Writing matters

Abstract

For the last three years a team of researchers based in Wolverhampton University’s School of Education have been working on a research project which focuses on developing secure writing identities in first year Early Years students. The Early Childhood Studies degree is vocationally based and underpinned with relevant academic theory. Many of the students are qualified, experienced practitioners who entered higher education because workforce development initiatives in early years’ educare have encouraged them to study for a degree. Others have worked with children either in a voluntary capacity or in placement or as employment. Many continue to work in early childhood settings whilst completing their degrees. For this reason their entry into higher education often represents a shift from the utilisation of largely practical knowledge in the workplace to a primarily theoretical knowledge base operating in academia. This shift may account for the fact that many students report experiencing anxiety and difficulty around academic writing, especially in their first year.