Learning From Each Other: Cross-Cultural Research on Italian and U.S. Early Childhood Professional Development

• In Event: Roundtable Session 96
  In Roundtable Session: Professional Development and Leadership Learning Opportunities and Strategies

Abstract

Situated early childhood professional development is the focus of this cross-cultural study. Twelve infant-toddler teachers and faculty comprised a joint research team to engage in a comparative analysis of teacher practice in the U.S. and Italy. Classroom videotapes were analyzed, edited, and exchanged to make visible cultural similarities and differences. Qualitative analyses from interviews, face-to-face and virtual focus groups, Skype conversations, reflective writings, and videotape footage, ratings, and field notes reveal methodological and pedagogical findings. These include (a) the power and potential of individual/group analyses as a tool for cross-cultural study, (b) differences in teacher foci between the individual (U.S.) and group (Italy), and (c) outcomes in children’s autonomy and self-regulation linked to variations in teacher proximity to children.

Authors

• Mary Jane Moran, The University of Tennessee

• Chiara Maria Bove, University of Milano - Bicocca

• Piera Braga, University of Milano - Bicocca