Teachers' Work with Documentation in Preschool: Shaping a Profession in the Performing of Professional Identities­

Abstract

This article analyses how the teaching profession takes shape when policy demands on increased documentation in preschool is interpreted and enacted by teachers. The profession and professional identities take shape in the tension between two forms of professionalism: occupational professionalism, based on collegial authority, and organizational professionalism, regulated by policy, bureaucracy, and markets. Interviews with preschool teachers about documentation and parents highlight how different professional identities not only took form in the policy interpretation process, but also worked as arguments for ways of dealing with change. A major conclusion is that it would be a win-win situation for professionals, children/parents, and central/local authorities if the influence of occupational professionalism was strengthened through a revaluation of teachers' experiences and professional standards.