The conundrum of care in the construction of professional identity
A Foucauldian lens
Abstract
The notion of 'professional' is built on a concept of traditionally male professions and patriarchal social orders. ECEC (early childhood education and care), however, is a female-dominated field characterised by its unique caring practice that is more salient when working with infants and toddlers. This study investigates how a group of Australian early childhood preservice teachers presented themselves professionally on Instagram, in relation to respective infant (0-2) and kindergarten (3-5) practica. Data were drawn from focus group discussions about how the participants shared their practicum experiences on social media, Instagram. The paper is guided by Foucault’s concepts of technologies of the self and self writing. The findings reveal two thematic narratives: 1) in the context of the kindergarten placement, the posts constitute a journey of continuous improvement against all odds. 2) In contrast, the infant placement experiences evoke a sense of struggle and renunciation. The paper concludes with implications for further study beyond the Australian context.
Downloads
References
ACECQA. (2022). Progressing a national approach to the children’s education and care workforce. Available at https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-01/ProgressingNationalApproachChildrensEducationCareWorkforce.pdf
ACECQ. (n.d.-a). Qualifications for centre-based services with children preschool age or under. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/qualifications/requirements/children-preschool-age-or-under
ACECQ. (n.d.-b). Early childhood teacher registration and accreditation. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/qualifications/early-childhood-teacher-registration-and-accreditation
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2017). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Available at https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/standards.
Ball, S. J. (2003). The teacher's soul and the terrors of performativity. Journal of Education Policy, 18(2), 215-228.
Boyd, W. & Newman, L. (2019). Primary + Early Childhood =chalk and cheese? Tensions in undertaking an early childhood/primary education degree. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 44(1), 19-31.
Breen, R. L. (2006). A practical guide to focus-group research. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 30(3), 463-475.
Dahle, R. (2012). Social work: A history of gender and class in the profession. Ephemera: Theory and Politics in Organization, 12(3): 309-326.
DESE (Department of Education, Skills and Employment) (2017). 2016 Early Childhood Education and Care National Workforce Census. Available at https://www.education.gov.au/early-childhood/resources/2016-national-early-childhood-education-and-care-workforce-census-report
DESE (Department of Education, Skills and Employment) (2022). 2021 Early Childhood Education and Care National Workforce Census. Available at. https://www.education.gov.au/child-care-package/resources/2021-early-childhood-education-and-care-national-workforce-census-report.
Dillabough, J-A. (1999). Gender politics and conceptions of the modern teacher: women, identity and professionalism. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 20(3), 373-394.
Foucault, M. (1980) Power/Knowledge. Pantheon.
Foucault, M. (1991). Discipline and punish: the birth of the prison. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
Foucault, M. (2020a). Technologies of the self (R. Hurley, Trans.). In P. Rabinow (Ed.), Michel Foucault Ethics: Essential works 1954-84 (pp. 225-251). Penguin.
Foucault, M. (2020b). Self writing (R. Hurley, Trans.). In P. Rabinow (Ed.), Michel Foucault Ethics: Essential works 1954-84 (pp. 207-222). Penguin.
Foucault, M. (2020c). The ethics of the concern of the self as a practice of freedom (R. Hurley, Trans.). In P. Rabinow (Ed.), Michel Foucault Ethics: Essential works 1954-84 (pp. 281-301). Penguin.
Friesen, N. (2017). Confessional technologies of the self: from Seneca to social media. First Monday, 22(6-5) https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v22i6.6750
Gibson, M. (2013). ‘I want to educate school-age children’: producing early childhood teacher professional identities. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 14(2): 127-137.
Gould, K. (2022). Contradictions in care. What counts as care in ECEC? The First Years Journal, 24(1), 11-19.
Hammond, R. A. (2010). Respecting babies: A new look at Magda Gerber's RIE approach. Zero to Three Publication.
Jackson, J. (2020). Every educator matters: evidence for a new early childhood workforce strategy for Australia., Mitchell Institute, Victoria University.
Levickis, P. C. A., Page, J., Murray, L., & Eadie, P. (2021). Early childhood educators feel burnt out and undervalued. Here’s what we can do to help. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/early-childhood-educators-feel-burnt-out-and-undervalued-heres-what-we-can-do-to-help-170091
MacDonald, K. M. (1995). The sociology of the professions. Sage
Mertala, P. (2019). Digital technologies in early childhood education– a frame analysis of preservice teachers’ perceptions. Early Child Development and Care, 189(8), 1228-1241.
O'Connor, D., McGunnigle, C., Treasure, T. & Davie, S. (2015). Educator identities. Emerging issues within personal and professional identities: changes experienced by Australian preservice teachers following professional exposure to educational practice within childcare settings. Early Child Development and Care, 185(8), 1331-1342.
