Persecutory Guilt, Surveillance and Resistance: The Emotional Themes of Early Childhood Educators

Abstract

This research examines the emotional themes and discourse of emotion of early childhood educators using a post-structuralist theoretical framework of emotion. The data selected and analyzed is taken from 4 two-hour discussion groups that were conducted over an eight-week period with four female early childhood educators. The emotional themes and patterns that emerged from the discussion groups and artifacts, teacher journals, and follow-up interviews were analyzed and then followed with a micro-level analysis. The findings revealed that the three most common emotion words discussed were ‘stress’, ‘worry’, and ‘frustration’, which were linked to surveillance and a discourse around persecutory guilt through institutional and relational systems, fostering implicit resistance among participants. I really struggle with teaching first and second grade … I don't have my early childhood degree … I feel like I'm always balancing what's appropriate for them but then, at the same time, what they're gonna be tested on in third grade. (Mary, field notes, March 2008)