Abstract

This study explores the personal dimension of early childhood teachers’ occupational profiles, focusing on how educators in Medellín, Colombia, construct meaning around their roles. Grounded in a participatory action research (PAR) methodology, the study engaged twenty-eight early childhood educators enrolled in a diploma course designed to foster critical reflection, dialogue, and collaborative inquiry. Data were generated through reflective letters, group discussions, narrative tasks, and unstructured interviews, and analyzed thematically using a narrative-based categorical framework. Validation strategies included triangulation of data sources and participant feedback. Findings reveal three core dimensions shaping teachers’ occupational understandings: (1) the role of reflection as a mechanism for transforming pedagogical practice, (2) the design of context-responsive strategies and interventions, and (3) the perception of ongoing professional development as both necessary and constrained by institutional conditions. These results underscore the dissonance between teachers’ idealized professional identities and the operational demands imposed by early childhood systems. By foregrounding teachers’ voices and experiences, the study contributes to the broader discourse on occupational identity, reflective practice, and care ethics in early childhood education. It calls for policy and training models that recognize the complexity of educators’ lived realities and strengthen their agency in shaping pedagogical and institutional change.