Perceptions of Professionalism Among Individuals in the Child Care Field

Martin, Sue; Meyer, James A.; Jones, Robin Caudle; Nelson, Laverne; Ting, Lai Lei

doi:10.1007/s10566-010-9107-5

Cited by 17 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…The design of the questionnaire was informed by previous research related to educator professionalism (Dalli, 2008;Martin et al, 2010;Rodgers & Raider-Roth, 2006) and by adapting the Profile of Child Care Professionals measure (Martin et al, 2010). Additionally, specific factors that contribute to feelings of being a professional were also explored (e.g., commitment to the field of specialization, education, expert knowledge, pedagogy, and ethics).…”

Section: The Research Methodologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Amid long-held public conceptions of early childhood educators as mere care providers or babysitters; early childhood educators themselves have been reluctant to enter the debate on professionalism (Brock, 2012). Moreover, little agreement exists within the literature in defining the construct, adding to the challenge of researching educators' conceptions of professionalism (Martin, Meyer, Jones, Nelson, & Ling, 2010). According to the Oxford online dictionary, a professional is an individual who demonstrates proficiency and skill within a particular profession (Oxford University Press, 2014).…”

Section: Defining Professionalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Contemporary conceptualizations emphasize "early childhood professionalism [as] something whose meaning appears to be embedded in local contexts, visible in relational interactions, ethical and political in nature, and involving multiple layers of knowledge, judgement, and influences from the broader societal context" (Dalli, Miller, & Urban, 2012, p. 6). Thus, professionalism appears to be a "multi-layered and multi-faceted concept" (Miller & Cable, 2011, p. 8) whose definition requires a "ground-up" perspective from educators themselves (Dalli, 2008;Martin et al, 2010).…”

Section: Defining Professionalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The Glass Ceiling Effect: Mediating Influences on Early Years Educators' Sense of Professionalism

Tukonic¹,

Harwood²

2016

J Child. Stud.

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Section: The Research Methodologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Defining Professionalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Defining Professionalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The Glass Ceiling Effect: Mediating Influences on Early Years Educators' Sense of Professionalism

Tukonic¹,

Harwood²

2016

J Child. Stud.

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“…However, professionalizing the field of childcare, as well as its practitioners, is considered a recent initiative. Many still do not consider the service as a profession [5]. And despite the abundance of studies emerging over the past few years regarding the importance of children's early years and the work that ECEs do, Canadians, policy makers, and politicians continue to "pay lip service only to the value of the workworking conditions and pay levels remain at very low levels" [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Working Conditions Among Early Childhood Educators Who Have Worked in Both For-Profit and Non-Profit Childcare Centres

Romain-Tappin¹,

Langford²

2017

LICEJ

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The working conditions of members from a professional association are required to adhere to high quality standards. Being members of the college of Early Childhood Educators (ECE), the question remains: what do the working conditions of ECEs exemplify about the professionalism of the early childhood education and care (ECEC) field? In an effort to build the professional state of the Canadian ECEC sector one must begin to critically examine the working conditions of ECEs. Efforts towards achieving professional status for all ECEs are evident in the working conditions they are provided, which may vary depending upon whose auspices they are under. This study examined ECEs' perceptions of the differences in working conditions between for profit and non-profit childcare centres in the Greater Toronto Area. Four ECEs who have worked in both for-profit and non-profit childcare centres were interviewed. In these interviews, the ECEs reported that non-profit childcare centres provide higher quality working conditions than for-profit childcare centres, demonstrating the value and support which an auspice has towards professionalism.

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“…The 1950s and 1960s were decades of considerable social change, as postwar liberalisation led to shifts not only in education, but also in cultural and economic domains. More recently, the training of early years practitioners as professionals, and early years education policy have undergone many changes and been the subject of numerous concerns, relating to the ethos of early childhood education and care and to practitioners' professionalism in England (Rose andRogers 2012, Taggart 2011) and beyond, for example in the Republic of Ireland (Maloney 2010), Scotland (Adams 2008), Australia (Woodrow 2008), Finland (Karila 2008), New Zealand (May 2006) and the US (Martin et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning to be Froebelian: student teachers’ life histories 1952–1965

Smedley¹,

Hoskins²

2015

European Early Childhood Education Research Journal

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Drawing on the life histories of nine women who were trained at Froebel College in the 1950s and 1960s, this paper examines the women's narratives as Froebelian student teachers and explores their remembered constructions of their experiences. Using an analytical framework underpinned by theories of identity and language their stories are shown to shed light on the women's engagement with and commitment to Froebelian ideas and their sense of identifying with what the college stood for. The women's stories illustrate a version of professionalism, located in time, place and culture, which incorporates contradictory elements of self-belief and self-effacement. In reflecting on their identities as Froebelians, their stories enact an understanding of politics and advocacy which demonstrates professional autonomy. Unexpectedly, their stories also show some difficulties with articulating Froebelian principles, and instead express an emotional attachment. That emotional engagement, rather than being seen as an inadequacy, is argued to be a strand in developing a hopeful, motivating and enabling professional workforce, capable of working effectively in the challenging current context of increasing statutory pressures towards performativity, regulation and control in early childhood education and care.Keywords: Froebel; early childhood professionalism; women teachers; life history IntroductionIf three hundred years after my death my method of education shall be completely established according to its idea, I shall rejoice in heaven. (Froebel, quoted in von MarenholtzBuelow 1877, 17) The life histories of the nine Froebel-trained women whose stories form the basis of this research show that Froebel's philosophy and approach had a profound and lasting effect on their professional identities. We can barely speculate about early childhood education in 2152, which would be three hundred years after Froebel's death (1852), but our analysis of these stories demonstrates how the non-prescriptive nature of his theories and the acute sense of belonging and believing that his ideas engendered in these women in the 1950s and 1960s contribute to the enduring qualities of Froebel's philosophy.We are driven by a contemporary commitment to Froebel's educational ideals (1885, 1896) and to protecting and developing them to the benefit of early years pupils and practitioners today. This is in resistance to ongoing statutory pressures to follow a more didactic and assessment-driven pedagogical approach, as highlighted by Osgood (2006Osgood ( , 2010, Taggart (2011) and Rose and Rogers (2012). This article draws on life history interview data, collected as part of a research project funded by the Froebel Trust, and seeks to explore how Froebelian principles were understood and put into practice in the 1950s and 1960s, as narrated by a group of women who were trained at Froebel College during that time. What was their educational experience at Froebel College? How did they engage with Froebelian ideas? What was the impact of that experience ...

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Perceptions of Professionalism Among Individuals in the Child Care Field

Cited by 17 publications

References 17 publications

The Glass Ceiling Effect: Mediating Influences on Early Years Educators' Sense of Professionalism

The Glass Ceiling Effect: Mediating Influences on Early Years Educators' Sense of Professionalism

The Working Conditions Among Early Childhood Educators Who Have Worked in Both For-Profit and Non-Profit Childcare Centres

Learning to be Froebelian: student teachers’ life histories 1952–1965

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