Evidencing leadership and management challenges in early childhood in Australia

The Australian early childhood system is complex and constantly changing and poses challenges to centre director/managers. A major challenge is the difficulty in meeting the responsibilities of leading and managing both organisational and pedagogical goals within the legal and educational frameworks...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Australasian journal of early childhood 2019-09, Vol.44 (3), p.285-297
Main Authors: Alchin, Ian, Arthur, Leonie, Woodrow, Christine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Administration
Administrator Characteristics
Administrator responsibility
Administrator Role
Administrators
Analysis
Change management
Child Care Centers
Child care centres
Child development
Childhood
Early Childhood Education
Educational Administration
Educational research
Foreign Countries
Frameworks
Leadership
Management
Preschool teachers
Preschools
Preservice teacher education
Professional development
Quantitative research
Questionnaires
Teachers
Young children
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Summary:The Australian early childhood system is complex and constantly changing and poses challenges to centre director/managers. A major challenge is the difficulty in meeting the responsibilities of leading and managing both organisational and pedagogical goals within the legal and educational frameworks of the system. Preparing educators for a complex and changing role may also present challenges for both initial teacher education and postgraduate professional learning. Concern continues in the sector that such challenges lead to turnover in the role, affecting the quality of programmes provided for children. A national online questionnaire collected quantitative data from director/managers working in centre-based early childhood services in order to gain an understanding of the breadth and scope of the current challenges they experience. The findings from the research reported here suggest challenges are experienced in the organisational leadership domain with managing staff a particular concern. [Author abstract]
ISSN:1836-9391
1839-5961
DOI:10.1177/1836939119855563