Reframing the Well-Being of Early Educators: Counter-Narratives From Focus Group Data

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 1:45 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Identities, Pedagogies, and Practices in the Critical Early Childhood Teacher Workforce (Table 8)

Abstract

In response to the theme of AERA 2025, 'Research, Remedy, and Repair: Toward Just Education Renewal,' we propose this study to uplift counter-narratives on early educators’ well-being from their own voices and perspectives, challenging the dominant narratives that foster acceptance and continuation of exploitative conditions facing the early care and education (ECE) workforce. Results from nine focus groups with 30 early educators augment the argument that practices and interventions which attend only to a segment and target individuals (e.g., mindfulness training, therapy) can be problematic and even damaging to the overall well-being of early educators. The significance of this work is discussed.

Authors

• Yoonjeon Kim, University of California - Berkeley

• Wanzi Muruvi, University of California - Berkeley