(Un)Problematic constructions of teachers’ professional identities in early childhood policies and practices in Aotearoa New Zealand

The impacts of policy reforms on the early childhood education (ECE) sector have been a focal point of scholarly discussions in Aotearoa New Zealand. Interestingly, only a few studies touched on impacts of the policy changes on teachers’ identities (Farquhar, 2010; Warren, 2013). Contributing to this research area, my doctoral study investigated how teachers’ professional identities have been (re)constructed in response to the shifting discourses in the New Zealand ECE over the last three decades. In this presentation, I argue that opposing political agendas have forced teachers to simultaneously negotiate multiple and yet confronting political interests and priorities in their work. As a result, some problematic (or not?) constructions of teachers’ professional identities have emerged, hindering the idea of ECE as a democratic, socially just and equitable place for all children and families