Autoethnographic reflections: Countering early educator burnout and overwhelmment with emotional intelligence

Elysia Phillips
University of New England, Australia
Margaret Sims
Macquarie University, Australia
Nicola Schutte
University of New England, Australia
Marg Rogers
University of New England, Australia and Manna Institute, Australia

Early childhood educators' work is emotionally challenging, often depleting their reserves of emotional intelligence (EI), which can lead to burnout and feeling overwhelmed. Despite this, there is little research linking the ongoing EI required to support young children and families, and the impact this has on educators' workplace flourishing. To address this gap, our autoethnographic study links the reflections of an experienced Australian educator and director (the lead author) to the literature about EI and workplace flourishing. Inductive thematic analysis revealed the impact of staffing, workplace culture, and quality of education and care provided to children, affecting their outcomes. This aligned with the literature that revealed a relationship between educators' EI and workplace flourishing. Additionally, EI has been linked to better problem solving, more cohesive social relationships and an increased capacity to understand and manage emotions effectively, all characteristics that contribute to workplace flourishing. This demonstrated the need to research educators' experiences of EI within the groups of children and families with whom they work, given that EI influences their interactions with others. Due to the high rates of attrition in the sector and the shortage of educators, this will be of interest to researchers, policymakers, and those who support educators.
[ PDF full text for this article ]

Authors: Ms Elysia Phillips (lead author) is a Higher Degree Research candidate at the University of New England, Australia. She has a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education and a postgraduate degree in psychology. She has over 15 years' experience within the early childhood sector in positions ranging from teacher to director. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-8166-4515 Email: ephilli8@myune.edu.au Professor Margaret Sims is Honorary Professor of Early Childhood Education, Macquarie University, Australia. Margaret is an Australian early childhood and family researcher and has worked in family support and disabilities for many years. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4686-4245 Email: margaret.sims@mq.edu.au Dr Nicola Schutte is an Associate Professor in the School of Psychology, University of New England, Australia. Nicola has researched positive psychology-based studies, including ones focused on adaptive emotional functioning. In her research she has used a variety of designs and statistical approaches. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3294-7659 Email: nschutte@une.edu.au Dr Marg Rogers (corresponding author) is a Senior Lecturer and course coordinator in Early Childhood Education at the University of New England, Australia. Her research interests are in families, military families, professionalism and well-being. Marg is also a researcher with the Manna Institute, Australia [https://mannainstitute.au/]. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8407-7256 Email: marg.rogers@une.edu.au Please cite as: Phillips, E., Sims, M., Schutte, N. & Rogers, M. (2025). Autoethnographic reflections: Countering early educator burnout and overwhelmment with emotional intelligence. Issues in Educational Research, 35(4), 1664-1684. http://www.iier.org.au/iier35/phillips.pdf