Professional Identity in the Early Years sector

A research study is being conducted at Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) by Laura Wildman (lw179@canterbury.ac.uk) for the department of Early Childhood Education. Please read through the information below before consenting to be a part of this project.


Background information for this study:
The government’s integration of education and care has seen huge changes in the Early Years sector, with regulatory frameworks and outcomes-based approaches now compulsory for all those working in Early Years. The attempts to professionalise the sector with new qualifications have made little impact on those working in nurseries or as childminders, with a handful of studies reflecting upon no changes in pay or status. The majority of academic research in Early Years do not include low-income, working-class voices, even though they make up the majority of the Early Years Workforce (DfE, 2021), and their experiences and struggles with professional identity need to be heard in order to reframe what ‘professionalism’ might look like in practice. This project aims to capture the voices and experiences of Early Years practitioners, sourced from a variety of roles and locations across England, to highlight the struggles within the role and what it means to be a professional in the Early Years workforce today.


To participate in this research you must:
Be employed or self-employed within the Early Years sector in England. Your current job title must be one of the following: Childminder, Nursery Nurse, Teaching Assistant in Nursery/Reception, Qualified Teacher in Nursery/Reception, Nursery Manager, Nursery Worker, Early Years Professional, Level 2-5 Qualified Childcare Workers, Early Years Educator.



Confidentiality and Data Protection
The following categories of personal data (as defined by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)) will be processed:
• Name, email address, job title, and answers given in the questionnaire
We have identified that the public interest in processing the personal data is:
• Identifying concepts of professional identity in marginalised groups of the Early Years sector. Personal data will be used to match key themes with different job roles in the sector.
Data access:
• Data will be accessible to Laura Wildman (Lead Researcher) who will store the data on a password-protected memory stick. Data may also be accessed by Dr Paula Stone and Dr Marios Kostas, Supervisor and Head of Department respectively.
The identified period for the retention of personal data for this project:
• This data will be stored until 5th September 2022, or until the research project has been submitted and graded.
If you would like to obtain further information related to how your personal data is processed for this project please contact the project supervisor Dr Paula Stone (01227 923840).
You can read further information regarding how the University processes your personal data for research purposes at the following link: Research Privacy Notice - https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/university-solicitors-office/data-protection/privacy-notices/privacy-notices.aspx
Dissemination of results:
Once completed, this MA thesis will be published in the Canterbury Christ Church University library and will be available to students of the University.
Process for withdrawing consent to participate:
You are free to withdraw your consent to participate in this research project at any time without having to give a reason. To do this please email the Lead Researcher and ask to be removed from the project. You may read further information on your rights relating to your personal data at the following link: Research Privacy Notice - https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/university-solicitors-office/data-protection/privacy-notices/privacy-notices.aspx

If you have any further questions, please contact Laura Wildman at lw179@canterbury.ac.uk, or via the research project supervisor, Dr Paula Stone, on 01227 923840, Department of Early Childhood Education.

Following this questionnaire, you will be offered an opportunity to participate in a focus group of 30-40 minutes via Zoom.  You may opt out of this at the end of the questionnaire.


Click on the button below to begin the questionnaire.