The involvement of refugee families in early childhood education and care (ECEC) is a complex iss... more The involvement of refugee families in early childhood education and care (ECEC) is a complex issue in many countries. In this paper, we explore how early childhood (EC) educators construct refugee families’ sense of belonging in two metropolitan and one regional EC setting in Victoria, Australia. We undertook a multiple case study, analyzing interview data. We implemented Bourdieu’s notion of cultural capital and identity capital, drawing on the Provision Articles from the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and the Australian Early Years Learning Framework 2.0. Our study revealed the tensions between creating a sense of belonging and recognizing the identity and cultural capital of refugee children and their families as they access ECEC programs. We conclude with suggestions for ways forward to navigate this space, including the need for greater awareness of research on the importance of a sense of belonging for refugee families in ECEC settings.
Women’s auto/biography provides powerful and culturally diverse narratives. The traditional odyss... more Women’s auto/biography provides powerful and culturally diverse narratives. The traditional odyssey for the inner meaning of the female self often involves a search for the maternal legacy. Through a series of conversations that were enacted in various locations significant to the authors, the telling of partial and subjective stories of maternal histories were narrated. The two authors have known each other for more than 55 years having started school together at the age of four. Through their conversations, they sought to gain a fuller understanding of different representations of connections among, and between, women. Stories were told of mothers and daughters as well as sisters and friends. The focus of the conversations was on how a Catholic upbringing and education seeps into the intergenerational relationships of mothers and daughters and infuses the contradictions and polarities of women’s lives.
It is well-established in both scholarship and policy documents that students’ home language prac... more It is well-established in both scholarship and policy documents that students’ home language practices can be leveraged as a key resource for their learning. However, it can be challenging for teachers to embed students’ language resources in class activities in ways that link to wider learning objectives. We report how the inclusion of home language literacy practices can both enhance English language learning and promote multiliteracies. Data are drawn from a design-based study on the incorporation of home languages in the teaching of English. In the article, we focus on the teaching and learning that occurred in the classroom of two English as an Additional Language (EAL) teachers. Data collected comprised lesson sequences, teacher reflection, student work samples and student reflection. It was found that teacher-initiated support for home language literacy practices led to positive student engagement. The support included giving an active role to bi/multilingual teaching assista...
In the context of ever-changing global movement of peoples in and between countries, linguistic d... more In the context of ever-changing global movement of peoples in and between countries, linguistic diversity, and diversity in modes of communication and expression have become increasingly vibrant and visible (D’warte & Slaughter, 2021). These changes have also been reflected in research scholarship into languages acquisition where monolingual-centric assumptions have been disrupted by heteroglossic perspectives that view the linguistic repertoire of any individual, including the very young child, as complex – shaped by the “linguistic, cognitive, social and emotional” characteristics of the individual (Seltzer & García, 2020, p. 2). In orienting this to the classroom, Cummins & Early (2011) argue that the relationship between language and identity cannot be untwined but that indeed, a critical precondition for learning involves recognising and engaging with the cultural and linguistic knowledges and learning experiences of students.
Provision of early childhood education and care services for refugee families took on heightened ... more Provision of early childhood education and care services for refugee families took on heightened challenges during COVID-19 restrictions. We undertook a small-scale study to explore how Australian educators worked with and cared for refugee families during the COVID-19 outbreak in an urban Australian setting. This paper emerges from a larger project that aimed to support social inclusion and cultural and linguistic diversity for refugee families in Australia. The paper draws on two group interviews conducted during a COVID-19 lockdown with four educators working with refugee families in early childhood education and care. Data analysis is framed by the ethics of care work of Carol Gilligan and Nel Noddings. On the basis of these theories and the interview data, two vignettes on an ethics of care were developed. The importance of being cared for and cared about and genuinely listening were identified as crucial aspects of the care provided to refugee children and their families. [ FR...
This chapter examines the testimonies of women concerning life after study and training and explo... more This chapter examines the testimonies of women concerning life after study and training and explores the continuities and disruptions to work and family. The experiences of the women were in a large part consistent with wider national trends. Non-linear transitions into lifelong careers were not unusual. Family caring duties and ill-health were some reasons for disruptions to careers. Precarity and fluidity in relation to workforce participation was a feature of employment across the generations but, in particular, featured prominently in the testimonies of the third generation. Life journeys after study and training were diverse across all generations, yet the influence of family on shaping post-school decisions was evident for some women. Happiness in work and life was of importance to all women. Post-family life was experienced in a myriad of ways with retirement for some opening up new opportunities and activities. There are some indications that for the third generation, certai...
Re-imagining Professional Experience in Initial Teacher Education
Professional experience in teacher education programmes is being reframed due to the growing inta... more Professional experience in teacher education programmes is being reframed due to the growing intake of international students over the last decade. Early Childhood Education (ECE), as one of the favoured options of many international students, witnesses increasing enrolment from international students, especially those from China. However, due to the philosophical and pedagogical differences between Early Childhood Education in Australia and China, Chinese pre-service teachers can encounter multiple and complex challenges during their professional experiences in the Australian ECE context. This chapter presents the initial professional experience of one first-year undergraduate Chinese student studying in ECE, through a narrative lens. Bourdieu’s field, habitus and capital are employed to understand how pre-service teachers’ perceptions towards the field and different cultural and linguistic capitals that they possess, can inform international pre-service teachers’ success and self-confidence during their professional experiences.
