Hong Kong kindergarten practitioners’ professional identity under the Free Quality Kindergarten Education reform: Results of a large-scale survey

Many nations are undergoing government-directed reforms in the field of early childhood education (ECE). However, dissonances in terms of ideology and practice often occur between the government and the highly fragmented sector of ECE, which has traditionally been viewed as the private responsibility of the family and charitable organisations. The recent implementation of the Kindergarten Education Scheme (KES; formerly known as the Free Quality Kindergarten Education Scheme) in Hong Kong, as well, has given rise to a set of paradoxes about the nature of kindergarten education, the professional identity of kindergarten practitioners, and their relationships with the government and parents. The present research project, sponsored by Research Grants Council of Hong Kong (UGC/FDS16/H07/18), employed a mixed-method approach to investigate the professional identity development of Hong Kong kindergarten practitioners in the face of the strengthened governmental control and intense market forces. This presentation will report the results of the project’s second stage — a large-scale questionnaire survey conducted with approximately 270 principals and teachers of over 80 KES kindergartens in Hong Kong. The findings reveal that: (1) “professional qualifications”, “knowledge of child development”, and “personality and attitudes” were the most important attributes that related closely to the respondents’ own professional identity; (2) the government had replaced parents as the most prominent influencer of the professional identity of practitioners in the private kindergarten market of Hong Kong; and yet (3) the government was merely perceived as the “boss” while parents were viewed as close-coordinating partners by the practitioners. This “triadic relationship” reflects the struggles of kindergarten practitioners in the new policy context but also illuminates new opportunities in policy refinement, professional development, and service deliveries. The Hong Kong experience may be relevant for other jurisdictions that are considering reforms in ECE.