Samantha McMahon Bücher

Professionalism and Leadership in Early Childhood Education and Care explores the tension between what early years practitioners are expected to achieve, and the level of expertise and understanding required to underpin this.

This book examines the university experiences of first-in-family university students, and how these students’ decisions to return to education impact upon their family members and significant others. While it is well known that parental educational background has a substantial impact on the educational levels of family and dependents, it is unclear how attending university as a first-in-family student translates into the family and community of the learner. With the continuing requirements for higher education institutions to increase the participation of students from a range of diverse backgrounds and educational biographies, this is a major gap in understanding that needs to be addressed. Exploring how this university participation is understood at an individual, familial and community level, this book provides valuable insights into how best to support different student requirements. This book will be of great interest to students and researchers in the fields of education and sociology, as well as policy-makers in education and diversity initiatives.

This practical text supports early years students and practitioners to build confidence in planning for learning across all stages of the EYFS and in the many different contexts in which it is delivered.