Challenges to Effective Early Years Practitioner Professional Development in Disadvantaged Communities and Strategies for Improvement
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| Title: | Challenges to Effective Early Years Practitioner Professional Development in Disadvantaged Communities and Strategies for Improvement |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Okeke Chinedu Ifedi (ORCID |
| Source: | Journal of Education and e-Learning Research. 2026 13(1):131-139. |
| Availability: | Asian Online Journal Publishing Group. 244 Fifth Avenue Suite D42, New York, NY 10001. Fax: 212-591-6094; e-mail: info@asianonlinejournals.com; Web site: http://www.asianonlinejournals.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 9 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Early Childhood Education |
| Descriptors: | Faculty Development, Early Childhood Education, Child Care Centers, Early Childhood Teachers, Economically Disadvantaged, Transformative Learning, Foreign Countries, Barriers, Program Effectiveness, Teacher Attitudes, Teacher Salaries, Government Role, Access to Education |
| Geographic Terms: | South Africa |
| ISSN: | 2518-0169 2410-9991 |
| Abstract: | In recent years, practitioner professional development has garnered increasing attention from researchers, resulting in a substantial body of empirical studies from around the world. This paper aims to contribute to the clarification of the concept of professional development and increase knowledge accordingly. Jack Mezirow's transformative learning theory provided the theoretical underpinning for the study. It examined the challenges that impede effective professional development provisioning and the strategies for capacitating the 211 practitioners spread across 45 Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) centres. The setting was the communities in the participating district. The design employed convergent mixed methods research, enabling the use of a questionnaire instrument supplemented by semi-structured interviews. I used the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 software to analyse the quantitative data, and the results of the means and standard deviations obtained answered the research sub-questions. The qualitative data were analysed thematically. Results and findings indicate that numerous constraints exist in providing effective professional development for practitioners. An analysis of practitioners' responses identified several strategies to facilitate the provision of their professional development, meeting their needs. I argue that mitigating the challenges confronting community-based practitioners is crucial to achieving quality ECCE, which in turn contributes to sustainable community development. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1507444 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | In recent years, practitioner professional development has garnered increasing attention from researchers, resulting in a substantial body of empirical studies from around the world. This paper aims to contribute to the clarification of the concept of professional development and increase knowledge accordingly. Jack Mezirow's transformative learning theory provided the theoretical underpinning for the study. It examined the challenges that impede effective professional development provisioning and the strategies for capacitating the 211 practitioners spread across 45 Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) centres. The setting was the communities in the participating district. The design employed convergent mixed methods research, enabling the use of a questionnaire instrument supplemented by semi-structured interviews. I used the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 software to analyse the quantitative data, and the results of the means and standard deviations obtained answered the research sub-questions. The qualitative data were analysed thematically. Results and findings indicate that numerous constraints exist in providing effective professional development for practitioners. An analysis of practitioners' responses identified several strategies to facilitate the provision of their professional development, meeting their needs. I argue that mitigating the challenges confronting community-based practitioners is crucial to achieving quality ECCE, which in turn contributes to sustainable community development. |
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| ISSN: | 2518-0169 2410-9991 |
