Cloakroom libraries, book bags and ‘being with books’: Materiality and affective practices in reading promotion activities for younger children in preschool

The aim of the project is to investigate how younger children´s affective and spatial book use is motivated and practiced in Swedish preschools.

The project contributes to a burgeoning field of research in emotional geographies of education and research about socio-material reading practices.

It also connects to a social debate about young people´s reduced reading habits and the importance of reading during early childhood years. The project is transdisciplinary, moving between educational science and child and youth science.

The researcher has experience, affiliations and connections in several disciplines: the educational science and child and youth research groups at University West, child and youth research groups at Stockholm University, and a literature research group at University of Borås.

The research will be performed in 2024 to 2027 at 60% of full time through fieldwork, including focus groups interviews, at three different preschools. The material will further consist of contemporary and historical publications.

The overall aim of the project is to contribute to the growing field of geographies of education, and to fill identified knowledge gaps regarding younger children´s affective use of books in preschool.

From an educational perspective, the project may contribute to an increased awareness about the status and placement of books in preschool. The results of the research will be compiled in six scientific articles for publication in international journals.