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Educational leaders and the project of professionalisation in early childhood education in Australia
Martin, Jenny Nuttall, Joce Henderson, Linda Wood, Elizabeth
Martin, Jenny
Nuttall, Joce
Henderson, Linda
Wood, Elizabeth
Abstract
This paper reports the ways in which Educational Leaders in Australian early childhood education workplaces are interpreting and implementing their mandatory role. Interviews with 20 Educational Leaders in two Australian government jurisdictions were analysed using cultural-historical activity theory. Our analysis suggests a significant gap between government policy orientation toward quality improvement and the project of professionalisation of the field that motivates Educational Leaders. We argue the work of Educational Leaders is primarily oriented towards raising the status and capacity of their colleagues as a pre-requisite for high-quality outcomes, and that concepts of quality operate instead as mediating tools. In this sense, a focus on professionalisation subsumes the international policy focus on quality.
Keywords
early childhood education, policy, educational leadership, professionalisation
Date
2020
Type
Journal article
Journal
International Journal of Educational Research
Book
Volume
101
Issue
Page Range
1-15
Article Number
Article 101559
ACU Department
School of Education
Faculty of Education and Arts
Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education (ILSTE)
Faculty of Education and Arts
Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education (ILSTE)
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Open Access Status
License
All rights reserved
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