State-Sponsored Professional Development for Early Childhood Educators: Who Participates and Associated Implications for Future Offerings

Abstract

Professional development (PD) for early childhood educators has received increased attention as a means of bolstering young children’s learning and development. Theory and research indicate that educators’ characteristics play roles in both their own learning and that of children; however, little research has explored who participates in PD. This study provides an in-depth description of the backgrounds and qualifications, positions and settings, knowledge, and beliefs of educators participating in PD offerings. These educator characteristics have been identified as important factors in adult learning theory with implications for the design, implementation, and evaluation of adult learning. Descriptive analysis revealed considerable variability in many of these characteristics. Findings yield practical implications for the design of future large-scale PD efforts in terms of format, content, and marketing.

Additional information

Funding

The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R305E100030 to The Ohio State University. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.