Drawing on a larger critical case study, the writer uses Wenger’s (1998) communities of practice framework to reflect on some examples of research practice that involved young children. In Wenger’s framework, the research context is viewed as a set of situated social practices that are continually being negotiated by all participants. Most of these practices contain implicit and unstated assumptions about the overall purposes and expectations of the research, thus providing participants with few resources for participating in collaborative ways. As young children move into the research context, they are confronted with new ways of doing things. Being more experienced, the early childhood researcher can make research practice more transparent and assist children to participate more effectively, as collaborators rather than as subjects.