The post-school pathways of the women in this study were fluid and non-linear. The lives of many ... more The post-school pathways of the women in this study were fluid and non-linear. The lives of many interviewees of Generations 2 and 3 featured geographic mobility. Stories of mobility were diverse. In particular, relational, gendered, spatial and temporal influences were part of the journeys of the interviewees. Women moved along pathways from home and back again and in some instances, multiple times. Aspirations for travel, it was suggested by one interviewee, stemmed from volunteering experienced at Catholic schools. Family histories of travel influenced an ambition to travel. Mobility occurred for a range of purposes ranging from exploration of other countries, for purposes of work to fulfilling spiritual endeavours. These global experiences provided valuable employment opportunities and financial security, and were perceived as desirable; at times, becoming part of the lifestyle of interviewees.
The focus of this chapter is on how three generations of Catholic mothers and daughters think bac... more The focus of this chapter is on how three generations of Catholic mothers and daughters think back on their Catholic education. Insights are gleaned into the expectations that mothers have of Catholic education for their daughters, how mothers and daughters understand their experiences of schooling, and in what way dis/connections between the values espoused at school and in the home shape women’s lives and interpersonal relationships. Case histories of five family groups are analysed according to their perceptions of shifting values, morals and ethics in education between the 1920s and early twenty-first century. What is shared across these family groupings is that all three generations were educated at Catholic schools. Social, religious and historical demarcation lines are re/drawn within, and between, the various educational journeys these women experienced. It is argued that relationships with religion are not fixed, rather these women continue to make choices in relation to th...
This chapter examines trends in education and training through both individual and collective nar... more This chapter examines trends in education and training through both individual and collective narratives of how three generations of women mediate and manage the transition to, and between, study and work. Testimonies are located within wider trends, historical contexts with sociological implications being drawn. The women’s testimonies, in the main, echo wider national trends while providing more nuanced accounts of continuity and change across, and between, generations. Early school leaving was more common for the older generations. Changes in the labour market during the twentieth century and how they impacted on school transitions are discussed. During the later twentieth century, the younger generation of women is generally more highly educated with many participating in post-school study and training. In addition, this third generation is beginning to embark on less traditionally gendered careers. For some, pathways changed across generations as new areas of study, training an...
The involvement of refugee families in early childhood education and care (ECEC) is a complex iss... more The involvement of refugee families in early childhood education and care (ECEC) is a complex issue in many countries. In this paper, we explore how early childhood (EC) educators construct refugee families’ sense of belonging in two metropolitan and one regional EC setting in Victoria, Australia. We undertook a multiple case study, analyzing interview data. We implemented Bourdieu’s notion of cultural capital and identity capital, drawing on the Provision Articles from the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and the Australian Early Years Learning Framework 2.0. Our study revealed the tensions between creating a sense of belonging and recognizing the identity and cultural capital of refugee children and their families as they access ECEC programs. We conclude with suggestions for ways forward to navigate this space, including the need for greater awareness of research on the importance of a sense of belonging for refugee families in ECEC settings.
Women’s auto/biography provides powerful and culturally diverse narratives. The traditional odyss... more Women’s auto/biography provides powerful and culturally diverse narratives. The traditional odyssey for the inner meaning of the female self often involves a search for the maternal legacy. Through a series of conversations that were enacted in various locations significant to the authors, the telling of partial and subjective stories of maternal histories were narrated. The two authors have known each other for more than 55 years having started school together at the age of four. Through their conversations, they sought to gain a fuller understanding of different representations of connections among, and between, women. Stories were told of mothers and daughters as well as sisters and friends. The focus of the conversations was on how a Catholic upbringing and education seeps into the intergenerational relationships of mothers and daughters and infuses the contradictions and polarities of women’s lives.
It is well-established in both scholarship and policy documents that students’ home language prac... more It is well-established in both scholarship and policy documents that students’ home language practices can be leveraged as a key resource for their learning. However, it can be challenging for teachers to embed students’ language resources in class activities in ways that link to wider learning objectives. We report how the inclusion of home language literacy practices can both enhance English language learning and promote multiliteracies. Data are drawn from a design-based study on the incorporation of home languages in the teaching of English. In the article, we focus on the teaching and learning that occurred in the classroom of two English as an Additional Language (EAL) teachers. Data collected comprised lesson sequences, teacher reflection, student work samples and student reflection. It was found that teacher-initiated support for home language literacy practices led to positive student engagement. The support included giving an active role to bi/multilingual teaching assista...
