218
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Article

“Disregarded and undervalued”: early childhood teacher’s experiences of stress and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic

ORCID Icon, ORCID Icon, ORCID Icon & ORCID Icon
Received 31 Mar 2022, Accepted 21 Jun 2024, Published online: 05 Jul 2024

References

  • ACECQA [Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority]. 2021a. Shaping Our Future: A ten-Year Strategy to Ensure a Sustainable, High-Quality children’s Education and Care Workforce 2021–2031. Canberra: Education Services Australia.
  • ACECQA [Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority]. 2021b. Workforce Snapshot. Canberra.
  • American Psychological Association. 2024. Anxiety. https://www.apa.org/topics/anxiety.
  • Bates, S. 2018. “”It Is the Best Job in the World but…”: Why Ec Teachers Teach.” Early Education 64: 7–11. https://doi.org/10.3316/informit.974031330092206.
  • Blum, S., and I. Dobrotić. 2021. “Childcare-Policy Responses in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Unpacking Cross-Country Variation.” European Societies 23 (sup1): S545–S63. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616696.2020.1831572.
  • Bonetti, S. 2018. The Early Years Workforce: A Fragmented Picture. Education Policy Institute.
  • Braun, V., and V. Clarke. 2006. “Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology.” Qualitative Research in Psychology 3 (2): 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa.
  • Brennan, D., and E. Adamson. 2012. “Early Childhood Education and Care Policy.” In Children, Families and Communities, edited by J. Bowes, R. Grace, and K. Hodge, 4th ed, 255–270. South Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press.
  • Bussey, K., L. Henderson, S. Clarke, and L. Disney. 2022. “The Role of the Australian Education Union Victoria in Supporting Early Childhood Educators During a Global Pandemic: Tensions, Challenges and Opportunities for the Profession.” In Early Childhood Education and Care in a Global Pandemic: How the Sector Responded, Spoke Back and Generated Knowledge, edited by L. Henderson, K. Bussey, and H. B. Ebrahim, 181–195. London, England: Routledge.
  • Bustamante, A., and K. Hirsh-Pasek. 2020. Are Our Preschool Teachers Worth More Than They Were Two Months Ago?. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/are-our-preschool-teachers-worth-more-than-they-were-two-months-ago/.
  • Ciuciu, J., and N. Robertson. 2019. “‘That’s What You Want to Do As a Teacher, Make a Difference, Let the Child Be, Have High expectations’: Stories of Becoming, Being and Unbecoming an Early Childhood Teacher.” Australian Journal of Teacher Education 44 (11): 79–95. https://doi.org/10.3316/informit.982112353428131.
  • COAG (Council of Australian Governments). 2009. Investing in the Early Years – A National Early Childhood Development Strategy. Commonwealth of Australia Canberra.
  • Creswell, J. W. 2013. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. 4th ed. Los Angeles, California: Sage publications.
  • Cumming, T., and M. Gibson. 2020. “Inconvenient Truths About Early Childhood Education and Care: Workers’ Lives Matter.” Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood 21 (2): 93–95. https://doi.org/10.1177/1463949120934755.
  • Cumming, T., H. Logan, and S. Wong. 2020. “A Critique of the Discursive Landscape: Challenging the Invisibility of Early Childhood educators’ Well-Being.” Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood 21 (2): 96–110. https://doi.org/10.1177/1463949120928430.
  • Cumming, T., and S. Wong. 2019. “Towards a Holistic Conceptualisation of Early Childhood educators’ Work-Related Well-Being.” Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood 20 (3): 265–81. https://doi.org/10.1177/1463949118772573.
  • Cumming, T., S. Wong, and H. Logan. 2021. “Early Childhood educators’ Well-Being, Work Environments and ‘Quality’: Possibilities for Changing Policy and Practice.” Australasian Journal of Early Childhood 46 (1): 50–65. https://doi.org/10.1177/1836939120979064.
  • Curtis, K. 2022. “Federal Government Urged to Inject $1b into Childcare Sector to Fix Crisis.” Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/federal-government-urged-inject-1b-into-childcare-sector-to-fix-crisis-20220216-p59wyl.html.
  • Duffy, C. 2020. “Childcare Centres to Be Free for Parents During Coronavirus Pandemic, Scott Morrison Announces.” ABC News.
  • Duffy, C. 2022. “Australian Childcare ‘In crisis’, As New Figures Show 11 per Cent Need Special Federal Government Waiver to Legally Operate.” ABC News.
  • Eadie, P., P. Levickis, L. Murray, J. Page, C. Elek, and A. Church. 2021. “Early Childhood Educators’ Wellbeing During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Early Childhood Education Journal 49 (5): 903–913. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01203-3.
  • Early Childhood Australia. 2021. “How to Talk About Early Childhood Education and Care.” https://thespoke.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/words-matter/.
