Pub Date : 2022-04-04DOI: 10.1080/10901027.2022.2054034
R. Fowler
ABSTRACT This article explores whether states’ add-on endorsement policies provide shortcuts to early childhood education licensure. The following questions are pursued: What requirements must licensed teachers meet to add an ECE endorsement? What data do states report on the number of add-ons awarded, in total and in ECE, yearly? What terms do states use to refer to an official authorization to teach? Results indicate that shortened pathways to ECE licensure – licensure testing only and licensure testing plus 6–13 credits of coursework – are available for ELED licensees in 19 states, special education licensees in 16, and all others in 12. Add-on endorsements account for a substantial number of new in-state teaching credentials in the three states that reported such data: Texas (46%), Pennsylvania (19%), and Indiana (12%). In Pennsylvania and Indiana, add-ons constituted 7% and 5%, of all new in-state ECE credentials awarded, respectively. Nearly half of the states in the nation refer to a state authorization to teach as certification, the other near half as license, and two as credential. Now is an opportune time for early educational organizations to articulate what preparation requirements are suitable for an ECE add-on endorsement.
{"title":"Do states’ add-on endorsement policies provide shortcuts to early childhood education licensure?","authors":"R. Fowler","doi":"10.1080/10901027.2022.2054034","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2022.2054034","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This article explores whether states’ add-on endorsement policies provide shortcuts to early childhood education licensure. The following questions are pursued: What requirements must licensed teachers meet to add an ECE endorsement? What data do states report on the number of add-ons awarded, in total and in ECE, yearly? What terms do states use to refer to an official authorization to teach? Results indicate that shortened pathways to ECE licensure – licensure testing only and licensure testing plus 6–13 credits of coursework – are available for ELED licensees in 19 states, special education licensees in 16, and all others in 12. Add-on endorsements account for a substantial number of new in-state teaching credentials in the three states that reported such data: Texas (46%), Pennsylvania (19%), and Indiana (12%). In Pennsylvania and Indiana, add-ons constituted 7% and 5%, of all new in-state ECE credentials awarded, respectively. Nearly half of the states in the nation refer to a state authorization to teach as certification, the other near half as license, and two as credential. Now is an opportune time for early educational organizations to articulate what preparation requirements are suitable for an ECE add-on endorsement.","PeriodicalId":45981,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education","volume":"44 1","pages":"373 - 385"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2022-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42875510","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-03-25DOI: 10.1080/10901027.2022.2054035
Jeanne Galbraith
ABSTRACT Although research supports play for children’s learning and development, many teachers and schools do not support play or relinquish it to recess or “If time.” Teachers need to experience how they learn through play to advocate for play in their classrooms. It is not enough to say, “play is learning”; they need to learn through play. This study uses data from multiple classroom assignments in a course on early childhood curriculum to examine how these play-based assignments support preservice teachers’ support for play and creativity in early childhood classrooms. The study found that preservice teachers had a positive shift to supporting play and creative experiences, including an appreciation of open-ended materials. They also developed understanding of children’s perspectives, the value of play as adults and found that engaging in play and creative experiences was beneficial to preservice teachers’ mental health and self-care. These findings reveal that if we want teachers to advocate for play and creativity in their classrooms, it is essential for them to have direct experiences learning through play and creativity themselves. Recommendations suggest that teacher educators should integrate authentic play experiences for play advocacy and support preservice teachers’ mental health and well-being.
