Stories of Professional Identity Authored by Early Childhood Educators in Yukon
Date
2023-03-31
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
0009-0008-0661-8158
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
In the face of increased public interest and government investment, Canadian policy makers and
early childhood educators (ECEs) now have choices to make about the meaning and purpose of
early childhood education within this country. The choices made now will have a considerable
impact on the lives of our youngest children and those who devote their lives to learning with
them. This study fills a gap in research in the field of early childhood education and gives
visibility to Early Childhood Educator’s experiences that led them into the early learning field
and how they conceptualize and experience their work.
Grounded within a social constructivist perspective, this study dances with a bricolage
approach to research that weaves together feminist epistemology, ethnographic research, a
figured worlds framework, the hundred languages of children, a pedagogy of listening and a life
history approach to describe and gain meaning from stories of becoming and being an ECE in
Yukon. The findings make visible how dominant discourses, workplace contexts, and the larger
structures of the field of ECE and our society, interact with ECEs’ negotiation of their
professional identities. Prevalent within the stories of being an ECE in Yukon was a culture of
isolation that stemmed from the current governing system and the market model approach to
early learning that dominates the field. Findings aligned with previous research and revealed that
the image of early childhood education in Yukon is shaped by dominant discourses that are
steeped in issues related to gender, a persistent care vs education dichotomy, and economic
investment discourses (Arndt et al., 2021; Langford et al., 2017; Lightfoot & Frost, 2014;
MacDonell & McCorquodale, 2019; Moss, 2006; Moss 2004; Tukonic & Hardwood, 2016;
Tukonic & Hardwood, 2017; Woodrow, 2007). Participants' stories highlighted a pervasive
culture of isolation in the field, leading to feelings of being unseen and unheard, and ultimately, the rejection of an Early Childhood Educator professional identity in Yukon. The overarching
findings indicated that while current investments within the field have the potential positivity
influence societal perceptions and working conditions for ECEs there is still a long way to go
before the early childhood education in Yukon is recognized and valued as a profession.
Ultimately, ECEs in Yukon remain undervalued and underappreciated.
Description
Keywords
Early childhood educator, professional identity, Yukon
Citation
Degree
Master of Education (M.Ed.)
Department
Educational Foundations
Program
Educational Foundations