Exploring the co-constructions of followership practices in early childhood education and care settings in Australia

Description

This research proposal is seeking to advance understandings of followership practices in early childhood education settings. Leadership attracts considerable interest, yet followership theory and the role of followers is rarely discussed within early childhood education. This prospective study will employ a balanced approach that draws on emerging ideas from organisational studies, such as the power of followership—proposing that both leaders and followers co-construct leadership practices, not just positionally appointed leaders. This study proposes the use of a multi-site short term ethnographic approach to explore followership practices. Data collection would involve shadowing methods such as close and distant shadowing to enable an analysis of both individuals and the construction of social relationships. Lastly, the use of the theory of practice architectures will act as a tool to both view and analyse the co-construction of practices through the language, actions and relationships within the early childhood education workplace.

Period	2018 → …
Examinee
Degree of Recognition	International