Consultative roles of early childhood special education teachers : A modeler, an advisor, and a spontaneous practitioner

Abstract

This study focused on the ways in which early childhood special education teachers (ECSETs) perform their consultative work and the prevailing structural factors that are connected to it. The significance and centrality of ECSETs’ consultative work have increased as a growing number of ECSETs provide consultative support to other personnel with the aim of enhancing support for children's daily lives in early childhood education and care (ECEC). However, we have limited research-based knowledge about the consultative work done by ECSETs. Therefore, a more comprehensive examination of consultative practices and the factors influencing them is needed. We administered a survey on ECSETs’ (N = 207) consultative work focusing on ECEC in Finland. Using cluster analysis, we identified three consultative work profiles in ECSETs’ practices: a modeler, an advisor, and a spontaneous practitioner. This exploratory study contributes to understanding ECSETs' consultative work, creating potential for further development in this area.