Who is studying what in early childhood education and care?: Composite narratives of Australian educators engaging in further study

Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in Australia is facing a workforce crisis. A knowledge gap around educators studying to pursue a career in ECEC, particularly in long day care (LDC), has prompted research with Australian educators who engage in further education and training while working i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Australasian journal of early childhood 2023-03, Vol.48 (1), p.66-80
Main Authors: McKinlay, Sharon, Irvine, Susan, Brownlee, Jo Lunn, Whiteford, Chrystal, Farrell, Ann
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Child Care
Early Childhood Education
Early Childhood Teachers
Education
Educators
Faculty Development
Foreign Countries
Higher Education
In-service training
Teacher Certification
Teacher Characteristics
Teacher Education
Teacher Qualifications
Teachers
Training of
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Summary:Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in Australia is facing a workforce crisis. A knowledge gap around educators studying to pursue a career in ECEC, particularly in long day care (LDC), has prompted research with Australian educators who engage in further education and training while working in LDC services. The paper examines 32 biographical interviews from an Australian Research Council Linkage project Identifying Effective Strategies to Grow and Sustain a Professional Early Years Workforce. Research reported here applies a social constructivist framework to investigate the personal and structural characteristics of educators studying at Certificate III Diploma, Bachelor and Master levels of Australia's regulated qualifications and training system. An important finding is that the legislative provisions of Australia's National Quality Framework is a key driver for educator engagement in education and training. The paper highlights the importance of clear qualification pathways in raising the professionalism of the ECEC workforce in Australia.
ISSN:1836-9391
1839-5961
DOI:10.1177/18369391221118699