{"title":"“A Prescription for Play”: developing early childhood preservice teachers’ pedagogies of play","authors":"Jeanne Galbraith","doi":"10.1080/10901027.2022.2054035","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2022.2054035","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Although research supports play for children’s learning and development, many teachers and schools do not support play or relinquish it to recess or “If time.” Teachers need to experience how they learn through play to advocate for play in their classrooms. It is not enough to say, “play is learning”; they need to learn through play. This study uses data from multiple classroom assignments in a course on early childhood curriculum to examine how these play-based assignments support preservice teachers’ support for play and creativity in early childhood classrooms. The study found that preservice teachers had a positive shift to supporting play and creative experiences, including an appreciation of open-ended materials. They also developed understanding of children’s perspectives, the value of play as adults and found that engaging in play and creative experiences was beneficial to preservice teachers’ mental health and self-care. These findings reveal that if we want teachers to advocate for play and creativity in their classrooms, it is essential for them to have direct experiences learning through play and creativity themselves. Recommendations suggest that teacher educators should integrate authentic play experiences for play advocacy and support preservice teachers’ mental health and well-being.","PeriodicalId":45981,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education","volume":"43 1","pages":"474 - 494"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2022-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47250970","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-03-09DOI: 10.1080/10901027.2022.2047840
Rhianna K. Thomas, Ekaterina Strekalova-Hughes, K. Nash, Margaret Holley, Connor Warner, Britney Enochs, P. Prendergast, Marcelena Ricklefs
ABSTRACT Deficit discourses in early childhood education position families of color, bilingual families, and families who are experiencing poverty as culturally and educationally deficient and are often reiterated through teacher education that relies on approximation of practice as modeled by a mentor teacher. Learning Teaching as an Interpretive Practice (LTIP) (Hollins, 2015) provides an assets-based framework for teaching that relies instead on a contextualized understanding of learners. Here, we examine our attempts as teacher educators to implement LTIP in our urban Midwestern early teacher education program. We focus on implementation of a tool for understanding individual children, the Learner Profile. Through case study, we analyze twenty learner profiles completed by five teacher candidates over the course of three semesters. Our findings suggest the Learner Profile guided teacher candidates toward more nuanced understandings of learners including multiple perspectives and unique aspects of lived experiences rather than over prescriptive developmental stages and categories. Still, we found understanding was highly mediated by the field placement context, teacher candidates’ own worldviews, and our facilitation as teacher educators. We conclude with implications for teacher educators who are interested in implementing the Learner Profile Tool and other tools for teacher education.
{"title":"The learner profile: piloting a tool to support contextualized understanding of the learner","authors":"Rhianna K. Thomas, Ekaterina Strekalova-Hughes, K. Nash, Margaret Holley, Connor Warner, Britney Enochs, P. Prendergast, Marcelena Ricklefs","doi":"10.1080/10901027.2022.2047840","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2022.2047840","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Deficit discourses in early childhood education position families of color, bilingual families, and families who are experiencing poverty as culturally and educationally deficient and are often reiterated through teacher education that relies on approximation of practice as modeled by a mentor teacher. Learning Teaching as an Interpretive Practice (LTIP) (Hollins, 2015) provides an assets-based framework for teaching that relies instead on a contextualized understanding of learners. Here, we examine our attempts as teacher educators to implement LTIP in our urban Midwestern early teacher education program. We focus on implementation of a tool for understanding individual children, the Learner Profile. Through case study, we analyze twenty learner profiles completed by five teacher candidates over the course of three semesters. Our findings suggest the Learner Profile guided teacher candidates toward more nuanced understandings of learners including multiple perspectives and unique aspects of lived experiences rather than over prescriptive developmental stages and categories. Still, we found understanding was highly mediated by the field placement context, teacher candidates’ own worldviews, and our facilitation as teacher educators. We conclude with implications for teacher educators who are interested in implementing the Learner Profile Tool and other tools for teacher education.","PeriodicalId":45981,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education","volume":"44 1","pages":"349 - 372"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2022-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45711073","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-02-28DOI: 10.1080/10901027.2022.2043961
Anita T. Weisburger
ABSTRACT This paper investigates the student perspective on Maryland’s Early Childhood Education/Special Education Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT) degree: the factors that affected their experience, especially with the transfer process, and whether their experiences differed by institution. Viewpoints were gathered through focus groups and individual interviews of 18 community college students in their final semester before transferring and in their first semester at a Maryland university to complete their BA and teaching certification. This study reports that participants had positive feedback about their programs but agreed on the need for more practical experience, especially regarding special education content. A clear concern about online coursework in Early Childhood Education was also expressed. Factors affecting the student experience included misadvising and confusion around transfer that continued after moving to university programs. Administrators and faculty also acknowledged a number of challenges associated with advising, programming and implementation. Students highlighted differences between institutions but noted that most issues could be resolved through better communication, collaboration, and coordination. This study is important to two-year programs working to improve retention and transfer, as well as universities working to support transfer students. Further research is needed beyond Maryland on the student experience and potential solutions.
