Enhancing the well-being of early childhood education practitioners working in resource-constrained contexts
South African Journal of Childhood Education
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Enhancing the well-being of early childhood education practitioners working in resource-constrained contexts | |
| Creator | Wood, Lesley Esterhuizen, Stef | |
| Description | Background: The recent migration of early childhood care and education function brought with it many changes that affect the workplace well-being of practitioners and centre managers, yet little research has reported on the voices and experiences of those working on the ground.Aim: To find out the current state of well-being of practitioners working in resource-constrained contexts to help us theorise how might they take action to improve it.Setting: Early childhood care and education centres in rural and township areas in six different provinces.Methods: The first author conducted 10 semi-structured focus group interviews with 80 practitioners recruited by collaborating researchers at various universities. All ethical protocols were adhered to. The focus groups were audio-taped, transcribed and thematically analysed independently by the two authors before reaching consensus.Results: Two themes were identified: (1) participants experienced negative emotions arising from both internal and systemic aspects that were affecting their well-being. (2) Several factors promoted the well-being of practitioners despite their difficult circumstances.Conclusion: Based on the findings, it appears that close collaboration among practitioners within centres and, with other external stakeholders, was an important factor for enhanced well-being. Drawing from action learning theory, we suggest how practitioners can collaborate to sustain their well-being while addressing the challenges they face.Contribution: This collaborative action learning approach can be applied not only by ECCE centres, but to any organisation wishing to improve the well-being and practice of their members. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2024-04-12 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/sajce.v14i1.1477 | |
| Source | South African Journal of Childhood Education; Vol 14, No 1 (2024); 8 pages 2223-7682 2223-7674 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/1477/2757
https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/1477/2758
https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/1477/2759
https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/1477/2760
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