Adults in Play with Children

Niklas Pramling is a Professor of Education at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. He has a background in cultural studies, psychology and literature history, and a PhD in educational science. His dissertation addressed the use of metaphors in learning and knowledge building. His subsequent research has primarily consisted of studies of communication in early childhood education and care, in the contexts of playing, teaching, and narrating.

Cecilia Wallerstedt is a Professor of Education at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. She has a PhD in Arts Education and has studied children’s learning in music in varied contexts. Her research is mainly conducted in close collaboration with teachers and focuses on processes of teaching, interaction between children and adults, and play. She is leading a research project on children’s participation in narrative play and their perspectives on imagination.

Malin Nilsen is an Associate professor in Education at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. She has a background as a preschool teacher and a PhD in Child and Youth Studies. Her research is deeply rooted in the exploration of digital technologies within early childhood education, encompassing a broad spectrum of interests such as language and communication, multilingualism, early childhood literacy, and media and information literacy (MIL).

Ann Farrell is an Emeritus Professor in the School of Early Childhood and Inclusive Education, Queensland University of Technology, Australia. Earning a PhD from The University of Queensland in 1996, Ann was awarded an Honorary Doctor by Gothenburg University in 2012 for international leadership in early childhood research. Authoring more than 100 scholarly publications, her work focusses on children’s rights to provision, protection and participation. Ann was awarded the Barbara Creaser Memorial Award (2021) by Early Childhood Australia and served as board member of the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (2016 - 2022).