Faculty of Education - Theses

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Author: Lam, Claudine Jane × End date: 2019 × Start date: 2010 × Type: Masters Research thesis × Subject: early childhood education ×

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    The Transition Learning and Development Statement: multiple readings and kaleidoscopic possibilities
    Lam, Claudine Jane ( 2014)
    In Australia in 2009, the early childhood profession witnessed the debut of “Belonging, being and becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia” (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, (DEEWR), 2009). For early childhood educators in Victoria, this was followed by the concurrent introduction of the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF) (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, (DEECD), 2009a) and the Transition Learning and Development Statement (TLDS). The introduction of the TLDS was informed by international literature that recognises the significance of transition for children, families and educators (Dockett & Perry, 1999; Early, Pianta & Cox, 1999; Margetts, 2002; Dunlop & Fabian, 2007 & Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY), 2013). This signalled a renewed emphasis on transition within a Victorian context. The purpose of this research was to explore how the TLDS has been used to fulfil the intended dual purpose of making transition to primary school smoother for children and creating a shared professional language and relationship between early childhood and primary school educators. Accordingly, this thesis draws on in-depth interviews with early childhood and primary school educators to explore how they understand and engage with the TLDS. The subsequent data analysis revealed that early childhood and primary school educators operated within shared dominant discourses and that this promoted the building of mutual professional relationships. Post-structural understandings of knowledge, truth and power were drawn on to elucidate this data in two ways. Firstly, through the positioning of the TLDS as a mechanism of power, the dominant discourses of children, families and educators that circulate throughout the TLDS were investigated. Secondly, the privileging of the TLDS as the single, mandated transition practice within the state of Victoria, Australia was also interrogated. Lastly, Foucauldian concepts were drawn upon to illuminate that power is ever shifting and can elicit multiple readings and a kaleidoscope of possibilities for how transition to school can be understood and enacted.