Perceptions of Professionalism Among Individuals in the Child Care Field

Individuals working with young children, birth through age five, continue to strive for professional recognition. Factors that contribute to a person\u27s feelings about being a child care professional were investigated. Stratified random sampling was used for data collection. Participants in the study responded to mailed questionnaires concerning a profile of child care professionals. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance, Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient, and multiple regression analysis. Results suggested that commitment has the strongest influence on the perceptions of professionalism. Other significant factors were years of experience in child care, enjoyment of work, receiving trainings, feeling able to use trainings, parents turning to the child care professional for information, and feeling qualified. Possible implications of these findings are discussed