Exploring the experiences of reception class teachers to understand the perceived factors affecting the enactment of personal pedagogical beliefs and values in their practice

Pedagogical beliefs have the potential to illuminate how a teacher’s pedagogical enactment of practice might evolve in the classroom (Fives and Buehl, 2012; Wood, 2010). Theories of how pedagogical beliefs develop have highlighted the work of Bourdieu (1977) and the role of ‘habitus’ and Gidden’s theory of ‘structuration’ (Burridge, 2018). This research elicited four reception class teacher’s pedagogical beliefs and has conducted an exploration of the enabling and restricting factors that affected the enactment of these beliefs.

Child development theories have helped to inform the development of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), used by teachers in today’s education, designed principally on interactive, play-based pedagogies that are child-centred (Siraj-Blatchford et. al., 2002; Sylva et al. 2004; Wood 2009, 2010) and are widely accepted as the principle pedagogical approaches to direct practice in early years education.

Over time however, there has been a perceived movement between ‘nurturing childhood’ to achieving ‘educational attainment’ in early years education (Nutbrown and Clough, 2014). Findings that have emerged from current research conclude that issues such as: ‘schoolification’ pressures (Whitebread and Bingham, 2014) imposed to ‘narrow the gap’ and improve outcomes for ‘datafication’ have begun to influence teachers’ chosen pedagogy (Dubiel and Kilner, 2017). Additionally, teacher identity (Beijaard, Verloop and Vermunt, 2000), teacher efficacy (Bandura, 1977) and school culture (Zahed-Babelan et al., 2019) factors affect pedagogic choices and enactment.

This study is underpinned by a Phenomenological philosophy and uses Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as a flexible framework. I have adapted the standard IPA framework and have used a range of tools to suit the nature of this study: Reflective Video Observation, Laddering (Personal Construct Psychology (PCP)), and phenomenological Elaborated Interview.

The Laddering exercise, as part of the methodological process revealed that these participants have strong but nuanced espoused pedagogical beliefs grounded in child-centred play-based learning, valuing interactions, grounded in relationships.

Analysis, using IPA led to the development of four Superordinate Themes: The Power of Knowledge, “Doing a Good Job”, “I’m going to be keeping an eye on everything you’re doing” and The Increased Visibility and Expectation of Performance within Systems, which spoke to understanding enabling and restricting factors.

Subordinate themes within The Power of Knowledge explored the way knowledge within the system, an appreciation for theory and understanding of children’s needs to feel safe and cared for, enabled the enactment of their pedagogical beliefs. The Subordinate themes for “Doing a Good Job” suggested that school culture was a factor for these teachers. Feeling empowered and trusted raised their efficacy. Furthermore, positive feedback from children contributed to motivational factors, and the teacher’s self determination to enact what they believed and valued. The Superordinate theme, “I’m going to be keeping an eye on everything you’re doing” relayed the psychological effects of working within a system of surveillance (Taylor, 2013). This made these participants question their practice and conform to regulatory systems that consequently affected their psychological supressed state. Lastly, the Subordinate themes for Increased Visibility and Expectation of Performance within Systems explored the experiences of working within system levels, the classroom, school and under governmental regimes. This Superordinate theme was firmly rooted in the effects of power (Foucault, 1972).