- Identities And Relationships Among New Preschool Teachers And Assistants, The Impact This May Have On The Learning Culture In Kindergartens.

Author(s):

Inger Benny Espedal Tungland(presenting / submitting)Gerd Abrahamsen(presenting)

Conference:

ECER 2014

Network:

01. Continuing Professional Development: Learning for Individuals, Leaders, and Organisations

Format:

Paper

Session Information

01 SES 07 B, Professional and Organisational Learning

Paper Session

Time:

2014-09-03

17:15-18:45

Room:

B033 Anfiteatro

Chair:

Olwen McNamara

Contribution

How do the new preschool teachers and their assistants describe their assumptions of each other’s competences, and what kind of impact may these assumptions have on the learning culture in preschool?

In this paper the authors focus on the complex relationship between preschool teachers and assistants in two different kindergartens. The roles and identities of these two occupational groups are examined through self-reported interviews. Our methodical approach is individual interviews with both preschool teachers and assistants in two different preschools. Each interview lasted approximately one hour and was taped, and the tapes transcribed. We address the inter-relationship between them by highlighting their positions and roles within the organization and the way they perceive each other. Data about their way of thinking about each other and their different educational levels and working conditions are vitally important to gain knowledge about the quality of the context and learning culture in preschools (Biesta 2010, 2011). Examples from the interviews are presented to demonstrate the difficulties between symmetry on the personal level and asymmetry concerning academic knowledge. Their assumption of each other‘s competences is analyzed and applied to their professional development and to the existing learning culture.

Method

The study draws on a small qualitative research project using semi structured interviews with the purpose of obtaining descriptions of some aspects of the learning culture among new preschool teachers and their assistants in two different kindergartens. Because of this, our research is also a study of social roles and identities. We studied two asymmetrical groups in one and the same study, in our case; assistants and preschool teachers and their working relationships. Both groups were asked to give their views on what they thought the other part would answer in relation to roles, knowledge and competence, supervision and authority. Possible differences between the assistants’ and the preschool teachers’ attitude and descriptions of each other’s competence, work situation and their own role might hopefully give new insight into their relationship and the impact this may have on the pedagogic work with the children. Knowledge about both parts’ assumption of each other and their daily work might prove to be an important aspect in the ongoing research concerning the kindergartens inner life. Interviews as a research method are a type of self-report method allowing participants to describe their own experiences and provide qualitative data from the interviews’ open questions. The method involves asking participants about their feelings, attitudes, beliefs, assumptions etc. In general, research participants often want to respond in a way that makes them look as good as possible and therefore they may not always respond truthfully. In our case assistants and preschool teachers may exaggerate their experiences in order to make their situation seem worse than it is, or they may under-rapport the severity of their experiences in order to minimize their problems. Self-report bias can therefore challenge the trustworthiness (Marshall & Rossman 2011) of the information and in our case hinder the development of knowledge about the learning culture in kindergartens and its quality. While being conscious of these disadvantages and also being aware that data from open questions are difficult to analyze, we take the stand that our choice of methodological approach may produce the in- depth responses that we sought for in our study.

Expected Outcomes

Our goal was to gain research insights into everyday life for new preschool teachers and their assistants, through their attitudes towards each other’s different competence, their pedagogic approaches, and their knowledge and ability to relate and understand toddlers and young children. We wanted to know what was at stake within the learning culture (Biesta 2010, 2011) in preschool. We also wanted to understand how particular practices might have an impact upon learning opportunities of those who make up the practice in kindergarten. An understanding of what forms and ways of learning are made possible and what forms and ways are made difficult or even impossible is crucial. The aim of our small qualitative study was to explore some of these phenomena through self-reported information from the staff in two different kindergartens:

References

Abrahamsen, G. & I.B. Espedal Tungland (2012): “Roles and Relationships among new preschool teachers and assistants and the impact it has on the learning culture in preschool”. Academic paper presentation at The International Conference on Research for Induction of New Teachers, 9th – 11th May 2012, Tallinn University, Estonia. Bae, B. (1988): Methodological Issues Concerning Naturalistic Observations in Pre-school Institutions. Barnevernsakademiet i Oslo. Bastiansen, A. (1985): Sluttrapport fra Førskolelærere og yrke. Oslo: Institutt for anvendt sosialvitenskapelig forskning. Bauman, Z. (1996): “From Pilgrim to Tourist – or a Short History of Identity”. In Hall, S. and P. Du Gay (eds.): Questions of Cultural Identity. London: SAGE Publications. Biesta, G. (2011): “From Learning Cultures to Educational Cultures: values and Judgements in Educational Research and Educational Improvement”. International Journal of Early Childhood, 43 (3), 199-210 Elkjaer, B. (2004): Organizational Learning. The “Third Way”. London: SAGE Publications. Elmholdt, C. (2008): “Learning Across Culture”. In E. Nielsen, S. Brinkmann, C. Elmholdt, L. Tanggaard, P. Musaens and G. Kraft (eds.): A Qualitative Stance. Essays in honor of Steinar Kvale. Aarhus: Aarhus University Press. Hanssen, B., N. Helgevold (2010): «Å trå over dørstokken. Fra å lære å bli en lærer til å lære å være lærer». I T. Hoel Løkensgard, G. Engvik, B. Hanssen: Ny som lærer: sjansespill og samspill. Trondheim: Tapir Akademisk Forlag. Haug, P. G.S. Steinnes (2011): “Educated kindergarten teachers, a prerequisite of quality in Norwegian kindergartens?” Nordic Early Childhood Education and Care –Effects and Challenges. Oslo 18th -20th May 2011. Honneth, A (2005): The Struggle for Recognition. The Moral Grammar of Social Conflicts. Cambridge: Polity Press. Kvale, S. (2007): Doing Interviews. London: SAGE Publications. Lave, J. & E. Wenger (1991): Situated Learning, Legitimate Peripheral Participation. Cambridge: University Press. Marshall, C., G.B. Rossman (2011): Designing Qualitative Research. California: SAGE Publications. Mørkeseth, E.I. (2012): «Læringskultur i barnehagen i møtet mellom «folkelig» oppdragelseskultur og førskolelærernes fagkultur». I M. Alvestad og T. Vist (red): Læringskultur i barnehagen: flerfaglig forskningsperspektiv. Oslo: Cappelen. Nordin-Hultman, E. (2004): Pedagogiske miljøer og barns subjektskaping. Oslo: Pedagogisk Forum. Nørregård-Nielsen, E. (2005): Pædagoger i skyggen: om børnehavepedagogernes kamp for faglig anerkjendelse. Odense: Syddansk universitetsforlag. Rubin, H.J. & I. Rubin (2005): Qualitative interviewing: the art of hearing data. Thousand Oaks California: SAGE. Silverman, D. (2004): Interpreting Qualitative Data. Methods for analysing talk, text and interaction.London: SAGE Publications. Tiller, P.O. (1987): «Barns livsverden». I Myklebust & Ommundsen (red.): Psykologiprofesjonen mot år 2000. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget. Urwin, C. & J. Sternberg (eds.) (2012): Infant Observation and Research. Emotional Processes in Everyday Life. London: Routledge.

Author Information

Inger Benny Espedal Tungland (presenting / submitting)

University of Stavanger

Department of Early Childhod Education

Stavanger

Gerd Abrahamsen (presenting)

University of Stavanger, Norway

Department of early childhoog education