Abstract:
This paper discusses insights arising from my doctoral study in a New Zealand early
childhood setting. I was interested in how young children learn to be part of the group.
Using a socio-cultural framework, I carried out a qualitative case study to investigate the
enculturation of young children into a group care setting. The field work comprised two
phases of data collection over a total period of six months. The first phase involved
observations of one child for two weeks in the centre and for a briefer time in his home.
The second phase focused on children's and teachers' collective participation in cultural
events and was carried out over four months. The particular event that I studied was
shared mealtimes in the childcare centre. My observations also included teachers
preparing children for meal and rest times.
