Date of Conferral
5-9-2024
Date of Award
May 2024
Degree
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
School
Education
Advisor
Peter Ross
Abstract
The problem affecting Oklahoma’s child care teachers is that the required state trainings and available professional development (PD) are not meeting their needs. The purpose of this qualitative study was to obtain child care teachers’ perspectives of the state’s required training and available PD. The theoretical foundation of this study was based on project-based learning (PBL) theory. The PBL theory supports active in-class learning that allows teachers to continually learn new concepts for their students and provides in-class training and coaching. Three research questions guided the study: What are early child care teachers’ perspectives of the Oklahoma-mandated training. What are the early child care teachers’ perspectives of the available PD. What recommendations do early child care teachers have for improving training and PD. The study followed a basic qualitative method. Semistructured interviews were used to collect the data from 30 child care teachers. Coding and thematic analysis were used to identify the themes. 15 common themes were identified. Teachers’ perspectives indicated the state’s required training and PD were not meeting their individual needs. Through participant recommendations, teachers suggested that a new PD model be created that mirrors the teacher’s own experience and education. This study could contribute to a positive social change for Oklahoma’s child care teachers by providing PD courses that will meet their needs and ultimately impact early childhood education.
Recommended Citation
Kastl, Christina L., "Childcare Teachers’ Perspectives of State-Required Training and Available Professional Development" (2024). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 15699.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/15699
