Work

How do Graduate Leaders in England discursively construct their leadership roles in early childhood education?

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The professionalisation of the workforce in early childhood education (ECE) is aligned with policy aspirations in England and internationally to raise the quality of provision, reduce inequalities in children's outomes, and improve standards. This article aims to consider how policy discourses of leadership are interpreted by Graduate Leaders, and the discursive conceptualisation and enactment of their roles in practice. The analysis adopts a reflexive re-viewing of interviews with Graduate Leaders in a range of ECE settings in the context of continued crises in the workforce in England. The interviews were conducted in phase 1 of the Australia-England project (Australian Research Council Discovery Grant DP180100281). The analysis identified four main roles: team player, pedagogical leader, responsible agent, and change agent. Evidence of the impact of policy took the form of attributes related to accountability and compliance, whereas constructions related to learning and quality were characterised by attributes linked to established discourses of work in ECE. The conclusion highlights the tension between policy discourses of leadership, and the discursive resources that informed how leaders were constructing their roles.

Source: Educational Management Administration & Leadership

DOI: 10.1177/17411432251345626

Authors: Louise Kay, Elizabeth Wood, Joce Nuttall, Linda Henderson

Language: English

Topic: Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,900

Funder: Australian Research Council