{"title":"The student perspective on Maryland’s associate of arts in teaching degree","authors":"Anita T. Weisburger","doi":"10.1080/10901027.2022.2043961","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2022.2043961","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This paper investigates the student perspective on Maryland’s Early Childhood Education/Special Education Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT) degree: the factors that affected their experience, especially with the transfer process, and whether their experiences differed by institution. Viewpoints were gathered through focus groups and individual interviews of 18 community college students in their final semester before transferring and in their first semester at a Maryland university to complete their BA and teaching certification. This study reports that participants had positive feedback about their programs but agreed on the need for more practical experience, especially regarding special education content. A clear concern about online coursework in Early Childhood Education was also expressed. Factors affecting the student experience included misadvising and confusion around transfer that continued after moving to university programs. Administrators and faculty also acknowledged a number of challenges associated with advising, programming and implementation. Students highlighted differences between institutions but noted that most issues could be resolved through better communication, collaboration, and coordination. This study is important to two-year programs working to improve retention and transfer, as well as universities working to support transfer students. Further research is needed beyond Maryland on the student experience and potential solutions.","PeriodicalId":45981,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education","volume":"44 1","pages":"330 - 348"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2022-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44903707","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-02-25DOI: 10.1080/10901027.2022.2043495
Alison Hooper, C. Potts, Melissa Walton
ABSTRACT Professional development is an important tool for supporting early childhood teachers in implementing developmentally appropriate practices and child-guided instruction in the classroom. This phenomenological study explored five U.S. novice early childhood education teachers’ experiences with professional development. Specifically, we explored how these teachers’ perceptions of their professional development experiences were interwoven with individual-level characteristics and organizational-level features. Findings suggest that participating teachers’ self-efficacy and perceptions of school climate strongly influenced their perceptions of professional development. Participants described valuing hands-on learning opportunities and social support. All reported feeling unprepared for certain aspects of their role as an early educator; however, participants responded to these feelings differently. Findings have implications for improving induction and professional development for novice early childhood educators.
{"title":"Novice early childhood teachers’ perceptions of their professional development experiences: an interpretive phenomenological approach","authors":"Alison Hooper, C. Potts, Melissa Walton","doi":"10.1080/10901027.2022.2043495","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2022.2043495","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Professional development is an important tool for supporting early childhood teachers in implementing developmentally appropriate practices and child-guided instruction in the classroom. This phenomenological study explored five U.S. novice early childhood education teachers’ experiences with professional development. Specifically, we explored how these teachers’ perceptions of their professional development experiences were interwoven with individual-level characteristics and organizational-level features. Findings suggest that participating teachers’ self-efficacy and perceptions of school climate strongly influenced their perceptions of professional development. Participants described valuing hands-on learning opportunities and social support. All reported feeling unprepared for certain aspects of their role as an early educator; however, participants responded to these feelings differently. Findings have implications for improving induction and professional development for novice early childhood educators.","PeriodicalId":45981,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education","volume":"44 1","pages":"310 - 329"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2022-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42769530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-02-06DOI: 10.1080/10901027.2022.2032491
Lois A. Yamauchi, Caroline L. Soga, Stéphanie Char
ABSTRACT This paper presents reflections on 12 years of school-wide professional development at a university-based preschool. The professional development focused on the Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence (CREDE) Standards, Vygotskian strategies that emphasize assisted performance, joint activity, and verbal interactions. Both formal and informal professional development were used. A study investigated whether educators’ use of CREDE practices were sustained 12 years after initial professional development and the influences of the professional development on the school’s institutional identity. The educators were observed interacting with children and interviewed about their practice. Documents from the preschool were also analyzed to determine the extent to which CREDE was integrated into its institutional identity. Results indicated that all of the teachers used the CREDE practices, although some of the newer teachers were not familiar with CREDE terminology. Informal professional development and administrators’ support appeared to sustain the practices. The Center’s institutional identity changed over time to incorporate CREDE and this coincided with the professional development and educators taking more ownership of the CREDE practices and how they could be applied in their settings.