  • Gibson, M., A. McFadden, K. E. Williams, L. Zollo, A. Winter, and J. Lunn. 2019. “Imbalances Between Workforce Policy and Employment for Early Childhood Graduate Teachers: Complexities and Considerations.” Australasian Journal of Early Childhood 45 (1): 82–94. https://doi.org/10.1177/1836939119885308.
  • Grant, A. A., L. Jeon, and C. K. Buettner. 2019. “Relating Early Childhood teachers’ Working Conditions and Well-Being to Their Turnover Intentions.” Educational Psychology 39 (3): 294–312. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2018.1543856.
  • Grealy, C., L. Rubenstein, R. Pigott, C. Zhang, and G. Fitzgerald. 2010. Evalution of the National Partnership on Early Childhood Education. Annual Progress Report 2010. Australia, Urbis.
  • Grieshaber, S., and L. Graham. 2015. “Equity and Educators Enacting the Australian Early Years Learning Framework.” Critical Studies in Education 58 (1): 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/17508487.2015.1126328.
  • Henderson, L., B. Katherine, and B. E. Hasina. 2022. “Afterword.” In Early Childhood Education and Care in a Global Pandemic: How the Sector Responded, Spoke Back and Generated Knowledge, edited by L. Henderson, K. Bussey, and H. B. Ebrahim, 211–222. London, England: Routledge.
  • Henderson, L., J. Nuttall, E. Wood, and J. Martin. 2024. “Educational Leadership in Early Childhood Education: Participant Vulnerability and a ‘Rule of Care.” Journal of Early Childhood Research 22 (2): 297–312. https://doi.org/10.1177/147671X231210641.
  • Irvine, S., K. Thorpe, P. McDonald, J. Lunn, and J. Sumsion. 2016. Money, Love and Identity: Initial Findings from the National ECEC Workforce Study. Summary Report from the National ECEC Workforce Development Policy Workshop. Brisbane, Queensland: QUT.
  • Jalongo, M. R. 2021. “The Effects of COVID-19 on Early Childhood Education and Care: Research and Resources for Children, Families, Teachers, and Teacher Educators.” Early Childhood Education Journal 49 (5): 763–774. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01208-y.
  • Jeon, L., C. K. Buettner, and A. A. Grant. 2018. “Early Childhood Teachers’ Psychological Well-Being: Exploring Potential Predictors of Depression, Stress, and Emotional Exhaustion.” Early Education & Development 29 (1): 53–69. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2017.1341806.
  • Johnson, R. B., and L. Christensen. 2019. Educational Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Approaches. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.
  • Jones, C., F. Hadley, M. Waniganayake, and M. Johnstone. 2019. “Find Your Tribe! Early Childhood Educators Defining and Identifying Key Factors That Support Their Workplace Wellbeing.” Australasian Journal of Early Childhood 44 (4): 326–338. https://doi.org/10.1177/1836939119870906.
  • Kwon, K.-A., T. G. Ford, A. L. Salvatore, K. Randall, L. Jeon, A. Malek-Lasater, N. Ellis, et al. 2022. “Neglected Elements of a High-Quality Early Childhood Workforce: Whole Teacher Well-Being and Working Conditions.” Early Childhood Education Journal 50 (1): 157–168. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-020-01124-7.
  • Kwon, K.-A., D. M. Horm, and C. Amirault. 2021. “Early Childhood Teachers’ Well-Being: What We Know and Why We Should Care.” Zero to Three 41 (3): 35–44.
  • Leedy, P. D., and J. E. Ormrod. 2019. Practical Research: Planning and Design. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson.
  • Liu, Y., and W. Boyd. 2020. “Comparing Career Identities and Choices of Pre-Service Early Childhood Teachers Between Australia and China.” International Journal of Early Years Education 28 (4): 336–350. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669760.2018.1444585.
  • Logan, H., T. Cumming, and S. Wong. 2020. “Sustaining the Work-Related Wellbeing of Early Childhood Educators: Perspectives from Key Stakeholders in Early Childhood Organisations.” International Journal of Early Childhood 52 (1): 95–113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-020-00264-6.
  • Logan, H., J. Sumsion, and F. Press. 2015. “The Council of Australian Government Reforms [2007–2013]: A Critical Juncture in Australian Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Policy?” International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy 9 (1): 8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40723-015-0011-1.
  • Mazza, C., E. Ricci, S. Biondi, M. Colasanti, S. Ferracuti, C. Napoli, and P. Roma. 2020. “A Nationwide Survey of Psychological Distress Among Italian People During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Immediate Psychological Responses and Associated Factors.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17 (9): 3165.
  • McDonald, P., K. Thorpe, and S. Irvine. 2018. “Low Pay but Still We Stay: Retention in Early Childhood Education and Care.” Journal of Industrial Relations 60 (5): 647–668. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022185618800351.
