The potential of ‘leading identity’ as an analytic concept for understanding Educational Leadership development in early childhood education

ABSTRACT

This paper responds to pressing calls to better theorise the development of Educational Leadership in early childhood education. Specifically, we examine the usefulness of) the concept of leading identity for understanding shifts in Educational Leaders’ accounts of their leadership practices. Twenty Educational Leaders, recruited from Australian early childhood services, were interviewed before and after a developmental intervention using Change Laboratory approach. Our analysis of these interviews illustrates how leading identity can be used to trace shifts in the dynamic interplay of persons and practices in Educational Leadership work. We conclude by reflecting on how our argument might inform theorisation of leadership in early childhood education, the design of professional learning programmes for leadership development, and the methodological potential of leading identity for evaluating such programmes.

KEYWORDS:

• Educational leadership
• leading identity
• leading activity
• cultural-historical activity theory
• change laboratory

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Henderson: Monash University Human Research Ethics Project ID No: 1768; and Nuttall: Australian Catholic University Human Research Ethics Registry No: 2018–214E

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Australian Research Council [DP180100281].

Notes on contributors

Linda Henderson

Dr Linda Henderson is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education, Culture and Society, Faculty of Education, Monash University. Her cognate area of research is in early childhood education and care leadership and politics.

Joce Nuttall

Professor Joce Nuttall is Research Director – Teacher Education in the Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education at ACU. Joce has over 35 years’ experience as a leader and educator in primary and early childhood settings (principally in childcare) and as a teacher educator and researcher. Joce’s research focuses on the initial and continuing education of educators and educational leaders, and the development of strategies for system-level workforce capacity-building in early childhood education and care.

Elizabeth Wood

Professor Elizabeth Wood research focuses mainly on early childhood and primary education, with specific interests in play and pedagogy; curriculum and assessment in ECE; teachers’ professionalism and professional knowledge; policy analysis and critique.

Jenny Martin

Dr Jenny Martin’s research program is concerned with promoting ethical change in our societies and institutions for the wellbeing of individuals and the planet and extends to science education, education for sustainability, initial teacher education, teacher professional learning and pedagogical leadership.