Early childhood education and care teachers’ narratives of their professional identity
The purpose of this narrative study was to examine early childhood education and care (ECEC) teachers' narratives of their professional identity. The aim was to use six narrative interviews to find out how ECEC teachers narrate their professional identity and which experiences are relevant in...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Early Childhood Education Association Finland
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Early Childhood Education Research |
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| Online Access: | https://journal.fi/jecer/article/view/129076 |
| _version_ | 1827319927190585344 |
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| author | Essi Hanhikoski Eija Sevón |
| author_facet | Essi Hanhikoski Eija Sevón |
| author_sort | Essi Hanhikoski |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
The purpose of this narrative study was to examine early childhood education and care (ECEC) teachers' narratives of their professional identity. The aim was to use six narrative interviews to find out how ECEC teachers narrate their professional identity and which experiences are relevant in shaping their professional identity. In the study, identity is seen as a social construction and a narratively structured process that takes shape throughout life. As a result of the narrative analysis, three types of stories describing teachers' professional identity emerged: Biographical stories, Value stories and Interaction stories. Based on the findings, the core value of acting in the best interests of the child is an integral part of ECEC teachers' professional identity, while scarce organizational resources and interactional conflicts challenge ECEC teachers' professional identity. Professional agency, that is, the opportunity to act in accordance with professional ethics and one's values in collaboration with a multiprofessional team and colleagues, plays an important role.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-25T00:36:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9928c5916905444680f314197b693c74 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2323-7414 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-25T00:36:42Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Early Childhood Education Association Finland |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Early Childhood Education Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-9928c5916905444680f314197b693c742024-03-12T16:23:14ZengEarly Childhood Education Association FinlandJournal of Early Childhood Education Research2323-74142024-03-0113210.58955/jecer.129076Early childhood education and care teachers’ narratives of their professional identityEssi Hanhikoski0Eija Sevón1University of JyväskyläUniversity of Jyväskylä The purpose of this narrative study was to examine early childhood education and care (ECEC) teachers' narratives of their professional identity. The aim was to use six narrative interviews to find out how ECEC teachers narrate their professional identity and which experiences are relevant in shaping their professional identity. In the study, identity is seen as a social construction and a narratively structured process that takes shape throughout life. As a result of the narrative analysis, three types of stories describing teachers' professional identity emerged: Biographical stories, Value stories and Interaction stories. Based on the findings, the core value of acting in the best interests of the child is an integral part of ECEC teachers' professional identity, while scarce organizational resources and interactional conflicts challenge ECEC teachers' professional identity. Professional agency, that is, the opportunity to act in accordance with professional ethics and one's values in collaboration with a multiprofessional team and colleagues, plays an important role. https://journal.fi/jecer/article/view/129076early childhood education teachersnarrativesprofessional identity working conditions |
| spellingShingle | Essi Hanhikoski Eija Sevón Early childhood education and care teachers’ narratives of their professional identity Journal of Early Childhood Education Research early childhood education teachers narratives professional identity working conditions |
| title | Early childhood education and care teachers’ narratives of their professional identity |
| title_full | Early childhood education and care teachers’ narratives of their professional identity |
| title_fullStr | Early childhood education and care teachers’ narratives of their professional identity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Early childhood education and care teachers’ narratives of their professional identity |
| title_short | Early childhood education and care teachers’ narratives of their professional identity |
| title_sort | early childhood education and care teachers narratives of their professional identity |
| topic | early childhood education teachers narratives professional identity working conditions |
| url | https://journal.fi/jecer/article/view/129076 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT essihanhikoski earlychildhoodeducationandcareteachersnarrativesoftheirprofessionalidentity AT eijasevon earlychildhoodeducationandcareteachersnarrativesoftheirprofessionalidentity |