Peer-reviewed article
Early childhood workforce professionalism in South Africa: Policy ideologies and teacher understandings
Colwyn Deborah Martin, Hasina Ebrahim, Mary Clasquin-Johnson, Melanie Martin ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5This study looks at how early childhood care and education teachers in South Africa understand professionalism, compared to what government policy expects of them. It combines analysis of a national policy document with a survey of 208 teachers from 73 early childhood centres in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng. The research finds a mismatch between policies that focus mainly on formal qualifications and the everyday realities and experiences of teachers. Teachers accept the importance of qualifications but also find their own ways to build professional identity despite systemic barriers. The authors argue for a more inclusive approach to professionalism that recognises the voices of this mostly female workforce.
Key points
- ECCE professionals in South Africa face dislocation and marginality within a fragmented system
- Study used document analysis of the MRQECDE policy plus an online questionnaire with 208 teachers from 73 centres
- Findings show tension between qualification-centric policy and teachers' lived experiences
- Teachers internalise policy ideas on qualifications but also show agency in creating alternative professional pathways
- The workforce is predominantly feminised and faces intersectional disadvantages and structural challenges
Limitations
The study is based on a purposive, non-random sample from one district, so findings may not generalise to other regions or the full national ECCE workforce.
Abstract
Despite its pivotal role in young children's development and learning, early childhood care and education (ECCE) remains undervalued and under-resourced, with its professional status and recognition often ambiguous. In South Africa, ECCE professionals experience dislocation and marginality within a fragmented system, hindering their efforts to achieve professionalism and consistency in recognition and status. This article examines workforce professionalism in South Africa's ECCE sector, analysing the interplay between policy ideologies and teachers’ understandings. A dual lens of democratic professionalism and transformative feminist perspectives was employed to analyse the sector's challenges within a highly unequal socio-economic landscape. The study combined document analysis of the Policy on Minimum Requirements for Programmes Leading to Qualifications in Higher Education for Early Childhood Development Educators (MRQECDE), and data collection through an online questionnaire with a purposive sample of 208 ECCE teachers from 73 ECCE centres in the Ekurhuleni district of Gauteng province. Findings reveal tensions between qualification-centric policies and teachers’ experiences, highlighting how systemic constraints and intersectional disadvantages affect workforce professionalism. Whilst teachers internalised policy ideologies on qualifications, they demonstrate agency by reimagining alternative pathways for their professionalism. This study contributes to global debates on ECCE professionalism, particularly to contexts where predominantly feminised workforce experience similar structural challenges. A more inclusive and context-responsive approach to professionalism is essential – one that adopts an empowerment framework and prioritises the recognition of marginalised voices.