Developing Professional Early Childhood Educators in England and Hungary: Where Has All the Love Gone?

Abstract

European education agendas have emphasized the importance of early childhood education in providing the foundations for lifelong learning. Central to the success of early childhood education is the quality of provision, with the workforce being key. While qualifications levels are frequently cited as important for the quality of provision here we ask questions of the attitudinal competences required to work in early childhood in two countries: England and Hungary. This paper presents a mixed-method study that considers the attitudinal competences perceived as needed by early childhood students and how these are acquired. We focus on the role of love in early childhood education and the contrasting perceptions and experiences in England and Hungary. In Hungary love is spoken about freely, but in England managerialist and entrepreneurial discourses are creating tensions with more emotional dispositions of being caring, supportive, and empathic that early childhood practitioners uphold. In Hungary, early childhood educators are given relative autonomy in their professional roles and love is a key characteristic. We consider historical, philosophical, and political developments in the two countries to shed light on how English and Hungarian perspectives have diverged, while exploring opportunities that comparing perspectives offers for the further professional development of early childhood educators.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We would like to thank Julie Fletcher, research assistant at Plymouth University, for her work in supporting the literature review and analysis for the research presented and Dr. Magdolna Nemes, Faculty of Child and Adult Education, University of Debrecen, for her support in conducting the fieldwork and translation of Hungarian data.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Verity Campbell-Barr

Dr. Verity Campbell-Barr is a Lecturer in Early Childhood Studies at Plymouth University, undertaking a Marie Curie European Research Fellowship (funded by the European Commission) in the Department of Child Education at the Faculty of Child and Adult Education, University of Debrecen, Hungary. Her research interests center on the quality of early childhood services, with her Fellowship focusing on the knowledge, skills and attitudes required of the early childhood education and care workforce. She has a background in researching the provision of early childhood services and policy developments in early childhood education and care.

Janet Georgeson

Dr. Janet Georgeson is a Research Fellow at Plymouth University, currently investigating professional development for early years practitioners, especially in the context of multiagency working and working with very young children. She has a background in teaching young children with special educational needs, particularly speech, language and communication difficulties. Jan carried out research at Birmingham University from 1995 onwards, completing an EdD in Educational Disadvantage and Special Educational Needs in 2006. Since then she has worked on a range of research projects on disability, special educational needs and provision in the early years.

Anikó Nagy Varga

Dr. Anikó Nagy Varga is a senior lecturer in the Department of Child Education at the Faculty of Child and Adult Education, University of Debrecen, Hungary where she teaches basic principles of pedagogy, family pedagogy, active exploration of the outside environment and associated methods. She is a mentor pedagogue of students’ practical training in kindergartens. Her research interests are in history of pedagogy, education for early childhood and kindergarten pedagogues' professionalism.