Next to the positive experience Nadine had at the second childcare site, the experiences of Stacey and Tom may have come closest to being described as participation in relation to a situated learning framework. Both Stacey and Tom talked about employees who taught them integral work–related activities in similar ways while at the grocery store. They first watched an employee perform the activity they were to learn. As they watched, the employee carefully described what he/she was doing and why. Then, Stacey and Tom were given the opportunity to try the activity under the employee's supervision. Finally, they were asked to perform the activity independently, but the employee remained available for questions or to help fix any errors.

In addition to this demonstration of participation elements, Stacey described how she felt accepted by the employees. When she joined them for morning break, she said she was able to contribute to the conversations they had about their children and even their pets. She was struck by what she learned about herself, and by the idea that she had more in common with the employees than she had ever imagined. She explained how nervous she felt the first day of her placement. "Oh my god. How am I going to do that? Maybe they hate me." She was surprised that the employees were so welcoming and supportive, and she felt comfortable enough to express her own ideas about what she'd like to learn. Stacey was one of the only students who talked about sharing breaks with the employees while on her placement.

I like the people. You never know them before and they [are] smiling, and say hi and talking [at] break–time. 'How are you doing?' I say fine. I like this job, you know. Sometimes another person tells the story too. Then I talk about [how] I came to Canada, and I don't know anything about English. Another lady said, 'Don't worry. My mom, she stay here all her life, and she never speak English.' She's Italian. We talk like that.

Humour also helped to create a positive placement experience for Stacey. She had an infectious giggle, and used it most often when she was nervous. The employees seemed to share Stacey's ability to laugh at mistakes, and seemed to use humour to help Stacey correct errors. She described an incident in which she was unable to use a pair of oven mitts that were too large for her.

I cannot put my hand inside. It's too long, you know. Then she said, 'Oh Stacey, your hand, where is your hand?' And I said, 'I don't have my hand. I can't reach the baking tray.' It's funny because…I learn a lot of things they show me to do. Sometimes it's nice to do something we don't know before, you know.