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Description:
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Little is known about child care providers’ perspectives on their role , their identities when assuming the role , or the process by which these perspectives are formed . The purpose of this study is to expand the existing early care and education literature on role and identity formation and perception development . Feminist family perspectives and symbolic interactionism served as the theoretical frameworks for the study . Through the use of qualitative , semi -structured interviews , provider perceptions on the child care provider role were addressed .
Ten center -based , female child care providers were interviewed about their personal experiences , work histories , and current understanding and opinions of their lead provider role . Grounded theory methodology was used to develop and conduct the interviews and analyze the results . Analysis revealed three interrelated processes in the course of assuming the “lead” child care provider positions in center -based child care : becoming a child care provider , developing role perceptions , and enacting the provider role . Various external and internal factors interacted to shape perceived professional role and social role identity . Discussion in the study relates the findings to concepts constructed from the existing literature . New findings added to the early care and education field include the identification to two processes for entering the field , an explanation of provider perception formation , and the concept of multiple social role identities being presented when enacting the child care provider role . |