The gendered encounter Interaction between toddlers and preschool teachers in a gender perspective In studies concerning the youngest children, the so-called toddlers, the gender perspective is often missing. My interest is, therefore, to study if and how the gender construction in the interaction between children and preschool teachers in day care centres is visible. The domain of interaction I have chosen to focus upon is mainly the intersubjective one, where reciprocity and affect are of great importance. In this observation part of the study, the theoretical ground is psychodynamic and the main theorist is the American researcher Daniel Stern (Stern, 1991). Although his theory is based on observations of interaction between mothers and infants it seems possible to apply his categories of development in day care centres as well. As Stern does not have a gender perspective, I have chosen to treat those categories from a gender construction perspective. (Walkerdine, 1989). How does reciprocity and affective tone emerge in the interaction between the female preschool teachers and the children from a gender perspective? Does this interaction appear differently in different contexts? Do the children seem to play a role in this gender construction? are some of the research questions of this study.