ABSTRACT

In Australia, early childhood teachers (ECTs) are often required to take up leadership responsibilities soon after appointment. Since 2017, early career ECTs have been required to seek professional accreditation at the proficient (graduate) level (The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers), although their position often demands they take up leadership responsibilities at a higher level. This anomalous gap, plus our concerns about the lack of transitional support for final-stage early childhood preservice teachers led to a pilot study that examined the perceptions and concerns about leadership roles of graduating ECTs. Guided by social constructionist theory and a qualitative methodology, data were collected with this student cohort plus two current ECE directors via an online professional learning program, focus groups, and surveys. This paper reports participants’ perceptions of leadership enactment and students’ concerns about their future role as ECTs. The gap between the expectations of new ECT graduates and the actual leadership responsibilities they may assume is also interrogated. This paper argues that increased mentoring support from both federal and state/territory government levels and management bodies is urgently needed to promote the leadership capacities of early-career ECTs.

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