(Un)expected Emotions and Teamwork: Narratives of Early Childhood Education Practitioners 1

This study investigates expectations of teamwork and related emotions as described by Finnish early childhood education practitioners. The data, which consist of video-cued interviews with 15 practitioners in early childhood education and care (ECEC), are examined with narrative-discursive analysis....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nordic journal of working life studies 2024-06, Vol.14 (2), p.71-89
Main Authors: Hanhikoski, Essi, Alasuutari, Maarit, Collin, Kaija, Liinamaa, Tarja, Sevón, Eija
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Childhood
Children
Collaboration
Corporate culture
Discourse analysis
Early childhood education
Education
Emotions
Influence
Narratives
Professional development
Professionals
Teams
Teamwork
Well being
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Summary:This study investigates expectations of teamwork and related emotions as described by Finnish early childhood education practitioners. The data, which consist of video-cued interviews with 15 practitioners in early childhood education and care (ECEC), are examined with narrative-discursive analysis. Emotions are approached from a socio-constructivist perspective as narratively constructed. The results are presented as three narratives identified based on teamwork expectations: 1) narrative of inadequacy, 2) narrative of injustice, and 3) narrative of support. The narratives describe how time constraints and unexpected changes in teamwork dictated from the top-down produce negative emotional narratives, as well as how the team's expected support for each other evokes positive emotions and builds communality. The findings show that not only is teamwork an important emotional context in ECEC but also the limited possibilities for influencing teamwork practices evoke negative emotions that can affect the quality of teamwork and well-being at work in ECEC.
ISSN:2245-0157