  • McMullen, M. B., M. S. C. Lee, K. I. McCormick, and J. Choi. 2020. “Early Childhood Professional Well-Being As a Predictor of the Risk of Turnover in Child Care: A Matter of Quality.” Journal of Research in Childhood Education 34 (3): 331–345. https://doi.org/10.1080/02568543.2019.1705446.
  • Nagasawa, M., and K. Tarrant. 2020. Who Will Care for the Early Care and Education Workforce? COVID-19 and the Need to Support Early Childhood Educators’ Emotional Well-Being. CUNY: New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute.
  • Noble, K., and K. Macfarlane. 2005. “Romance or Reality?: Examining Burnout in Early Childhood Teachers.” Australasian Journal of Early Childhood 30 (3): 53–58. https://doi.org/10.1177/183693910503000309.
  • Nuttall, J., L. Henderson, E. Wood, and T. Are Trippestad. 2022. “Policy Rhetorics and Responsibilization in the Formation of Early Childhood Educational Leaders in Australia.” Journal of Education Policy 37 (1): 17–38. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680939.2020.1739340.
  • Nuttall, J., L. Henderson, E. Wood, and J. Martin. 2024. Leadership in Early Childhood Education: A Cultural-Historical Theory of Practice Development. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer.
  • Nuttall, J., and L. Thomas. 2015. “Time and Temporality in Early Childhood educators’ Work.” European Early Childhood Education Research Journal 23 (4): 512–523. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2014.970851.
  • OECD. 2019. Providing Quality Early Childhood Education and Care. Edited by OECD.
  • OECD. 2020. Building a High-Quality Early Childhood Education and Care Workforce. Edited by OECD.
  • Park, E., H. Logan, L. Zhang, N. Kamigaichi, and U. Kulapichitr. 2020. “Responses to Coronavirus Pandemic in Early Childhood Services Across Five Countries in the Asia-Pacific Region: OMEP Policy Forum.” International Journal of Early Childhood 52 (3): 249–266. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-020-00278-0.
  • Peele, M., and S. Wolf. 2021. “Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms in Early Childhood Education Teachers: Relations to Professional Well-Being and Absenteeism.” Early Childhood Research Quarterly 55: 275–283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2020.11.008.
  • Quinones, G., M. Barnes, and E. Berger. 2021. “Early Childhood educators’ Solidarity and Struggles for Recognition.” Australasian Journal of Early Childhood 46 (4): 296–308. https://doi.org/10.1177/18369391211050165.
  • Roberts, A., K. Gallagher, A. Daro, I. Iruka, and S. Sarver. 2019. Risk Factors for Depression Among Early Childhood Teachers. Research Brief. Nebraska: University of Nebraska.
  • Rogers, M. 2022. COVID Chaos Has Shed Light on Many Issues in the Australian Childcare Sector. Here Are 4 of Them. edited by The Conversation. The Conversation.
  • Scharper, J. 2019. Research Shows the First Five Years Are Stressful – For Preschool Teachers. Johns Hopkins University School of Education.
  • Shanafelt, T., J. Ripp, and M. Trockel. 2020. “Understanding and Address Sources of Anxiety Among Health Care Professionals During COVID-19 Pandemic.” JAMA 32 (21): 2133–2134. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.5893.
  • Souto-Manning, M., and S. A. Melvin. 2022. “Early Childhood Teachers of Color in New York City: Heightened Stress, Lower Quality of Life, Declining Health, and Compromised Sleep Amidst COVID-19.” Early Childhood Research Quarterly 60: 34–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2021.11.005.
  • Spiden, L. 2020. “Kinder Teachers ‘Invisible.” Herald Sun. Accessed April 9th, 2020 https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/kinder-teachers-invisible/docview/2387288091/se-2?accountid=12528.
  • Swigonski, N. L., B. James, W. Wynns, and K. Casavan. 2021. “Physical, Mental, and Financial Stress Impacts of COVID-19 on Early Childhood Educators.” Early Childhood Education Journal 49 (5): 799–806. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01223-z.
  • Thorpe, K., E. Jansen, V. Sullivan, S. Irvine, P. McDonald, K. Thorpe, S. Irvine, et al. 2020. “Identifying Predictors of Retention and Professional Wellbeing of the Early Childhood Education Workforce in a Time of Change.” Journal of Educational Change 21 (4): 623–647. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-020-09382-3.
  • Visnjic-Jevtic, A., A. Varga Nagy, G. Ozturk, İ. Tuba Şahin-Sak, J. Paz-Albo, M. Toran, and N. Sánchez-Pérez. 2021. “Policies and Practices of Early Childhood Education and Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives from Five Countries.” Journal of Childhood, Education & Society 2 (2): 200–216. https://doi.org/10.37291/2717638X.202122114.
  • World Health Organisation. 2020. Occupational Health: Stress at the Workplace. World Health Organisation. https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/ccupational-health-stress-at-the-workplace.