Restructuring lives

This book describes research examining how eight New Zealand women kindergarten teachers experienced their lives, personally and professionally, in relation to the restructuring of education that took place in New Zealand between 1984 to 1996. Drawing on life history interviews with the teachers, and using the theoretical ideas of Foucault as a ‘tool kit’ - an aid to analysis - the teachers’ stories highlight how their lives were restructured as the kindergarten service was reformed. Not only were their day-to-day teaching experiences reshaped, but their personal lives and their subjectivities became reshaped and reformed. The teachers’ narratives enable a view of early childhood education restructuring to be reconceptualised addressing both the philosophies of the kindergarten service and the professional and personal commitment of teachers to early childhood education. This book provides insights into educational restructuring, and postmodern approaches to educational research. It will be a useful resource for all educational researchers, teachers and scholars.