When public preschool teachers' classroom time is left behind.
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| Title: | When public preschool teachers' classroom time is left behind. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Sherfinski, Melissa1 (AUTHOR) Melissa.Sherfinski@mail.wvu.edu, Woodrum, Hilary1 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood. Mar2026, Vol. 27 Issue 1, p36-51. 16p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Time on task (Education), *Preschool teachers, *Teacher role, *Early childhood education, *Education policy, Biopolitics (Philosophy), Political reform, Phenomenology |
| Geographic Terms: | United States |
| Abstract: | This qualitative research study explores how US preschool teachers experience time as they grapple with linear "time for learning" policy initiatives. "Time for learning" positions children's learning as a function of the time children are engaged with learning tasks relative to the time needed for producing effective and efficient learners. This phenomenon is part of the global expansion of early childhood connected to biopolitics in which children's bodies are measured as subjects of governance and childhood becomes a temporal construct centered on society's aspirations and anxieties around children as its future citizens and economic contributors. Using van Manen's approach to interpretive phenomenology with 22 US preschool teachers who provided interviews on their experiences with reforms designed to expand their opportunities to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of learning for children with marginalized identities by providing them more time within the school day (expanding from half day to full day, or 4 days per week to 5), we found several themes: teachers' loss of professional self, teachers' loss of authentic self, and teachers disordering and distending "time for learning." The findings suggest that preschool teachers in the study "played" with time in ways that spoke back to policy constraints yet also paid a price mentally due to efficiency/effectiveness expectations of the reform contexts. The discussion centers on preschool teachers' experiences in light of older research on teachers' consciousness and suggests that veteran preschool teachers are positioned uniquely in the struggle to resist the temporal elements of biopolitics and neoliberal reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 192206457 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: When public preschool teachers' classroom time is left behind. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sherfinski%2C+Melissa%22">Sherfinski, Melissa</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> Melissa.Sherfinski@mail.wvu.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Woodrum%2C+Hilary%22">Woodrum, Hilary</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Contemporary+Issues+in+Early+Childhood%22">Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood</searchLink>. Mar2026, Vol. 27 Issue 1, p36-51. 16p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Time+on+task+%28Education%29%22">Time on task (Education)</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Preschool+teachers%22">Preschool teachers</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+role%22">Teacher role</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Early+childhood+education%22">Early childhood education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Education+policy%22">Education policy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Biopolitics+%28Philosophy%29%22">Biopolitics (Philosophy)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Political+reform%22">Political reform</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Phenomenology%22">Phenomenology</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22United+States%22">United States</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: This qualitative research study explores how US preschool teachers experience time as they grapple with linear "time for learning" policy initiatives. "Time for learning" positions children's learning as a function of the time children are engaged with learning tasks relative to the time needed for producing effective and efficient learners. This phenomenon is part of the global expansion of early childhood connected to biopolitics in which children's bodies are measured as subjects of governance and childhood becomes a temporal construct centered on society's aspirations and anxieties around children as its future citizens and economic contributors. Using van Manen's approach to interpretive phenomenology with 22 US preschool teachers who provided interviews on their experiences with reforms designed to expand their opportunities to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of learning for children with marginalized identities by providing them more time within the school day (expanding from half day to full day, or 4 days per week to 5), we found several themes: teachers' loss of professional self, teachers' loss of authentic self, and teachers disordering and distending "time for learning." The findings suggest that preschool teachers in the study "played" with time in ways that spoke back to policy constraints yet also paid a price mentally due to efficiency/effectiveness expectations of the reform contexts. The discussion centers on preschool teachers' experiences in light of older research on teachers' consciousness and suggests that veteran preschool teachers are positioned uniquely in the struggle to resist the temporal elements of biopolitics and neoliberal reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1177/14639491241266331 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 16 StartPage: 36 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Time on task (Education) Type: general – SubjectFull: Preschool teachers Type: general – SubjectFull: Teacher role Type: general – SubjectFull: Early childhood education Type: general – SubjectFull: Education policy Type: general – SubjectFull: Biopolitics (Philosophy) Type: general – SubjectFull: Political reform Type: general – SubjectFull: Phenomenology Type: general – SubjectFull: United States Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: When public preschool teachers' classroom time is left behind. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Sherfinski, Melissa – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Woodrum, Hilary IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 03 Text: Mar2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 14639491 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 27 – Type: issue Value: 1 Titles: – TitleFull: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
