Discourses of the Early Years Learning Framework: Constructing the Early Childhood Professional

Abstract

In Australia, as elsewhere, many factors have contributed to making the struggle for recognition of the professional status of early childhood difficult and ongoing. Arguably this has led to instabilities surrounding professional identity and how members of the field regard themselves and their work. The development and release of the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (EYLF) was perceived by many as an opportunity to raise the status and standing of the early childhood professional within the early childhood field itself and in the wider community. The EYLF positions all those who work directly with children in early childhood settings as 'educators', and sets out the expectations for children's learning and what educators can do to promote that learning. In doing so, the EYLF produces, reproduces and circulates both new and familiar discourses of early childhood education. In this article, the authors draw on research capturing the perceptions of the early childhood practitioners who took part in the trial of the EYLF across Australia in 2009 to investigate whether and how curriculum interventions such as the EYLF have the potential to shape/reshape early childhood professional identity. Utilising the concepts of discourse, subjectivity, power-knowledge and agency, the authors explore the possibilities and dangers of the construction of an early childhood professional identity in and through the EYLF.

Discourses of Professionalism in Family Day Care

“…While curriculum frameworks have the power to 'lift professional standards to a more sophisticated level' (Nuttall & Edwards, 2007, p. 13) there is no evidence that such documents can make practitioners practice in a more 'professional' manner or identify more strongly as 'educators' (Ortlipp et al, 2011). To achieve such an ideological shift, Ortlipp and colleagues (2011) suggest that the discourse of professionalism needs to be taken up by 'professional' workers themselves.…”

Authoring Professional Identities: Immigrant and Refugee Women's Experiences in an Early Childhood Teacher Education Program

“…Next, identity in practice always represents an interplay between the local and the global (Wenger, 1998). For instance, Ortlipp, Arthur, and Woodrow (2011) argue that since local practice is informed by regulations, standards, and curriculum documents, changes in these frameworks impact professional identity construction, especially in new educators. Finally, individuals always belong to multiple communities, which may deviate in terms of ways of being and acting.…”

What Knowledge and Skills Do Chinese Kindergarten Teachers Need in a Time of Reform: Director’s Perspectives

“…These documents commonly detail what children are expected to learn and by so doing indicate what teachers must know, how they should teach, and how can they be helped (Alvestad & Duncan, 2006;Ortlipp, Arthur, & Woodrow, 2011;Rockel, 2009;Sofou & Tsafos, 2010). However, studies of national curricula have found these documents can undermine teachers' professional autonomy and generate difficulties for practitioners if these practitioners are expected to gain new knowledge and adapt long-established work practices without the resources required to achieve these goals.…”

“…However, studies of national curricula have found these documents can undermine teachers' professional autonomy and generate difficulties for practitioners if these practitioners are expected to gain new knowledge and adapt long-established work practices without the resources required to achieve these goals. Ortlipp et al (2011) argue that the extent to which ECE work is affected by government policies depends on the level of knowledge and skills teachers bring to the process.…”