{"title":"Professional development to improve interactions with culturally and linguistically diverse children: Reflections on practice","authors":"Lois A. Yamauchi, Caroline L. Soga, Stéphanie Char","doi":"10.1080/10901027.2022.2032491","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2022.2032491","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This paper presents reflections on 12 years of school-wide professional development at a university-based preschool. The professional development focused on the Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence (CREDE) Standards, Vygotskian strategies that emphasize assisted performance, joint activity, and verbal interactions. Both formal and informal professional development were used. A study investigated whether educators’ use of CREDE practices were sustained 12 years after initial professional development and the influences of the professional development on the school’s institutional identity. The educators were observed interacting with children and interviewed about their practice. Documents from the preschool were also analyzed to determine the extent to which CREDE was integrated into its institutional identity. Results indicated that all of the teachers used the CREDE practices, although some of the newer teachers were not familiar with CREDE terminology. Informal professional development and administrators’ support appeared to sustain the practices. The Center’s institutional identity changed over time to incorporate CREDE and this coincided with the professional development and educators taking more ownership of the CREDE practices and how they could be applied in their settings.","PeriodicalId":45981,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education","volume":"43 1","pages":"426 - 449"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2022-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41354449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-30DOI: 10.1080/10901027.2021.2012542
Elise Hunkin, Julie Carmel
ABSTRACT In this “Reflection on Practice” paper we reflect on an early childhood Work Integrated Learning course redesign that explored new ways of developing and applying playfulness theory to higher education instructional approaches. Our experience was that the higher education students required more support to deepen their understanding of course content. In response, we engaged with emerging playfulness pedagogy theory to develop a Higher Education Playfulness Pedagogy instructional model that reflects the principles of pleasurable, immersive intellectual engagement and risk-taking. The focus was on creating the conditions in which students can risk-take amid an environment of academic rigor and authentic engagement. First, we outline the Higher Education Pedagogy of Playfulness model that was developed for the course rewrite, then provide information about the course redesign with the view that others may replicate some of our practices or approaches. Last, we draw on anonymous student survey responses to discuss the potentials of HE playfulness pedagogy for early childhood Work Integrated Learning programs, and suggest areas for future study and exploration.
{"title":"Toward a higher education playfulness pedagogy (HEPP) for pre-service early childhood Work Integrated Learning courses","authors":"Elise Hunkin, Julie Carmel","doi":"10.1080/10901027.2021.2012542","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2021.2012542","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT In this “Reflection on Practice” paper we reflect on an early childhood Work Integrated Learning course redesign that explored new ways of developing and applying playfulness theory to higher education instructional approaches. Our experience was that the higher education students required more support to deepen their understanding of course content. In response, we engaged with emerging playfulness pedagogy theory to develop a Higher Education Playfulness Pedagogy instructional model that reflects the principles of pleasurable, immersive intellectual engagement and risk-taking. The focus was on creating the conditions in which students can risk-take amid an environment of academic rigor and authentic engagement. First, we outline the Higher Education Pedagogy of Playfulness model that was developed for the course rewrite, then provide information about the course redesign with the view that others may replicate some of our practices or approaches. Last, we draw on anonymous student survey responses to discuss the potentials of HE playfulness pedagogy for early childhood Work Integrated Learning programs, and suggest areas for future study and exploration.","PeriodicalId":45981,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education","volume":"43 1","pages":"414 - 425"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2022-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44402480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-19DOI: 10.1080/10901027.2022.2025959
S. Kenny, Claire E. Cameron
ABSTRACT Education professionals’ conceptions of assessment can influence how they enact assessment with children. In this study, we explored the factor structure of a previously validated survey instrument, Brown’s Conceptions of Assessment Questionnaire (COA-III), when administered to a social-media-based sample of 241 U.S. early childhood professionals. We then used these results to examine participants’ conceptions and how these conceptions relate to one another. In common with prior research, the exploratory factor analysis yielded a 3-factor model of the participants’ conceptions of the purposes of assessment: assessment improves educational outcomes, assessment is irrelevant, and assessment as an accountability measure. Thus, the COA-III offers promise to educational researchers, policymakers, and professional preparation programs seeking to understand what early childhood professionals think and believe about the purpose of assessment. Further analyses—namely evidence of conflicting assessment beliefs—confirmed some of the complexities of assessing young children; such findings hold important implications for assessment-related training, policy, and practice.
