A pathway to enhancing professionalism: Building a bridge between TAFE and university early childhood qualifications

Abstract

IT HAS BEEN ARguED that a key strategy to improve developmental and educational outcomes for young children is to increase the number of childcare staff with early childhood university degrees (Saracho & Spodek, 2007). In order to upgrade the qualifications of staff, a number of Australian universities provide pathways that enable graduates of early childhood diploma programs to complete a degree. Several impediments, including institutional structures and individual contextual and personal factors, may affect these pathways. Although a range of organisations offer diploma programs, TAFE (Tertiary and Further Education) is a major provider. The aim of the present study was to investigate student transition between early childhood programs in TAFE and university. The research drew on several data sources, including a survey of the perceptions of students at various points of undertaking the transition. The current credit arrangement for TAFE Diploma graduates was found to be satisfactory; however, gaps were identified between the TAFE and university teaching and learning arrangements with regard to curriculum structures, teaching styles and assessment. Graduates of both programs considered that the completion of both awards would have a positive effect on their careers.

Problematic placement: pathways pre-service teachers’ perspectives on their infant/toddler placement

“…The study used a mixed-method approach to investigate student teachers' perspectives on their infant-toddler practicum (Whitington, Ebbeck, Diamond and Yin 2009). A survey questionnaire was used, consisting of single-choice and scaled retrospective questions related to a range of interrelated elements.…”

“…To maximize the response rate of participants a multi-mode approach to data collection was used, with paper-based and online versions of the survey (Whitington et al 2009). Announcements were made in class and online, inviting interested students to complete the survey in the following week.…”

Beyond professionalism: Classed and gendered capital in childcare work

“…This research took place within the context of a widespread promotion of the need for professional standing for those working in early childhood, during the last 25 years, by researchers and policymakers within countries with well-established early childhood systems (Chalke, 2013; Cooke and Lawton, 2008; Culkin, 1999; Dalli and Urban, 2010; Douglass and Gittell, 2012; Lyons, 2012; Stonehouse, 1989; Whitington et al, 2009). This need for a change in the perception of the childcare workforce has been driven within Australia by the nationwide implementation of a succession of accreditation schemes (Ishimine, 2011), which have been designed to assess and regulate ‘quality’ within the field (Dahlberg et al, 2007).…”