How Do They Manage?

A Review of the Research on Leadership in Early Childhood

Article #6

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Summary of essential
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Muijs, D., Aubrey, C., Harris, A. & Briggs, M. (2004). How do they manage? A
review of the research on leadership in early childhood. Journal of
Early Childhood Research, 2(2), 157-169.
Daniel Muijs- University of Warwick
Carol Aubrey- University of Warwick
Alma Harris- University of Warwick
Mary Briggs- University of Warwick
Scholarly article that presents a research on early childhood leadership.
This article discussed the research and the lack of research done on early
childhood leadership. This article gives an overview of some of the research
done on leadership in early childhood. It looked at both qualitative and
quantitative perspectives. Some of the key points of this article are:
Effective leadership as being key to achieving
organizational improvement
o Successful organizational development
o Change within the organization
o Powerful influence on program implementation
o Leadership that was committed, competent and
respected distinguishes between effective and noneffective programs
o Having and being able to articulate a vision
o Strengthens links between the center and the
community
o Develop a community of learners
o Advocate within the community
o Influence behaviors of staff
o Supervising staff and planning and implementing
changes
o Working with parents and guiding them
o Need to focus on entire family not just the child
o Teachers want their leader to listen to them,
provide for physical, emotional and social needs of
the organization, give them trust, time, tools and
support needed to succeed, a vision that they stick
to and to share decision making (p. 164)
Un-effective leadership

o Less experienced leadership

o Less skillful at training and supervising staff
o Do not work as effectively with schools and the
community
o Less involved and committed
o Educational level can affect leadership
Lack of early childhood educators with both early
childhood and leadership skills
o Leaders in early childhood typically enjoy contact
with children and parents
o Do not typically enjoy the management aspects
and are often uncomfortable with it
Findings are showing that the roles of early childhood
providers are changing
o Expanded from direct care and education
o Includes management and leadership
responsibilities
o Increase accountability and financial constraints in
the sector
o Greater competition and frequent changes in
government policy that needs to be negotiated
o Requiring leadership and management skills
A collaborative approach to leadership in early childhood
is required
Women occupy leadership roles in early childhood
In summary, early childhood professionals are often
engaged in activities that demand leadership skills, such
as decision making and goal setting. However, the
relative lack of research activity on leadership in the field
and by association the absence of leadership
development programs would seem to be a major
oversight given the growth and the importance of the EC
sector (p. 160).
High quality work environment- lower level of staff
turnover
Organization climate is influenced by quality of
leadership
Lower levels of staff turnover found to be associated with
involvement of staff in decision making
Problems include
o Very little management training
o Difficulties with interpersonal relationships,
administration and decision making
Training

Way in which this

source influences the
field related to your
inquiry (ex. Math
teaching/learning
elementary)
Potential relevance to
your research topic
and study:

Stage of action
research where the
source will be used:

o Taking training because of need

o Least prepared for dealing with administration and
financial issues, staffing issues and workload
o Peer support was crucial
o Early childhood training is more small scale rather
than at a national level
o Research has shown that leadership training
programs can be useful
Future research could try to explore what is meant by
effective leadership in EC and how leaders could be
equipped to be more effective
Taking what research indicates about the relationship
between leadership and positive organizational
outcomes, this would seem to be a most serious
oversight for two reasons. First, because it leaves
effective leadership practice to chance and implies that
there will inevitably be weak leaders. Second, because it
knowingly leaves those in leadership positions
unprepared for the significant management and
leadership tasks they face on a daily basis. These seem
to be two compelling reasons for investing substantially
in leadership research and development for EC. All the
evidence suggest that this investment is long overdue
(p. 167).

This scholarly article influences my topic about what makes an effective leader
in the early childhood field. It also looks a bit at what teachers need from the
leaders. Where leaders need more preparation, and could help with future action
research.
This article shows that leaders in early childhood often learn on the job, feel ill
prepared, and have problems with relating and dealing with staff. This benefits
my study because it shows the importance of leadership in early childhood as
well as involving early childhood professionals in decision making in the
organization. This is what my action research is focusing on.
Background- This article provides information about what research has been
done on leadership and the lack of research out there on leadership in the early
childhood field.
Findings/Conclusions-This article has information relating to finding on

effective leadership and what early childhood professionals are looking for in
leadership.
Implications/Action Planning- This article supports my plans to continue
research and move forward with team meetings to allow the early childhood
professionals feel like they have a voice and the tools that they need in order to
succeed at their job.