OECD. (2019). Good Practice for Good Jobs in Early Childhood Education and Care. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/64562be6-en
Osgood, J. (2004). Time to get down to business? The responses of early years practitioners to entrepreneurial approaches to professionalism. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 2(1): 5-24.
Osgood, J. (2006). Professionalism and performativity: the feminist challenge facing early years practitioners. Early Years: An International Research Journal, 26(2), 187-199.
Petersen, T. (2012). Conceptions of care: altruism, feminism, and mature care. Hypatia, 27(2), 366-389.
Quinones, G., & Cooper, M (2022). "Infant–toddler teachers’ compassionate pedagogies for emotionally intense experiences." Early Years: An International Research Journal, 43 (4/5) 712-728. https://10.1080/09575146.2021.2008324
Recchia, S., Shin, M., & Snaider, C. (2018). Where is the love? Developing loving relationships as an essential component of professional infant care. International Journal of Early Years Education, 26(2), 142-158.
Redman, T., Harrison, L., & Djonov, E. (2021). Education versus care for infants and toddlers: the Australian early childhood challenge. Early Child Development and Care. 192 (13), 211802127. https://10.1080/03004430.2021.1990904
Rockel, J. (2009). A pedagogy of care: moving beyond the margins of managing work and minding babies. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 34(3), 1-8.
Rogers, M. N. J., & McNamara, C. (2023). What drives early childhood educator burnout and what interventions can help? Women's Agenda. https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/what-drives-early-childhood-educator-burnout-and-what-interventions-can-help/#:~:text=Poor%20organisational%20structure%20and%20systems,a%20lack%20of%20role%20clarity.
Rose, N. (1999). Governing the soul: The shaping of the private self. Free Association Books.
Rouse, L., Morrissey, A. M., & Rahimi, M. (2012). Problematic placement: pathways preservice teachers’ perspectives on their infant/toddler placement. Early Years, 32(1), 87-98.
Rouse, E., & Hadley, F. (2018). Where did love and care get lost? Educators and parents’ perceptions of early childhood practice. International Journal of Early Years Education, 26(2), 159-172.
Sachs, J. (2001). Teacher professional identity: competing discourses, competing outcomes. Journal of Education Policy, 16(2), 149-161.
Sheldahl-Thomason, S. (2019). Foucault and the use of exposure: discipline, ethics, and self-writing. Review of Communication, 19(3), 225-240.
Siles, I. (2012). Web technologies of the self: the arising of the ‘‘blogger’’ identity. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 17 (4), 408-421.
Sim, J. (1998). Collecting and analyzing qualitative data: Issues raised by the focus group. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 28(2), 345–352.
Sims, M., Alexander, E., Nislin, M., Pedey, K., Tausere-Tiko, L., & Sajaniemi, N. (2018). Infant and toddler educare: a challenge to neoliberalism. South African Journal of Childhood Education, 8(1), 1-8. https://10.4102/sajce.v8i1.594
Sugarman, J. & Thrift, E. (2020). Neoliberalism and the psychology of time. Journal of Human Psychology, 60(6), 807-828.
Svoboda, T. (2020). Foucault on correspondence as a technique of the self. Le Foucauldian, 6(1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.16995/lefou.69
Thorpe, K., Ailwood, J., Brownlee, J & Boyd, W. (2011). Who wants to work in child care? Preservice early childhood teachers' consideration of work in the childcare sector. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 36(11), 85-94.
Tronto, J. C. (2013). Caring democracy: Markets, equality, and justice. New York University Press.
Van Laere, K., Peeters, J. & Vandenbroeck, M. (2012). The education and care divide: the role of the early childhood workforce in 15 European countries. European Journal of Education, 47(4), 527-541.
Van Laere, K., Vandenbroeck, M., Roets, G. & Peeters, J. (2014). Challenging the feminisation of the workforce: rethinking the mind–body dualism in early childhood education and care. Gender and Education, 26(3), 232-245.
VIT. (2021). About VIT. https://www.vit.vic.edu.au/about
White, E. J., Peter, M., Sims, M., Rockel, J. & Kumoeroa, M. (2016). First-year practicum experiences for preservice early childhood education teachers working with birth-to-3-year-olds: an Australasian experience. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 37(4), 282-300.
Witz, A. (1992). Professions and patriarchy. Routledge.
Weisgerber, C. & Butler, S. H. (2016). Curating the soul: Foucault's concept of hupomnemata and the digital technology of self care. Information, Communication & Society, 19(10), 1340-1355.
Wood, J. A. (2008). Mothers, teachers, maternalism and early childhood education and care: some historical connections. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 8(2), 157-165.
Wu, B. (2021). Breaking down professional divides. Every Child, 27 (1), 16-17.
Wu, B. & Oxworth, C. (2022). Why aren’t we there yet? A typology for evaluating resistant and counter-hegemonic practices. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 23(4), 467-482.
Copyright (c) 2024 Bin Wu, Nesta Devine
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.