Research Study - Call for Participants

Are you an early educator? Do you have views on how your professional
identity is shaped? Have you been involved in advocacy or activism about
your role in early childhood education?

Your participation in a study on ‘Agency and Activism in Early Childhood Education: Exploring
Constructions of Professional Identities’ would be welcomed.

Overview

The research aims to explore how early childhood educators (in England) understand, interpret and
build their professional identities. It seeks to investigate the influences of policy and of individual’s
motivations, values and beliefs in constructing their roles as early educators and the extent to which
they may be involved in activism on this issue.

A two-stage approach is planned. Firstly, a number of Online Focus Groups using closed, private
Facebook groups (by invite only) will be organised. Secondly, individual 1:1 interviews will be
arranged, and participants will be asked to share their life stories and the influences on them as
early childhood educators.

This research will run from January 2018 – May 2018.

Methods

Phase 1: Online Focus Groups

These Focus Groups will be hosted as closed, invite-only groups on the social media platform
Facebook. Participants will be invited to join one group. Each group will be open for four weeks and
consist of the researcher/facilitator and early childhood educators by subsector, e.g. teachers,
childminders, setting managers. One or two open questions will be posted each week for four weeks
and participants will be encouraged to share their views on the subject.

Phase 2: Individual Interviews

Focus group participants will be invited to take part in individual interviews on the same topic.

There will be one interview per participant lasting 60 -120 minutes. It can be held face to face at a
time and location to suit you or via Skype, again at a convenient time for you. This interview will also
be on the topic of professional identities and the opportunity for you to discuss a personal and
professional history. The interviews will be semi-structured in style with a series of open questions.
The interviews will be audio recorded.

Participants

For the online focus groups, I would like to recruit:

Childminders - A Registered Childminder provides care and education for babies, toddlers and
children in their own home, supporting their learning and development.

Early Years Educators (Group based) - Early educators help babies and children up to 5 years old to
develop and learn in a safe and supportive environment.

Teachers - (An individual who has secured Qualified teacher status (QTS) is required in England and
Wales to work as a teacher of children in state schools under local authority control, academies and
in special education schools. Participants should have worked or be working in Nursery or Reception
years.)

Private, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) Leaders/Managers - (Nursery or pre-school managers run
early years centres, providing sessional or full day care for babies and young children from birth to 5
years.)

Advisors/Consultants/Lecturers- Early Years Advisers provide advice and challenge in developing

high quality practice and provision across the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Lecturers work in
Further Education/Higher Education Institutions teaching courses in early childhood education

From this group, for the 1:1 interviews I would like to recruit:

1 x Childminder

1 x Early Years Educator

1 x Teacher

1 x Private, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) Leaders/Manager

1 x Advisor/Consultant/Lecturer

If you are interested in taking part in one or both parts of this research, please contact Nathan
Archer, Doctoral Researcher, University of Sheffield at email: njarcher1@sheffield.ac.uk