PROFESSIONAL EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR INTERVIEW
ECE Professional Interview Assignment
Purpose:
During this course, we explore the concept of early childhood education as a profession. To learn more about the ways early childhood educators view early childhood education and the responsibilities of early childhood educators, you will interview an early childhood professional*, analyze the responses and reflect on your learning. This assignment will also help you hone in on a topic and gather information for your I-Search paper (the final for this course). Through this interview, candidates will explore the following principles and standards in early childhood education:
• Identifying and involving oneself with the early childhood education field (NAEYC #6a)
• Knowing about and upholding ethical standards and other professional guidelines (NAEYC #6b)
• Engaging in continuous, collaborative learning to inform practice (NAEYC #6c)
• Integrating knowledgeable, reflective, and critical perspectives on early education (#6d)
• Engaging in informed advocacy for children and the profession (NAEYC #6e)
Guidelines for Preparation:
1. Contact an early childhood professional and arrange for a face-to-face meeting at a mutually convenient time. This interview must be conducted in person. Should you need assistance in finding someone to interview, please speak with your instructor. NOTE: It is suggested that you contact the professional to make the appointment during Week 1 or 2. The interview should take no longer than 45 minutes.
2. Review the Reflections Questions at the end of Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4 in Professionalism in Early Childhood Education: Doing Our Best for Young Children (Feeney, 2012) as well as the questions distributed across Chapters 1, 2 and 3 in Ethics and the Early Childhood Educator: Using the NAEYC Code (2nd Ed.) (Feeney, Freeman, & Pizzolongo, 2012). Be sure to choose a variety of questions that address EACH of the following: ECE as a profession; knowledge, skills and dispositions for early childhood educators; and ethics.
3. Select 5-7 questions for your interview; visit the second Discussion Board question to collaborate with peers in question selection (optional).
4. Prepare a plan for taking notes during the interview. This may be another topic of discussion for this week’s second (optional) Discussion Board.
5. Conduct the interview. During the interview, take notes and ask follow-up questions. Be sure to dress and behave professionally. Collect the individual’s contact information, including mailing address and phone number.
6. Complete the written assignment using the criteria provided (see Evaluation).
7. Send a “thank you” note to the person whom you interviewed. Please make a copy of the note to turn in with your assignment.
* An ECE Professional is defined as a person who works with children ages zero to eight.
Guidelines for Assignment Format and Content:
Your assignment should include the following sections and content (these are important guidelines, but use the SAMPLE PAPER: PROFESSIONAL INTERVIEW as your template for writing):
1. Cover page including the following: your name, date, course title, instructor and term, the name and contact information for the person interviewed, the interview date and interview location.
2. Interview Questions: List of the original interview questions without answers
3. Interview Transcript: The interview questions, with the interviewee’s answers, including any follow-up questions. If your interview notes were written legibly, you may scan the page(s) and include as the transcript. This will be the only page that does not need to be word-processed.
4. Introduction/Background: must include, but is not limited to the following:
a. A brief introduction to the interview which includes a basic description of the interviewee’s agency, role within that agency, and why you selected the interviewee
b. If appropriate, contextual information about the interview (e.g., did you get the time you needed? Was there anything about the actual interview (time, place, work conditions, etc.) that may have impacted the interviewee’s responses.
5. Connections and Reflections: (2-3 pages) In this section you will make connections to course content. Analyze the interviewee’s responses and relate them to what we have read in class. Be sure to use APA formatted citations where appropriate reflections, thoughts and feelings about the experience. Your reflections should include, but are not limited to the following:
a. What did you learn about early childhood education as a profession? Is this what you expected or were there surprises? Why? (worth up to 10 points – see rubric)
b. What did you learn about knowledge, skills and dispositions for early childhood educators? Is this what you expected or were there surprises? Why? (worth up to 10 points – see rubric)
c. What did you learn about ethics in early childhood education? ? Is this what you expected or were there surprises? Why? (worth up to 10 points – see rubric)
6. Conclusion – In this section you will summarize your experience, what you learned, what you want to learn more about and why. (worth up to 10 points – see rubric)
7. References – List at least three, preferable four, references in APA format.