Navigating Ambiguity: Early Childhood Teachers' Sense-Making of Their Identity in a New Mid-Level Role

• In Event: 66.087 - MTCC Roundtable Session 30
  In Roundtable Session: 66.087-6 - Power and Positioning When Assuming a Teacher Leadership Role in Early Childhood and Elementary Contexts

Abstract

The present qualitative study explores the sense-making of early childhood leaders (ECLs) at the initial stage of their new role as mid-level managers. This research included semi-structured interviews with 47 teachers. The study sought to uncover their views of the main challenges associated with assuming a new mid-level managerial role, and their coping styles. The analysis revealed that the new mid-level management role raises three challenges concerning the ambiguity of identity: power base, voice and interpersonal loyalty. ECLs cope with these challenges by assuming different types of leader identities, those of the representative, the companion, and the mediator. The implications of the findings for the limited knowledge on ECLs and for the introduction of the new mid-level roles are discussed.

Authors

• Smadar Moshel, The Open University of Israel

• Izhak Berkovich, The Open University of Israel