From marginalised student to marginalised professional - Identity and the Early Childhood Student

The Early Childhood sector is one beset with tensions for its workforce. We raise the question of how this will affect the identity of Early Childhood undergraduate students as they work towards careers in the sector. Two cohorts of Early Childhood students were asked about their understanding of the ‘ideal’ student and what is special about Early Childhood students. Responses were thematically analysed with a priori and inductive coding and with particular mind to how author positionality, as both tutors and researchers, might affect the postulated meaning of data. Whilst we conclude that there is a shift in emphasis between student understandings of the ‘ideal’ and the early childhood student from a stronger academic vision to a more vocationally motivated persona, we also find it important to acknowledge our own part in constructing this understanding of our students. The findings have implications for strengthening student identity but also for considering the impact of academic staff perceptions and the positioning of early childhood studies within academia and beyond.