An explorative study of followership, followers and following practices in early childhood education sites in Australia
Principal Supervisor: Dr Andrea Salamon
Co-Supervisor: Dr Tamara Cumming
Early Childhood Education (ECE) is a complex system where both leaders and followers play an essential role. As attention is typically focused on leadership and its role in promoting quality in ECE, this project aims to redress this imbalance by unpacking followership and the role of following. Since 80% of the workforce are followers, understanding effective followership could enhance educators' effectiveness in the sector. For example, when educators embrace their roles as active followers in the decision-making processes, they can collaborate more effectively with leaders, ultimately leading to improved educational outcomes for young children.
I completed my Master of Education (Research) at Charles Sturt University, where I enjoyed the process of exploring the unknown through research. My supervisor also recommended that I pursue a PhD.
Brooker, M., Cumming, T., & Logan, H. (2021). Followers and following in early childhood education workplaces: A narrative review of the followership literature. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 174114322110674. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432211067410
Brooker, M., Cumming, T., & Salamon. A. (2024). Using practice theories to understand, analyse and articulate followership practices in early childhood education sites. International Journal of Research & Method in Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/1743727X.2024.2328270