Discursive constructions in pre-school teacher education course literature on music

Changes in the education system might impact on how aesthetic activities are staged in preschool teacher education, where music constitutes one aspect. The academic discourse in preschool teacher education focuses on theory, reflection and text production. Consequently, the choice of course literature is becoming increasingly important. The focus of the present study was formed based on a lack of studies on course literature in music within a Swedish preschool teacher education context. More specifically, the aim is to study discursive constructions of music in prefaces to course literature in preschool teacher education. The study is based on a social constructionist perspective with a discourse analytical approach. The findings reveal four discourses: music in everyday life; preschool teachers as insufficiently knowledgeable and responsible; children as unproblematically generalized; and children as subjects with agency.