Doing space of participation in children’s peer relations in early childhood education

This study aimed to deepen understanding of the ‘doing space’ of child participation in early childhood education (ECE), focusing on peer relations. The theoretical framework draws on a relational approach; child participation is a space that emerges in everyday social, material and cultural relations and its action. The narrative research material was produced in one Finnish ECE centre over one week. A dialogical analysis was carried out. Small stories are used as evocative anecdotes to demonstrate the findings. The analysis reveals that the doing space of participation in children’s peer relations appears as continuously emerging in various verbal and embodied ways. The doing space occurs especially as a social space, where material and cultural relations intertwine. Additionally, the teacher appears to be crucial. Although children follow norms, they can challenge practices in ECE. The article contributes to ECE research by opening up new perspectives on child participation as a relational spatial phenomenon.