ABSTRACT

A shifting notion in the field of early childhood education (ECE) is what it is to be a ‘professional’. This paper examines third-year early childhood undergraduate pre-service teachers (PSTs) developing understandings of notions of ‘professionalism’ as expressed through identity texts. PSTs develop knowledge of standards, frameworks and policies that impact on their professional work and undertake a review of legislative requirements. As a counterpart, the intent of this teaching unit and its associated research was to move PSTs beyond regulatory requirements to assist them to develop a critical awareness of the notion of ‘professionalism’. To gather evidence of PSTs own dynamic perceptions of what ‘professionalism’ entails, insights were gleaned from the ways they responded to an identity text workshop activity that asked them to represent ‘professionalism’ through visual imagery and text. These insights are discussed in terms of ‘sedimented identities’ and three sites of meaning of an image. The findings suggest that developing conceptions of professionalism in ECE are sedimented over time through engagement with generic principles from the workplace and official government documents that regulate the profession of early childhood education.

摘要

幼儿教育（ECE）领域的观念转变是“专业”。本文考察了通过身份文本表达的对“专业主义”概念的理解的三年级幼儿学龄前职前教师（PST）。PST积累了对其专业工作有影响的标准，框架和政策的知识，并对立法要求进行了审查。作为对应，该教学单位及其相关研究的目的是使PST超出监管要求，以帮助他们发展对“专业主义”概念的批判性意识。为了收集PST自己对“专业主义”意味着什么的动态看法，他们对身份文本研讨会活动的反应方式收集了深刻见解，这些活动要求他们通过视觉图像和文字来代表“专业主义”。这些洞见将根据“沉着的身份”和图像含义的三个位置进行讨论。研究结果表明，随着时间的流逝，通过遵循工作场所的通用原则和规范幼儿教育职业的官方政府文件，逐渐形成了欧洲经委会中不断发展的职业观念。