This study examines how ostracism takes shape in the everyday life of toddlers (children under three years old) in ECEC settings, focusing on how moments of exclusion are produced and what forms they take. Ostracism typically refers to being ignored or excluded, whether intentionally or unintentionally, often without explanation or overt negative reactions (Williams, 2007; 2001). It´s commonly understood as a process in which person experiences a series of reactions that unfold over time as they are overlooked and left out (Williams, 2007). Ostracism is common, affects all age groups, and has serious consequences for individuals affected by it (Lei Y et al., 2024; Timeo et al., 2019). Previous research shows that ostracism is detrimental to self-esteem, well-being, and fulfilment of basic needs, leading to experiences of loneliness and exclusion (Williams, 2001). The study is guided by the following research question: What kinds of sociomaterial elements produce situations of not-noticing in the everyday life of toddlers in ECEC?

Ostracism has been studied through the experiences of people of different ages and using a variety of methods, such as surveys, self-assessments, and interviews, particularly among adults and young people. Despite its relevance, research on the mechanisms of ostracism remains limited (see Kiuru et al., 2024), and studies focusing on children under the age of three in ECEC settings are especially scarce. For example, study by Woodward and colleagues (2023) shows that children aged 4-6 negatively evaluate peers who excluded others and are less willing to engage with them. Zheng and colleagues (2024) study demonstrated that threats to basic psychological needs due to ostracism begin to emerge around ages 8-10, while mood-related effects are observable as early as 6-8-years. Notably, even a brief re-inclusion was shown to mitigate these negative effects. Quadrelli and colleagues (2023) on the other hand studied the reactions of one-year-old babies to ostracism and suggest that even very young children may be sensitive to ostracism. Although previous studies highlight the developmental relevance of ostracism, they have paid less attention to how exclusion manifests in everyday life in ECEC settings, particularly among toddlers.

In research literature, the phenomenon at the center of this study is typically described through the concepts of ostracism in social psychology and exclusion in sociology and psychology. In this study, the term exclusion is used to refer to these earlier conceptualizations, specifically as a situational phenomenon. Furthermore, the sociomaterial approach made visible an additional form of exclusion, which is in this study conceptualized as not-noticing. Sociomaterial theory (DeLanda, 2016; Orlikowski, 2007) makes it possible to examine this perspective that has received limited attention in previous studies - how spaces, people, institutional practices in ECEC, material arrangements, and on the other hand toddler´s typical ways of communicating nonverbally may together produce situations of exclusion. So, this study aims to address that gap by examining how exclusion is situationally produced through temporary arrangements of people, spaces, objects, and practices (see Suchman, 2007), including institutional responsibilities and obligations and rules that shape participation and exclusion in those everyday situations (Paananen & Grieshaber 2024). In other words, the premise of this study is that exclusion is not only socially produced; it emerges in entanglement with the material environment.

By focusing on children under three years of age, that has received little attention in previous ostracism research, this study contributes to understanding how exclusion may affect individuals already in early childhood. It also highlights how ECEC across Europe could ensure and support children´s equal opportunities to be heard and seen. This perspective is crucial for ongoing European and international efforts to strengthen equitable ECEC.

The focus on the manifestations of ostracism and the sociomaterial approach calls for an ethnographic research design (see Paananen & Grieshaber, 2024). Ethnography is typically understood as studying people in their everyday settings, requiring researchers to enter the field to document life as it naturally unfolds (Fetterman, 2020). For this study, an ethnographic approach is particularly suitable, because toddlers’ initiatives and interaction differ from older children´s communication: they are typically expressed through gestures, gazes, bodily movements, voices and engagements with materials (Caselli et al., 2012; Johansson, 2011). Such ways of initiating and participating in activities and interaction can be more easily overlooked in methods that rely on verbal data. In this study, I follow the principles of focused ethnography. Focused ethnography means ethnography to study specific aspects of a culture or social phenomenon within a shorter time frame and often with more targeted objectives (Knoblauch, 2005; Stahlke Wall, 2014). In this case, the data production lasted for 8 days in May 2024, spread evenly over the month. Observation took 2-3 hours at a time, usually in the mornings between 8am-11 am. Focused ethnography was well suited as the researcher was already familiar with the context and had at the beginning of the ethnographic field work focused objectives on what to observe. During the ethnographic fieldwork, special attention was paid to children's initiatives and responses, and non-responses to them, including situations where a child's initiative was ignored. The data which was produced during the fieldwork consisted of handwritten notes during the observed situations and a fieldwork diary. Ethnographic observation makes it possible to access these situational moments and to trace how sociomaterial arrangements in toddlers´everyday life in ECEC shape their possibilities for being noticed or unnoticed. By being present in the everyday contexts, the researcher can attend to these subtle, situational, and often nonverbally constructed moments in which exclusion may emerge.

The analysis focused on situations in which toddlers remained unnoticed in everyday life in ECEC. Across the observation data, moments of exclusion were identified where toddler’s initiative was overlooked by an adult or a peer. These situations were examined inductively and later through a sociomaterial lens, attending to the material, spatial, relational and institutional practices that shaped each moment. This study reveals and exemplifies a form of exclusion that is less discussed in current research literature: situations of not-noticing. This term captures the momentary and unintentional nature of exclusion, emerging particularly in relation to adult action. Rather than reflecting intentional exclusion, not-noticing appears as a situationally produced phenomenon that arises when professionals navigate multiple competing demands and must make rapid decisions about where to direct their attention, while peers may also be engaged elsewhere. Findings indicate that these moments are situationally dense, with multiple events occurring simultaneously and attention of educators is pulled in multiple directions. In such situations, several expectations may intersect, for example, expectations related to agreed arrangements and practices, engaging in interaction or fulfilling responsibilities. Toddlers’ initiatives often appear brief, embodied, and nonverbal, which further heightens the likelihood of remaining unnoticed in these dense situations. The analysis proceeded by examining how these situations are sociomaterially dense, highlighting three contributing themes: Safety, temporality and rhythm. Safety refers to institutional guidelines, responsibilities, and risk-management demands that steer attention toward monitoring the environment and potential hazards. Temporality refers to adult´s focus on tasks perceived as important for the future, such as pedagogical documentation. Rhythm captures situations in which toddler´s initiatives do not align with the institutional or groups routines. Moments of not-noticing most often occurred in unguided or less structured situations. These findings highlight the need to understand exclusion as a sociomaterial accomplishment shaped by the density of everyday practices.

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