Participation in communities in ECEC expressed in child–educator interactions

The aim of this study is to contribute to knowledge about children’s opportunities to participate in early childhood education and care (ECEC) communities. The study focuses on the communication between educators and children in ECEC settings and how the communication forms condition children’s opportunities to participate in the community. The research questions are: What kind of communication patterns occur in educator and child interactions and how do these influence children’s opportunities to participate in the ECEC community? How can the communication patterns and the opportunities for participation in a community be understood from a lifeworld and a system perspective? Theoretically, the study is based on Habermas’s (1995) social philosophical perspective and the way he views the world from both a lifeworld and a system perspective. His concepts of communicative and strategic action guide the study in the purpose to identify and interpret communication patterns. The data consist of video observations of educators and children in everyday interactions in three Norwegian ECEC institutions. The analysis generated three main categories representing different communication patterns and participation opportunities in the community: (a) controlling communication – limited participation, (b) supportive communication – passive participation, and (c) co-operative communication – mutual participation. The findings show a priority in early childhood education on the individual child and a goal-oriented practice where the educator controls the communication and, by that, the children’s lifeworlds.