In the context of ever-changing global movement of peoples in and between countries, linguistic d... more In the context of ever-changing global movement of peoples in and between countries, linguistic diversity, and diversity in modes of communication and expression have become increasingly vibrant and visible (D’warte & Slaughter, 2021). These changes have also been reflected in research scholarship into languages acquisition where monolingual-centric assumptions have been disrupted by heteroglossic perspectives that view the linguistic repertoire of any individual, including the very young child, as complex – shaped by the “linguistic, cognitive, social and emotional” characteristics of the individual (Seltzer & García, 2020, p. 2). In orienting this to the classroom, Cummins & Early (2011) argue that the relationship between language and identity cannot be untwined but that indeed, a critical precondition for learning involves recognising and engaging with the cultural and linguistic knowledges and learning experiences of students.
Provision of early childhood education and care services for refugee families took on heightened ... more Provision of early childhood education and care services for refugee families took on heightened challenges during COVID-19 restrictions. We undertook a small-scale study to explore how Australian educators worked with and cared for refugee families during the COVID-19 outbreak in an urban Australian setting. This paper emerges from a larger project that aimed to support social inclusion and cultural and linguistic diversity for refugee families in Australia. The paper draws on two group interviews conducted during a COVID-19 lockdown with four educators working with refugee families in early childhood education and care. Data analysis is framed by the ethics of care work of Carol Gilligan and Nel Noddings. On the basis of these theories and the interview data, two vignettes on an ethics of care were developed. The importance of being cared for and cared about and genuinely listening were identified as crucial aspects of the care provided to refugee children and their families. [ FR...
This chapter examines the testimonies of women concerning life after study and training and explo... more This chapter examines the testimonies of women concerning life after study and training and explores the continuities and disruptions to work and family. The experiences of the women were in a large part consistent with wider national trends. Non-linear transitions into lifelong careers were not unusual. Family caring duties and ill-health were some reasons for disruptions to careers. Precarity and fluidity in relation to workforce participation was a feature of employment across the generations but, in particular, featured prominently in the testimonies of the third generation. Life journeys after study and training were diverse across all generations, yet the influence of family on shaping post-school decisions was evident for some women. Happiness in work and life was of importance to all women. Post-family life was experienced in a myriad of ways with retirement for some opening up new opportunities and activities. There are some indications that for the third generation, certai...
Re-imagining Professional Experience in Initial Teacher Education
Professional experience in teacher education programmes is being reframed due to the growing inta... more Professional experience in teacher education programmes is being reframed due to the growing intake of international students over the last decade. Early Childhood Education (ECE), as one of the favoured options of many international students, witnesses increasing enrolment from international students, especially those from China. However, due to the philosophical and pedagogical differences between Early Childhood Education in Australia and China, Chinese pre-service teachers can encounter multiple and complex challenges during their professional experiences in the Australian ECE context. This chapter presents the initial professional experience of one first-year undergraduate Chinese student studying in ECE, through a narrative lens. Bourdieu’s field, habitus and capital are employed to understand how pre-service teachers’ perceptions towards the field and different cultural and linguistic capitals that they possess, can inform international pre-service teachers’ success and self-confidence during their professional experiences.
The post-school pathways of the women in this study were fluid and non-linear. The lives of many ... more The post-school pathways of the women in this study were fluid and non-linear. The lives of many interviewees of Generations 2 and 3 featured geographic mobility. Stories of mobility were diverse. In particular, relational, gendered, spatial and temporal influences were part of the journeys of the interviewees. Women moved along pathways from home and back again and in some instances, multiple times. Aspirations for travel, it was suggested by one interviewee, stemmed from volunteering experienced at Catholic schools. Family histories of travel influenced an ambition to travel. Mobility occurred for a range of purposes ranging from exploration of other countries, for purposes of work to fulfilling spiritual endeavours. These global experiences provided valuable employment opportunities and financial security, and were perceived as desirable; at times, becoming part of the lifestyle of interviewees.
The focus of this chapter is on how three generations of Catholic mothers and daughters think bac... more The focus of this chapter is on how three generations of Catholic mothers and daughters think back on their Catholic education. Insights are gleaned into the expectations that mothers have of Catholic education for their daughters, how mothers and daughters understand their experiences of schooling, and in what way dis/connections between the values espoused at school and in the home shape women’s lives and interpersonal relationships. Case histories of five family groups are analysed according to their perceptions of shifting values, morals and ethics in education between the 1920s and early twenty-first century. What is shared across these family groupings is that all three generations were educated at Catholic schools. Social, religious and historical demarcation lines are re/drawn within, and between, the various educational journeys these women experienced. It is argued that relationships with religion are not fixed, rather these women continue to make choices in relation to th...
This chapter examines trends in education and training through both individual and collective nar... more This chapter examines trends in education and training through both individual and collective narratives of how three generations of women mediate and manage the transition to, and between, study and work. Testimonies are located within wider trends, historical contexts with sociological implications being drawn. The women’s testimonies, in the main, echo wider national trends while providing more nuanced accounts of continuity and change across, and between, generations. Early school leaving was more common for the older generations. Changes in the labour market during the twentieth century and how they impacted on school transitions are discussed. During the later twentieth century, the younger generation of women is generally more highly educated with many participating in post-school study and training. In addition, this third generation is beginning to embark on less traditionally gendered careers. For some, pathways changed across generations as new areas of study, training an...
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