, & Frykland, Marie. (2015). Learning Environments at Leisure-time Centres in Sweden : A Comprehensive Survey of Staff Perceptions. International Journal for Research on Extended Education, 3(1), 5-18. 

Russell, Cynthia L. (2005). An Overview of the Integrative Research Review. Progress in Transplantation, 15(1), 8-13. doi:10.1177/152692480501500102

Skolinspektionen. (2010). Kvalitet i fritidshem. Stockholm: Skolinspektionen.

Skolinspektionen. (2018). Undervisning i fritidshemmet. Stockholm: Skolinspektionen.