What you see is what you get? Early childhood educators’ perceptions of professional status

A large body of literature has affirmed the importance of, and need for advocacy in raising the professional status of early childhood educators. Whilst various analysts have researched views of the professional status in Australia, little research has focussed on educators’ perceptions of self, family, community and sector views of the professional status or the role of educators’ advocacy in raising the professional status. This phenomenological study investigated participants’ viewpoints of the role of educators in advocating for the professional status. Twelve educators working full-time in long-day-care settings across Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia participated in the research. Findings revealed that participants perceived family and community perceptions of educators to be akin to the ‘Mary Poppins’ view (Stonehouse, 1989). Degree and diploma-trained participants, in contrast to directors, disassociated self-perceptions with political and business-related portrayals.