The PhD Defence in Educational Sciences of candidate Bárbara Tadeu,  will take place at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Porto (FPCEUP) on 24 July 2024, at 10.00 Am. The thesis, entitled “Perceções e dinâmicas identitárias associadas à presença de educadoras de infância na sala de berçário em contexto socioeducativo de creche”. was developed under the supervision of  Amélia Lopes, Full Professor of FPCEUP.

The session is open to the public.

Evaluation panel: 
Chair: Sofia Marques, Associate Professor at FPCEUP

Members:
 Maria Teresa Pereira, Associate Professor at the Institute of Education of the University of Minho.
 Sara Araújo, Coordinating Professor at the Higher School of Education of the Polytechnic Institute of Porto.
Luís Miguel de Oliveira, Assistant Professor at the School of Education and Social Sciences of the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria.
Fátima Pereira, Full Professor of FPCEUP
Amélia Lopes, Full Professor of FPCEUP - supervisor.

ABSTRACT:
Aiming to contribute to a body of knowledge about professional identities in early childhood education and care in Portugal, as well as to a better understanding of the ways of feeling, thinking and acting of this professional group, this research aims to study the perceptions and identity dynamics associated with the presence of early childhood educators in baby rooms in socio-educational daycare contexts, thus dividing the study objective into two specific objectives.
This study had as its starting point the assumption that the discussion on the (re)construction of the professional identities of early childhood educators must be based on research results, but that it is also a social construct based on social values and perceptions. Therefore, the specific objectives of this investigation were: to study the social subjects who experience these contexts, seeking to assess the experiences and perceptions of technical directors-early childhood educators, educational action assistants and families – “the others”, whose processes and identity dynamics of early childhood educators are correlative –; and assess the trajectories, experiences, actions, feelings and professional knowledge of the subjects of the investigation: early childhood educators in baby rooms in socio-educational daycare contexts.
The research finds a theoretical and conceptual framework in the theory of identities, in the construction of professional identities and the construction of professional identities in early childhood education and care and a methodological framework in the interpretative and complexity paradigms, using focus groups, interviews and content analysis.
The analysis of the data collected allows us to conclude that the identity dynamics of the early childhood educators participating in the research project depend on processes of negotiation, adaptation, insubordination, submission or resignation, in which multiple factors come into play – biographical and relational – that contribute, comprise, characterize and impact the (re)construction of professional identities.
The historical influence, educational policies, social perceptions, the impact of initial and continuing training, the conditions experienced in the contexts of professional activity, their relationships and power asymmetries are aspects equally emphasized and interpreted as the main challenges for the (re) construction of the professional identities of the participants in the study, measuring the emergence of three types of identity of early childhood educators in the baby room context: relational, technical and assistance.
Understanding the strategies and resources that these early childhood educators mobilize to face the challenges inherent to a profession under construction and affirmation could contribute to improving the training of early childhood educators and to the pedagogical action in baby rooms in daycare contexts, impacting the education and care of babies, young children and their families. Social recognition of the importance of these professionals in these contexts can inform organizational and educational policie within the scope of early childhood education and care.

Keywords: Early childhood educators, (re)construction of professional identities, social perceptions, babies, baby rooms, daycare.