Shaping roles, shaping identities: how professional training influences early childhood assistants and caregivers

Kindergarten assistants (KAs) and daycare caregivers play a central yet under recognized role in early childhood education (ECE). Limited research has examined how professional training relates to their role perceptions and professional identity. Guided by Role Theory, the current study examines how variations in training, including course duration, academic education, and work experience, are associated with assistants’ engagement in pedagogical and operational tasks and their collaboration with lead teachers. Quantitative data from 99 participants complemented by qualitative analysis of open-ended responses indicate that structured and context-sensitive training is linked to greater role clarity and pedagogical involvement, although differences across training groups were modest and not uniformly statistically significant. Demographic factors, including marital and parental status, also emerged as influential in shaping how assistants perceive and enact their responsibilities. The findings suggest that professional role perception among KAs and caregivers is shaped by the interaction of training, experience, and personal context rather than by training alone. These results highlight the importance of professional development frameworks that recognize workforce diversity and support gradual professionalization within ECE.