Children Participating and Developing Agency in and Across Various Social Practices

Abstract

This article addresses how situated studies of children’s participation and social interplay can contribute to theory on the development of children. The article focuses on children’s personal agency in relation to conducting an everyday life across different social practices. The everyday life of children in Nordic countries constitutes a situation where children live their life across societal institutions (such as the family, kindergarten, school, institutions for children’s leisure time) and together with children of the same age. This draws attention to the meaning of child communities in relation to children’s personal development. Children’s families and peer relations intermingle and make up meanings for each other and for the children’s development of agency. This approach gives a certain view on social problems in relation to children’s life. In particular, the article will discuss the situated significations of social conflicts around and for children. The empirical background is several research projects observing and interviewing children and their adults in their different developmental settings, such as their family, kindergartens, schools, institutions for children’s leisure time and special help arrangements.