{"title":"Examining conceptions of assessment among a social media-based sample of early childhood professionals","authors":"S. Kenny, Claire E. Cameron","doi":"10.1080/10901027.2022.2025959","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2022.2025959","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Education professionals’ conceptions of assessment can influence how they enact assessment with children. In this study, we explored the factor structure of a previously validated survey instrument, Brown’s Conceptions of Assessment Questionnaire (COA-III), when administered to a social-media-based sample of 241 U.S. early childhood professionals. We then used these results to examine participants’ conceptions and how these conceptions relate to one another. In common with prior research, the exploratory factor analysis yielded a 3-factor model of the participants’ conceptions of the purposes of assessment: assessment improves educational outcomes, assessment is irrelevant, and assessment as an accountability measure. Thus, the COA-III offers promise to educational researchers, policymakers, and professional preparation programs seeking to understand what early childhood professionals think and believe about the purpose of assessment. Further analyses—namely evidence of conflicting assessment beliefs—confirmed some of the complexities of assessing young children; such findings hold important implications for assessment-related training, policy, and practice.","PeriodicalId":45981,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education","volume":"44 1","pages":"288 - 309"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2022-01-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47347742","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-02DOI: 10.1080/10901027.2022.2050029
{"title":"Editorial","authors":"","doi":"10.1080/10901027.2022.2050029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2022.2050029","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45981,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education","volume":"43 1","pages":"1 - 1"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2022-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43042229","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-01Epub Date: 2021-08-08DOI: 10.1080/10901027.2021.1962442
Hilary Horn Ratner, Lucy McGoron, Kathryn Gray, Beverly Weathington, Anna Miller
Continued professional development is important for promoting quality early childhood care and education (ECE) programs. One approach to fulfill this need for professional development is through the creation of a community of practice, which brings together professionals with similar interests. In this investigation, we report the evaluation results for one CoP, called the Early Childhood Consortium, that included ECE center directors and teachers. We examine if members of the consortium formed a Sense of Community (SOC). Factors that may relate to SOC were also considered for both teachers and directors, including trust in information shared, workplace characteristics (e.g., perceived support, hours worked), and Consortium members' professional agency. Trust in the information exchanged within the Consortium and workplace characteristics within member centers were related to SOC, but differences, supported by t-tests, between director and teacher SOC did occur. SOC also significantly correlated with survey and activity measures of professional agency within the Consortium in that those endorsing stronger SOC said they would be more likely to share and adopt knowledge with one another. SOC also positively correlated with participation of center staff within the Consortium, but not with individual levels of involvement, suggesting that directors and teachers influence one another's participation in professional development activities. CoP leaders should be intentional in supporting directors' abilities to promote SOC within their own centers and to connect CoP professional activities with classroom practices.
{"title":"Promoting Sense of Community in an Early Childhood Care and Education Consortium.","authors":"Hilary Horn Ratner, Lucy McGoron, Kathryn Gray, Beverly Weathington, Anna Miller","doi":"10.1080/10901027.2021.1962442","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10901027.2021.1962442","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Continued professional development is important for promoting quality early childhood care and education (ECE) programs. One approach to fulfill this need for professional development is through the creation of a community of practice, which brings together professionals with similar interests. In this investigation, we report the evaluation results for one CoP, called the Early Childhood Consortium, that included ECE center directors and teachers. We examine if members of the consortium formed a Sense of Community (SOC). Factors that may relate to SOC were also considered for both teachers and directors, including trust in information shared, workplace characteristics (e.g., perceived support, hours worked), and Consortium members' professional agency. Trust in the information exchanged within the Consortium and workplace characteristics within member centers were related to SOC, but differences, supported by t-tests, between director and teacher SOC did occur. SOC also significantly correlated with survey and activity measures of professional agency within the Consortium in that those endorsing stronger SOC said they would be more likely to share and adopt knowledge with one another. SOC also positively correlated with participation of center staff within the Consortium, but not with individual levels of involvement, suggesting that directors and teachers influence one another's participation in professional development activities. CoP leaders should be intentional in supporting directors' abilities to promote SOC within their own centers and to connect CoP professional activities with classroom practices.</p>","PeriodicalId":45981,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education","volume":"43 1","pages":"148-166"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9122342/pdf/nihms-1733884.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10516168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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