Impact of neoliberal-inspired policies on educators' professional identity in five countries: Visions for a better future

Abstract

<p>Early childhood educators work in a highly regulated environment in many Western nations due to managerialism, the arm of neoliberal-inspired policies. Our international study of educators' work revealed insights into the impacts of these systems on children and educators. This chapter presents findings from the five countries involved in the study, namely, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Italy and Denmark. The findings reveal that neoliberal-inspired policies manifest in two ways: Either educators deal with the increased managerial regulation, or with the neglect of the sector in the pursuit of higher profits. When educators feel they are not able to adequately educate and support children, their professional identity is affected. This study uses a critical neoliberal framework and a mixed-method approach. The participants were educators with different qualifications and roles, working in various service types. Data analysis of the numerical data used cross-tabulation. Qualitative Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Despite the changes in identity, educators provided many ideas on the ways their government can assist their work so that they can concentrate on supporting children's learning through play. This study will be of interest to policymakers, educators and teacher educators.</p>