The present study examines how teachers in school-age educare view their profession in terms of job tasks, work situation and their need for and attitude towards teaching assistants. The study was conducted in two steps. Firstly, 61 school-age educare teachers answered an online survey. Based on the results of the survey, eight fictitious employment advertisements were constructed with different job descriptions. During a staff development day, 44 school-age educare teachers prioritized the various announcements based on their needs for an additional resource. The priorities were then discussed in seminar form. The results show that there is large variation in all the tasks performed within the framework of the school-age educare teachers’ professional practice, which is discussed here from a professional theoretical perspective. The profession’s area of responsibility is extensive, ranging from certified teaching duties to simple practical tasks that are often time-consuming. The work is, therefore, often experienced as stressful and fragmented. Clearly, there are different directions of will regarding the professional development and positioning. From the data, three types of school-age educare teachers emerged; common to these types is that the task as a substitute in the school is not desirable.

Studien syftar till att skapa kunskap om relationella aspekter i lärares beskrivningar av fritidspedagogisk undervisning. Med stöd av begreppet pedagogisk takt synliggörs de mellanmänskliga aspekter som framträder i beskrivningarna av det pedagogiska mötet och samspelet mellan lärare och elever. Det empiriska materialet består av individuellt skrivna reflektioner där lärarna beskriver sin undervisning utifrån de didaktiska frågorna när, var, hur och vad. Utifrån en kvalitativ innehållsanalys framträder tre teman som illustrerar lärarnas pedagogiska takt i den fritidspedagogiska undervisningen; Att föra och leda undervisning, Att följa och fånga undervisning och Att ta gemensamt ansvar i undervisningen. Studien visar att pedagogisk takt är situationsbunden och omedelbar och skapar olika undervisningssituationer. Beskrivningarna illustrerar hur läraren väljer att stanna upp och bemöta eleven eller ignorera det som sker i det gemensamma mötet. När den pedagogiska blicken är framåtriktad och öppen för elevernas och undervisningens överraskningar beskrivs den fritidspedagogiska undervisningen te sig som en välregisserad dans där lärare och elever växelvis för och följer och där ett gemensamt ansvar tas genom de inblandades öppenhet och tillit.

This exploratory research focus on teaching and learning on the basis of Swedish leisure-time teachers with more than thirty years of experience. The purpose of this research was to bring to light the role of the Leisure time teachers, both in the past up to the present day and into the future. Based on important concepts for professional development, the qualities decisive for a long and sustainable career as a leisure-time teacher are sought. In interviews ten leisure-time teachers describe their professional careers on the following question areas: teachers, children, parents, leisure-time centers and mission. The outcomes are discussed in relation to the professional concepts of knowledge, autonomy, responsibility, collegial decision-making, confidence and trust, closing off and professional development. The results show that there are a number of success factors for why the interviewees stayed in a profession that has undergone and is subject to significant changes. Children, challenges, leisure-time pedagogy, flexibility and teamwork are considered to be important qualities. One factor that in certain cases meant that one did not change profession is that there are no clear career paths within the profession. Change that has occurred regarding the focus of the work is perceived mainly as positive. Leisure-time teachers emphasize that the collaboration with the school has resulted in greater confidence in their own mission and competence. From this research some critical research areas are revealed, such as, children’s possible perceptions of learning requirements at the leisure-time center. Key words: leisure-time center, leisure-time pedagogy, professional development, leisure-time teacher.

This research scrutinises the question whether an education profile with development-oriented thesis projects in teacher education programs can provide an increased professional relevance without losing scientific quality. The methodology used in the survey can be defined as a participatory approach in which field work, document studies and interviews form the basis for data collection. The suggested activities that students used were development-oriented methods. Before the project's implementation, instructional texts and supplementary examination criteria were written with a view to guaranteeing scientific excellence, with the main aim of improving professional relevance. The results show that the course tutor initially had some trouble communicating disposition and structure, which meant that some of the students at first had doubts. Despite this, the summary assessment is that the development-oriented approach implemented with scientific quality enhanced the students` readiness for future professions. Keywords: education, action research, teacher training, thesis projects.