The concept of educational continuity is key with reference to educational consistency and coherence within single institutions and in transitions across early childhood education and care (ECEC) and compulsory school education (CSE). Educational continuity has come to the fore in the current pedagogical debate, benefiting from theoretical endorsement and empirical evidence concerning child development and early learning both nationally and worldwide (Balduzzi, 2021). At the institutional level, several national and international documents underscore its social and pedagogical relevance (Italian Ministerial Circular 339/92; OECD, 2017; Council of Europe, 2019).

Research shows that in transitions within ECEC and between ECEC and CSE vertical educational continuity is a shared responsibility of education practitioners, who should negotiate common approaches and act jointly adopting a reflective stance (Lazzari et al., 2020; Ackesjö, 2014). What single professionals contribute to the dialogue on the curriculum, educational coherence, transitions and discontinuities within and among institutions is central to the design and implementation of coherent and effective practices of vertical continuity. Consistently, a significant number of European studies focus on professionals’ narratives, experiences, beliefs, and representations (Rantavuori et al., 2017), but few have been carried out in the Italian context (Balduzzi et al., 2019).

Italy is endeavouring to gradually move away from a split system towards a recently established integrated system for ages 0-6 (Decree Law 65/17), which is followed by a first cycle of education for ages 6-14. In region Emilia-Romagna, as in other areas, there is a vast majority of state-run primary schools (ages 6-11); two or more of these are typically combined with one state-run lower secondary school and a variable number of state-run preschools (ages 3-6) into comprehensive institutes with a view to vertical continuity from ages 3-14 (Ministerial Decree 176/97). These unified institutes are now the most common form of first-cycle educational institution in Italy, but they also welcome students from non-state preschools, which are numerically significant (e.g., approximately 50% of all preschools in Emilia-Romagna). In several areas, the system is thus marked by equally sizeable but fundamentally different parallel tracks for ages 3-6. In addition, all the children entering preschool after attending nursery school come from non-state institutes with diverse governance models (i.e. local authorities and the private sector), adding to the overall complexity.

This multi-perspectival IPA study (Smith et al., 2009) focuses on the professional experiences narrated by educators (age group 0-3) and teachers (age groups 3-6 and 6+) who conceive of, design, and implement vertical educational continuity in a specific District of the Emilia-Romagna region. Which are the actors and actants in their narratives, and what role do they play? What meanings, emotions and beliefs are associated with the idea, practices, and institutional recommendations/provisions pertaining to vertical continuity? What can be learned by analysing the life stories (Bertaux, 2005) of professionals who work at different levels of the system, in diverse settings, but are nevertheless locally required to purposefully interact to design and implement vertical educational continuity?

Underscoring the significance of individual experiences and interpretations, findings aim to delve into the role played by personal views and epistemic beliefs in shaping professional stances and relationships that are key to effective educational continuity. The in-depth analysis of life stories will contribute insights from the Italian context to the ongoing international academic dialogue and provide valuable knowledge that can inform educational and training practices, as well as institutional decision-making processes. From a transformative perspective, this study also aims to give voice to professionals, supporting reflection (Schön, 1987) and fostering a deeper dialogue on continuity among the educational community at large.

This qualitative study focuses on the collection and analysis of narrative data within the framework of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), which is idiographic in nature and allows for a view of phenomenological insights as beneficial in supporting and enacting social change (Thorne, 2014). The research design is multi-perspectival: it enables a dual focus on individual experiences and on more general issues relating to the phenomenon under investigation, along with the comparison of themes from professional life stories of vertical continuity as told by at least three educators working in nursery school (age group 0-3), three teachers working in preschool (age group 3-6) and three teachers working in state-run primary schools within the appointed District. The sampling for this study is non-probabilistic and purposive; all participants share the common experience of engaging with vertical continuity within a larger institutional and regional context, but from different educational sectors and settings, allowing for the emergence of thematic and structural patterns uncovering possible correspondence, resonance, integration and/or divergence (Larkin et al., 2019). Data is collected by means of semi-structured interviews conducted using non-directive strategies. Each interview will be made up of a life story (Bertaux, 2005) concerning personal experiences of vertical educational continuity and an open-ended question on a regional project all participants have been involved in, a specific project whose implementation relies on continuity across educational and school levels in terms of pedagogical assumptions and practice. As the study does not set out to test hypotheses but aims to explore a complex phenomenon in depth, the analyst consistently acknowledges and attempts to bracket their own assumptions and preconceptions to focus on the participants’ experiential world. Data analysis is to be carried out without software support; in terms of content, it focuses on individual experiences and meanings through the IPA approach, starting with a thorough case-by-case analysis. In addition, the study will employ the analytical process outlined by Didier Demazière e Claude Dubar (2000), producing essential interview diagrams aiming to highlight structural and thematic features by showing how meaningful elements diverge and converge. Cross-case analysis, with a view to critically juxtapose key elements in the narratives from each subgroup of participants, will finalise the process.

This study aims to delve into the participants’ lived experiences, focusing on the emotions and meaning-making processes revolving around vertical educational continuity as conceived of and implemented by professionals working in ECEC and CSE settings. A deeper understanding of the personal beliefs and inner dynamics of in-service educators and teachers, along with other possible factors influencing commitment, engagement, agency, identity, perceived social positioning and decision-making, is likely to provide useful insights to foster the effective professional relationships and collaborative dialogue which are instrumental in educational continuity. Moreover, relevant themes and subthemes may uncover underlying factors requiring intervention and generate reflections pertaining to training and organisational aspects in the field of ECEC and CSE; lived experiences can inform improvements in how management, pre-service and in-service training, and academic research relate to and have an impact on practices of continuity within nursery schools, preschools and primary schools. In this study, the research field provides data but at the same time serves as a space for producing personal narratives that support professionals in Geertz’s notion of self-authoring—that is, articulating their own voices (1986). These voices, suitably anonymised, are meant to be shared with governance practitioners and the professional community, as they offer detailed pictures of relatable experiences and outline journeys of self-reflection that can both promote reflective practice at a personal level and enlighten the specific issue of what vertical educational continuity looks and feels like in practice from the perspective of teachers and educators.

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