Political ideology and Early Years training: Using mood boards as an empowering research tool
by Kay Davey
Dawn's (pseudonym) mood board using selected 3D objects and images.
The Early Years sector continues to navigate a climate of significant change and uncertainty. A workforce crisis (Early Years Alliance, 2021), changing qualifications, evolving working practices, and policy reforms (DfE, 2024) have left the sector heavily influenced by prevailing political ideologies. Following England’s recent election, early years policy is receiving heightened attention in political discussions. Yet, practitioners report feeling undervalued by politicians and policymakers (Arnerich, 2022), while the political nature of early years work remain absent from Level 3 qualification curriculums.
Reflecting on these dynamics, I conducted a small-scale ethnographic enquiry (Fetterman, 2020) with two colleagues to explore how we, as trainers of Early Years students, relate to current political ideologies and their impact on our professional roles. Rooted in interpretivist and empowerment paradigms, my aim was to amplify the voices of professional trainers through creative methods such as mood boards, reflective journals, and a focus group discussion.
Ethical Implications of Discussing Political Ideology in Early Years Training
Discussing political ideology in professional contexts presents ethical challenges, as politics can evoke controversy and discomfort. However, when facilitated within a reflective and respectful space, these discussions can also be illuminating and empowering. Guided by a relational ethics of care (Adams et al., 2021) and the EECERA (2015) code of ethics, my research prioritised empowerment and respect throughout.
Reflective journals were an essential tool allowing myself, as a researcher and co-participant, to engage deeply with the topic. This dual role required careful ethical consideration to safeguard my own wellbeing and mitigate potential biases. A critical friend provided valuable support by offering periodic check-ins and helping maintain reflexivity. Participants were fully informed and consenting, recognising the limits of anonymity in a small-scale study.
Recognising the potential sensitivity of political discussions, I designed the research to allow participants time for thoughtful reflection. Arts-based methods, such as mood boards, have been shown to facilitate engagement with challenging topics (Scottl & Chilton, 2017). These methods encourage reflexivity, enabling participants to articulate individual responses without feeling intimidated or overwhelmed (Spawforth-Jones, 2021).
Mood Boards: A Creative-Visual Elicitation Tool
Mood boards, commonly used in design disciplines, provided an innovative way to navigate these sensitive discussions. As a data collection method, they allowed participants to represent complex ideas through images and minimal text. This approach helped depersonalise politically charged topics, enabling participants to share more openly.
Each participant approached the task differently, creating mood boards that reflected their unique perspectives. During the follow-up focus group discussion, mood boards served as elicitation devices (Scottl & Chilton, 2017), fostering naturalistic, in-depth conversations (Mukherji & Albion, 2018).
Participants used their mood boards to explain their thoughts, sometimes discussing each image individually or summarising broader themes.
Millie (pseudonym) chose to use Microsoft PowerPoint to digitally collect and amalgamate text and images that they connected with.
Polly's (pseudonym) mood board included a mixture of printed text, images and hand-drawn aspects.
Findings
The mood boards featured powerful imagery, often metaphorical, that helped participants articulate the emotional and professional impacts of political ideology. For instance, Dawn’s (pseudonym to protect anonymity) mood board included a deflated balloon, which she described as symbolising the frustrations of working within a politically constrained system:
“I’ve got my little balloon, but it’s let down because sometimes you feel a little deflated when you’re teaching, and I think that can come across not necessarily when you’re teaching but obviously from that kind of political side of things that are going on at the moment.”
Using an adapted version of Trombeta & Cox’s (2022) textual-visual thematic analysis framework, I integrated visual data from the mood boards with textual data from the focus group and journals. This process revealed three key themes:
The ‘Heart’ of the Matter – Emotional and personal responses to political ideology.
‘Big Brother’ – The daily impact of political ideology on professional roles.
‘Are We Starting a Revolution!?’ – Trainers’ reflections on their students’ awareness of political influences and their role in fostering advocacy.
Strengths and Limitations of Mood Boards
Strengths:
The use of mood boards:
Encouraged creativity and engagement, particularly with sensitive topics.
