The aim of this special issue is to discuss and share experiences in terms of enhancing the quality of the early childhood education and care (ECEC) workforce within the Asia-Pacific Region. While the geographical scope is broad, we would particularly welcome submissions from East Asia and non-English language countries not widely represented in early years research journals.
A growing number of research studies indicate that the quality of ECEC services for infants, toddlers and young children during the years before compulsory education largely depends on well-educated, experienced and competent staff. Moreover, a systemic perspective has been gaining ground, suggesting that it is not only the acquisition of competencies by individuals that needs to be foregrounded but also the competence of different levels of ECEC as an organised system. It is widely acknowledged that staff quality is linked to the quality of interactions in the setting and subsequently to children’s learning and development outcomes. Yet it is a daunting and shared challenge across countries to ensure that all early childhood classrooms, whether in public or private centres, are staffed by competent personnel skilled at nurturing children’s full potential, and fostering learning and development.
We use the term ECEC Workforce to refer both to the staff working directly with children on an everyday basis and to those responsible for leading and managing ECEC settings. They may variously be referred to as ‘professionals’, ‘teachers’, ‘caregivers’, ‘educators’ or ‘practitioners’, depending on country-specific usage.
We welcome papers that focus on the initial and ongoing professionalisation of the ECEC workforce and teacher professionalism, on key/core competencies and supportive infrastructures, on continuing professional development (CPD) and on recent policy reforms and initiatives relating to ECEC staffing. Given that a systematic approach towards conceptualising and organising practica/work placements is essential for enhancing teacher professionalism, we are particularly interested in articles that discuss innovative mentoring/coaching programmes.
A typical paper should be no more than 7000 words in length, inclusive of tables, references, figure captions and endnotes. Accepted papers will be published online as soon as they have been processed and are planned to appear in the September 2021 print issue of the journal. Please email your abstract (up to 500 words) to the Guest Editors by 31 May 2020. The submission date for full papers will be 1 October 2020. All papers will be blind peer-reviewed.
Manuscripts for Early Years – An International Research Journal are submitted online at the ScholarOne Manuscripts site: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ceye
Instructions for authors can be found on the journal website: https://www.tandfonline.com/action/authorSubmission?show=instructions&journalCode=ceye20
Please direct any questions to the Guest Editors: