Exploring children's and adults' joint appropriation of children's books through the concept of playworld

Abstract

Research into the role of literature in the Nordic classroom has shown that literary texts are predominantly seen as a tool for the developing of literacy skills and often focus on the structural components of the text itself. This often leads to the equally important creative and playful aspects being sidelined. Addressing this imbalance, the present article argues in favour of creating opportunities for young learners to take more agency and promote creative dialogue and playful expression in classroom reading practices through the framework of playworld (Swedish: lekvärlden) (Lindqvist, 1992, 1996). Specifically, this article attempts to answer the following questions: (1) how can oral and written interaction based on the reading of a children's book be understood in terms of playworld; and (2) in what ways can the concept of playworld enrich the understanding of students' and teachers' engagement with children's books? The findings are based on a classroom study of a Swedish Grade 4 students, focusing on discussions and activities related to the reading aloud of Wegelius's The Legend of Sally Jones. The results of this study have enabled us to shift from the dominant focus on individual readers and readings to the dialogic interplay in playworld between the children and the adult/teachers who creatively reworked and expanded upon the text. The concept of playworld is employed as a tool to empower both teachers' and students' creative engagement with literary texts in a way that builds on a collective imagination.