Facilitated complex insights through a combination of visual and textual data.
Empowered participants by offering an alternative, less confrontational mode of expression.
Limitations:
Interpreting visual data required careful contextual analysis, which can be subjective.
Creating and analysing mood boards could be time-intensive for both participants and researchers.
Conclusion and Call to Action
At the upcoming BECERA conference, I will delve deeper into these findings and explore the ethical challenges of discussing controversial issues and opportunities of integrating creative methods into research. Mood boards, as a tool, demonstrate the potential to empower participants while addressing sensitive topics in thoughtful, innovative ways.
By tackling politically charged issues in Early Years training, we provide opportunities for meaningful change. Creative approaches like mood boards can help educators and researchers alike to reflect, advocate, and push for reforms in the sector. Let’s empower one another to bring these conversations to the forefront.
About the author
Kay Davey is a Course Leader and Lecturer in Education and Early Years at Bridgwater & Taunton College/University Centre Somerset
References:
Adams, T, E., Holman Jones, S. and Ellis, C. (2021) Making Sense and Taking Action: Creating a Caring Community of Autoethnographers. In: T, E. Adams, S. Holman Jones and C. Ellis, ed. Handbook of Autoethnography. 2nd edn. New York: Routledge, pp. 1-19.
Arnerich, M. (2022) Respect The Sector: The Early Years Reputation Report 2022. Famly. Available at: https://25284517.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net/hubfs/25284517/UK%20Guides%20PDFs/RTS_Report%2005.08.22.pdf
Department for Education (2024) Early years qualification requirements and standards: For group and school based providers, and awarding organisations and training providers offering qualifications in early years. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65844707ed3c34000d3bfd40/Early_years_qualification_requirements_and_standards_-_Jan_24.pdf
Early Years Alliance (2021) Breaking Point: The impact of recruitment and retention challenges on the early years sector in England. Available at: https://www.eyalliance.org.uk/sites/default/files/breaking_point_report_early_years_alliance_2_december_2021.pdf
EECERA (2015) EECERA Ethical Code for Early Childhood Researchers. Available at: https://www.eecera.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/EECERA-Ethical-Code.pdf
Fetterman, D, M. (2020) Ethnography: Step-by-step. 4th edn. California: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Mukherji, P. and Albon, D. (2018) Research Methods in Early Childhood: An Introductory Guide. 3rd edn. London: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Scottl, V. and Chilton, G. (2017) Collage as Arts-based Research. In: P. Leavy, ed. Handbook of Arts base Research. New York: Guildford Publications, pp. 355-376.
Spawforth-Jones, S. (2021) Utilising Mood Boards as an Image Elicitation Tool in Qualitative Research. Sociological Research Online, 26(4), pp. 871-888. https://doi.org/10.1177/1360780421993486.
Trombeta, G. And Cox, S, M. (2022) The Textual-Visual Thematic Analysis: A Framework to Analyze the Conjunction and Interaction of Visual and Textual Data. The Qualitative Report, 27(6), pp. 1557-1574. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2022.5456.
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Archer, N. (2024) ‘Uncovering the discursive ‘borders’ of professional identities in English early childhood workforce reform policy. Policy Futures in Education, 22(2), pp.187-206. https://doi.org/10.1177/14782103221138013.
Early Education and Childcare Coalition (2024a) RESCUE AND REFORM: A Manifesto to Transform Early Education and Childcare in England. Available at: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/646ca30371a2ef6a657e9309/t/664640d370c06c337dbd2995/1715880148539/Rescue%26Reform+Manifesto+FINAL.pdf
Moss, P. (2016) Why can’t we get beyond quality? Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 17(1), pp. 8-15. https://doi.org/10.1177/1463949115627895.
Nutbrown, C. (2021) Early Childhood Educators’ qualifications: a framework for change. International Journal of Early Years Education, 29(3), pp. 236-249. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669760.2021.1892601.
Sousa, D. and Moss, P. (2023) Towards Democratic culture and political practice in ECE: The case for transformative change at a time of converging crisis. Educação Temática Digital, 25(e023067), pp.1-23. DOI 10.20396/etd.v25i00.8672067