Dr Louise Kay wins British Educational Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Journal Editors’ Choice Award 2024

Her paper was judged as theoretically and methodologically strong and interesting. Editors said 'it has a good potential to have an impact on policy/practice in early childhood education'.

A teacher sitting on the carpet with young chilren in the classroom

The paper entitled, ‘I feel like the Wicked Witch’: Identifying tensions between school readiness policy and teacher beliefs, knowledge and practice in Early Childhood Education was published in 2024 in the British Educational Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Journal. 

The paper addresses the tensions between teachers’ professional beliefs and knowledge, and the school readiness agenda in the Reception classroom in England. Using cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT), contradictions are identified as a way of illuminating these policy-practice tensions.  

The editors say: ‘This paper is theoretically and methodologically strong and interesting. It has a good potential to have an impact on policy/practice in early childhood education.’

Read the paper on the British Educational Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Association (.

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