‘Talking the Talk’: practical and academic self-concepts of early years practitioners in England

Sims‐Schouten, Wendy; Stittrich-Lyons, Helga

doi:10.1080/13636820.2013.867526

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 29 publications

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“…Influential research in the British early years sector (such as the Effective Provision of Preschool Education project, a longitudinal study of the overall effect of different types of preschool provision on child development in England and Wales, see Siraj-Blatchford, 2009; Sylva et al, 2010), is largely quantitative in nature ignoring the necessity of incorporating context and process into an understanding of parent–practitioner partnerships and parents’ engagement with services. Qualitative research highlights the ongoing discrepancy between practitioners’ and parents’ positive commitment to children’s learning and development, and the continued focus (in political and psychological discourse) on the fact that they are lacking in ability and in need of transformation (Osgood, 2009; Sims-Schouten and Stittrich-Lyons, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contextualising Relationships Between Mothers and Practitioners: Social Structures, Causal Factors, and Generative Mechanisms

Sims‐Schouten

Barton

2019

Sociological Research Online

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This study seeks to build an explanation of the sociological, psychological, and political processes and practices involved in relationships between mothers and practitioners, as generative and causal powers that underlie and shape this. Critical realist’s primacy of ontology forms the starting point, with grounded theory as the epistemological force providing critical realism’s method, contextualising research, and embedding this more firmly into practice. As such, this article offers critical realist grounded theory (CRGT) as a tool for contextualising parent–practitioner relationships, drawing on retroductive argumentation, which involves moving from the level of observation and lived experiences to making (non-linear) inferences about underlying structures/mechanisms that may account for the phenomena. Thirty-four participants participated in six in-depth focus group discussions; three were with early years practitioners and three with mothers of children aged between 2 years and 4 years. Focused coding led to themes reflecting the lived experiences of mothers and practitioners, namely being valued, relationships, what happens at home, child at the centre, and when I am not there. In line with CRGT, multiple causal mechanisms (including the interpretations of each situation made by individuals) were identified that were active in the situated contexts. To improve relationships between mothers and practitioners, attention needs to be paid to the psychological, social, and political forces at play, as generative, causal, and contextual powers, that have an impact on the status and relationships of the players within this triad (mothers, practitioners, and child).

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%