(Un)expected Emotions and Teamwork: Narratives of Early Childhood Education Practitioners

Abstract

This study investigates expectations of teamwork and related emotions as described by Finnish early childhood education practitioners. The data, which consist of video-cued interviews with 15 practitioners in early childhood education and care (ECEC), are examined with narrative-discursive analysis. Emotions are approached from a socio-constructivist perspective as narratively constructed. The results are presented as three narratives identified based on teamwork expectations: 1) narrative of inadequacy,2) narrative of injustice,and 3) narrative of support. The narratives describe how time constraints and unexpected changes in teamwork dictated from the top-down produce negative emotional narratives, as well as how the team’s expected support for each other evokes positive emotions and builds communality. The findings show that not only is teamwork an important emotional context in ECEC but also the limited possibilities for influencing teamwork practices evoke negative emotions that can affect the quality of teamwork and well-being at work in ECEC.