Self-Study Community of Practice as a Sustainable Method for Early Childhood Faculty Professional Development

• In Event: Shaping the Future of Early Childhood Education: Teacher Perceptions, Professional Learning, and Equity-Driven Development

Abstract

This paper examines why four early childhood (EC) faculty in different institutions sustained their engagement in a Self-Study Community of Practice (SSCoP) and promotes SSCoP as a model for supporting the professional development and retention of EC faculty. Collaborative qualitative data analysis of SSCoP members’ journal entries identified the conditions and factors that led to members’ initial and continued engagement in the SSCoP. Findings suggest tenure-track EC faculty had unique needs that were met through the SSCoP and describe how relationships, shared goals, improved teaching practice, and opportunities for professional engagement inspired members’ sustained engagement. This paper addresses gaps in the literature on faculty engagement in online professional development and provides unique insights into professional development needs EC faculty.

Authors

• Kaitlin Northey, University of Vermont

• Amy Wolfe, Ohio University - Chillicothe

• Nora J. Krieger, Montclair State University

• Karen M. La Paro, University of North Carolina - Greensboro