The aim of the study was to explore the democratic mission of the preschool as expressed in the preschool teachers’ talk. The goal was to acquire new knowledge about how the democratic mission is carried out in preschool practice. Focus group interviews were conducted during April. The interviews were conducted at two different preschools with three educated preschool teachers present at each interview and local documents, for example work plans and evaluations, were analyzed on the basis of our analytical concepts of learning, through and for democracy and the theoretical concepts thick and thin based on previous research. The concepts learned about, by and through can be seen as three different strategies for creating a learning in democracy. Learn about, as the application of factual knowledge. Learn through, staying in and practicing democracy and learning for, to develop desired qualities for living, practicing and functioning democratically.
Our results show that preschool teachers have a pre-understanding of the concept of democracy and how the democracy mission should be taught in preschool. Thick democracy is what is primarily taught in preschools today, where you can clearly categorize the concepts about, through and for democracy.