Langvarig, dyp og kompleks dramatisk lek i barnehagen- er det mulig? Et vitenskapelig essay

Abstract

How can kindergartens create good conditions for flow experiences in dramatic play? This essay is based on fieldwork as a part of the master’s project When fiction meets the institution (Nordbø, 2021). The background is an investigation into what affects five-year-olds’ opportunities to experience flow in dramatic play in kindergarten. I look at how flow occurs in play and how flow is affected by the surroundings. The theoretical framework to understand the forces of influence on play includes Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of flow (2014) and Gadamer’s philosophizing considerations about the nature of play (1960/2012). The kindergartens framework plan (2017) provides some working methods for the kindergarten staff’s participation in play. Two play observations are analyzed to gain an insight in the flow experience in play and the influence of the frame factors, from the child’s perspective. The observations are examined by analyzing internal influencing forces such as the flow of improvisation and external influencing forces such as battles about space and props and various disturbances, as well as the staff’s involvement.