Professional Development to Support Parent Engagement: A Case Study of Early Childhood Practitioners

Abstract

Research Findings: This qualitative case study describes early childhood practitioners' (ECPs) perspectives on their professional development as part of a large federally funded school readiness intervention project as they experienced the processes of professional growth and change in learning skills related to promoting parental engagement in children's learning and development. A total of 28 ECPs participated in this study over 2 assessment periods across 2 academic years; 12 ECPs were interviewed twice, for a total of 40 interviews conducted and analyzed. Practitioners worked within the context of Early Head Start, Head Start, and Student Parent Programs in local high schools, all located in a midwestern state. The study intended to (a) discover practitioners' understanding of a parent engagement intervention, including their perspectives on the professional development and supports received; (b) assess how the parent engagement intervention was experienced by ECPs; and (c) discern how self-reported attitudes and behaviors of practitioners toward work with families changed as a function of the professional supports they received. Qualitative analyses of interview transcripts revealed 3 primary themes contributing to ECPs' experience with and understanding of the professional development model to support parent engagement: Self-Perceived Changes in Confidence and Competence in Enhancing Parental Engagement, Relationships as Supports for Change, and Practice: Time Pressure and Paperwork Woes. Practice or Policy: Lessons learned and implications for the implementation of future professional development models are provided. Findings inform other early childhood professional development efforts being implemented in the context of rigorous, research-based programming, particularly those intending to support parent engagement.

Notes

^aA total of 28 individuals participated in the study; 21 were interviewed at Round 1, and 7 new participants were added in Round 2.

^bA total of 40 interviews were conducted: Round 1 (21 early childhood practitioners [ECPs]) + Round 2 (12 returning ECPs and 7 new ECPs).

¹Modifications to the implementation of the professional development model occurred between Rounds 1 and 2 (Years 2 and 3 of the project). First, the delivery of coaching changed from a process in which two different coaches provided group and individual coaching to one in which a single coach provided both group and individual sessions for participants. This change was made in an effort to facilitate cohesion and integration across group and individual coaching, based on feedback from ECPs. Second, the amount of documentation for practitioners was reduced prior to Round 2 interviews based on feedback that demands were excessive.