Care or Education? Understanding the Role of the Early Childhood Assistant Teacher in Chile

This thesis aims to understand the role of the teacher assistant in the Chilean early childhood education (ECE) system. Drawing on critical perspectives to ECE policy and feminist ethics of care, the study examines the discourses produced by assistants, directors, and teachers, about the teacher assistant role in Chile. The main findings indicate that, while assistants produce a discourse of caring pedagogy to address their role, directors and teachers produce a discourse of technical practice. These findings can inform future teaching policy in ECE with a broader scope that includes assistant teachers, embracing new approaches that embrace a caring professionalism.