ABSTRACT
The influences on men’s trajectories in early childhood education and care are often multi-faceted. This chapter looks at the men’s trajectories from the perspective of critical moments or turning points in their careers which have directly influenced their paths. The findings indicate that the incidents in themselves do not influence their trajectories, but rather the meaning they attribute to those incidents. In this case, the incidents that will impact on individuals’ decisions will differ for each man. Using a storyline approach, we look at the trajectories of three men, two who have dropped out and one who has remained (persister) and analyse their storylines. Findings suggest that there are common elements in men’s experiences and we suggest that leadership sensitivity to the experiences that might prove critical may positively influence the trajectories.
