Poster #29 - Early childhood educators' and administrators' perceptions of professional learning experiences: Barriers and opportunities

• In Event: Poster Session 08

Abstract

Given considerable variability in ECE quality (e.g., Hatfield et al., 2015) and heterogeneity in the workforce (Bassok & Engel, 2019), professional development (PD) is often used as a lever to enhance practices, increase quality, professionalize the field, and ideally lead to increased supports for children and their families (e.g., Egert et al., 2018). The positive effects of PD often fade (e.g., Sheridan et al., 2009), are not fully realized when brought to scale (Piasta et al., 2020), nor can be considered to be one-size-fits-all for all given the heterogeneity of the workforce (Gomez et al., 2015). In order for PD to be truly effective, it is important to understand the barriers that exist (individual, context, system) that impede PD and the supports that can mitigate barriers. Moreover, ECE administrators are central to the functioning and climate of programs (e.g., Zinssner et al., 2016), impacting teachers’ experiences in schools. In order to understand PD experiences, it is important to consider directors’ roles as they often select and implement PD. Using the Theoretical Domains Framework (e.g., Cane et al., 2012) as a guiding framework, this study examines educators’ and administrators’ perceptions of PD experiences to address the following research questions: (1) according to teachers and administrators, what is the nature of the barriers that ECE teachers face as it relates to PD? and (2) what are potential supports that would mitigate barriers? Using an online survey approach, participants included 78 teachers and 93 administrators from across the US who were largely female (96.5%), from varied racial/ethnic backgrounds (Hispanic (13.5%), White/European (59.7%), Black/African American (22.8%), among others), and from a variety of contexts/settings (68% from Head Start, 11.5% private, and 14.1% district public schools, among others.) Participants responded to an online survey that asked them to reflect on PD experiences using TDF as a framework for understanding barriers/supports (see Figure 1 for a sample of items and aligned domains).
Preliminary results indicate that teachers reported the most impeding barriers as; environmental context, lack of resources (23.8%), behavior regulation/challenging behaviors (15.9%), and professional goal development (12.7%), however, the desired supports teachers selected only partially addressed the most pressing barriers identified (e.g., opportunities for self-selected PL (34.2%), environmental context/resources (27.6%). Directors also acknowledged the environmental contexts/resources as a common barrier (44.44%) and indicated varied perspectives on importance of teacher PD (e.g., mitigation of barriers, selection of supports, implementation) and that PD impacted and enhanced practice (54.29%) as helpful, (31.43%) very helpful, and (14.29%) neutral. Directors self-reported their supportiveness towards teacher PD (40%) as highly supportive, (54.29%) supportive, and neutral (5.71%). Results of this study have implications for research, policy, practice, and highlight how PD functions in schools. In order for the workforce to optimally benefit from PD and in turn, children having greater opportunities and supports, we must first understand PD experiences and access.

Authors

• Hannah Rae Thompson, University of Tennessee - Knoxville
  Presenting Author

• Margaret Ferguson Quinn, University of Tennessee - Knoxville