Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Patricia N. Anderson

Abstract

Abstract Low achievement in literacy for children entering kindergarten exists despite district-sponsored professional development (PD) in literacy pedagogy for prekindergarten teachers. PD has been shown to be important in improving teachers’ instruction, so low achievement of children is unexplained. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore public prekindergarten teacher perspectives of district-sponsored literacy PD in a school district in the Southeast United States. The conceptual framework was guided by Knowles’s adult learning theory, which holds that adults are self-directed learners with many experiences upon which to draw. Research questions addressed teacher PD perspectives regarding inclusion of adult learning theory elements of planning, experiential learning, relevance, and problem-solving. Data were collected using semistructured interviews with twelve certified prekindergarten teachers (four each from three different campuses) who participated in prekindergarten literacy PD sessions for three or more years. Data were analyzed using inductive coding and thematic analysis. Key findings were that prekindergarten teachers do not have a voice in planning PD sessions, experience-based learning and problem-solving are absent in PD in literacy pedagogy instruction, and educators find PD sessions irrelevant to issues faced in classrooms pertaining to literacy instruction. This study contributes to positive social change by increasing understanding of teacher perspectives on effective PD and may lead to improved PD in literacy pedagogy provided to prekindergarten teachers. This may contribute to improved instruction and higher literacy achievement in young children.

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