ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses on how participation has been recognised as an essential entitlement for children, especially in an education and care context. It especially points towards the argument around universalisation of the concept of participation through the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The concept of rights, and consequently children's participation, is therefore affected by the wider social norms to which children belong. Guided participation can easily be confused with socialisation which suggests that children can be trained and shaped through social culture, but this may suggest an element of control. The barrier to participation can be a lack of consistency and continuity between the home and education setting's culture and practices. In order to explore the attitudes and ideas that practitioners hold about children, it is effective to provide some training or workshops where practitioners can discuss how they feel in relation to children's behaviour and explore how their attitudes could affect the children in their care.
