Keywords

1 Introduction

Vygotsky’s (1998) writings on the concept of crisis especially in his work on the “Problem of age” highlight that children enter new institutional practices in each developmental period (early childhood, preschool, and school-age). In this chapter, we are drawing on this core argument that new institutional demands are central to the experience of crisis. Another related argument is that a crisis leads to a revolutionary path of development (i.e. transformation or qualitative change) in the existing practice. In our Monash University PlayLab research, while working with teachers on their professional development to support teacher engagement in STEM concepts using a play pedagogy, we intend to highlight similar arguments. Our professional development program of Conceptual PlayWorlds for STEM is guided by two broad intentions—one to generate evidence about teacher’s professional development and second to enhance teacher’s capacity to contribute to children’s STEM concept learning in early years.

The current landscape of early childhood education has traditionally been challenged by bringing STEM knowledge and skills competencies into play practice. In-service education is crucial to maintaining a high-quality early childhood workforce and retaining it by offering options for skill upgrading and career progression (OECD, 2022). It is imperative to continue building early childhood educators’ knowledge and skills through continuing professional development that matches their needs (OECD, 2022).

A professional development program is often recommended as a primary method of enhancing the quality of early childhood education (e.g. Jensen et al., 2017; Schachter, 2015). It is regarded as an essential quality improvement initiative that can greatly aid in supporting young children’s development within today’s mixed delivery early education system (Build Initiative, 2019; Weiland, 2018). In many countries including Australia, there have been efforts from the government to improve the quality of early childhood educators’ practices by providing funding for professional learning (Productivity Commission, 2011, 2014; Waniganayake et al., 2012). However, there is an absence of systematic assessment of the quality of the respective education organisations, as well as the professional development programs delivered (Hadley et al., 2015). Measuring the impact of these professional development programs can be further complicated by the diverse educational background of the early childhood workforce varying from certificate, and diploma- to degree-qualified graduates, with each educational level emphasising different skills and knowledge (Suryani & Fleer, 2024).

This chapter offers an important alternative study design on how we can capture and make teacher development visible in terms of how professional development can create both motivating and crisis conditions that influence meaningful changes in early childhood educators’ practices.

To achieve this goal, we will start by explaining how professional development conceptualised from a cultural-historical perspective gives challenges in designing research where pre- and post-survey designs are traditionally featured. We explore how there is a theoretical contradiction between traditional measurement studies and qualitative impact study designs. This is followed by a discussion on how we seek to solve the research contradiction that presents itself within a new context of a global pandemic. We showcase examples of pre- and post-survey design questions and our multimodal digital professional development program that was developed because of the global pandemic. We will then use the example of a Conceptual Playworld as a planned intervention as the content of the methods we re-conceptualise using cultural-historical theory.

1.1 PD Programs for Early Childhood Educators

Studies on early childhood professional development should go beyond basic questions that address individual characteristics of the educators (e.g. prior qualifications, length of relevant experience) and their associations with attributes of knowledge, skill, or practice. Several aspects need to be considered when investigating the impact of early childhood professional development programs—not merely about the technical aspects (i.e. methods, formats, deliveries) but also its processes and outcomes (i.e. the impact on the educators themselves, parents and families).

This is crucial because according to Vygotsky’s (1998) idea of developmental ‘crisis’, educators who are aware of their practices through experiencing challenges and professional tensions in their work environments may feel compelled to take part in professional development programs as they feel the demand to improve their knowledge and skills. Therefore, rather than simply observing the impact of a one-off professional development activity, it is more important to know why and how educators implement in their daily practices the activity they learnt from professional development program over a long-term scale.

1.2 Types of PD Format and Delivery

There are at least four types of professional development. First, it can be a specialised training that provides specific skills (e.g. Maxwell, 2006; Tout et al., 2006) and are often one-way with limited follow-up or feedback on observed practice (Pianta, 2006). Second, it can be in a format of coaching which may involve independent and/or shared observations, action (demonstration, guided practice), self-reflection, feedback, and evaluation. It often requires frequent interactions over a relatively short period of time (Hanft et al., 2004). Consultation is another type of professional development where the facilitator often focuses on solving problems and providing professional support for an immediate concern or goal requested by the educators (e.g. Sheridan & Kratochwill, 2008). Finally, a type of professional development that is well known is community of practice. This involves a group of individuals with common professional interests who have a desire to improve their practice in a particular area by sharing their knowledge, insights, and observations (e.g. Wenger, 1998; Wenger et al., 2002). Members of the group may ask questions, connect and build ideas, expand key points, share resources and success stories that emerge from authentic situations and personal experiences. Out of these aforementioned types of professional development, which is considered the best is often subjective; it primarily depends on many factors including educators’ educational backgrounds, professional needs, and work environment.

There is a consensus that professional development plays an important role in improving early childhood educators’ skills, knowledge, and dispositions (e.g. Sheridan et al., 2009). However, there is limited empirical evidence on how to measure the effectiveness or the impact of teacher professional development (Schachter, 2015).

In a review of 73 studies of professional development targeted at early childhood teachers, Schachter (2015) found that more than half of the studies used some form of coaching, and more than half delivered professional development via training workshops. In measuring the professional development outcomes, 51% of the studies measured changes in teacher practice, 18% measured changes in teachers’ knowledge, 40% measured changes in children’s learning, and another 11% focused on measuring changes in children’s behaviour. However, few of these studies drew upon a cultural-historically framed study of teacher development. They were mostly oriented to learning or practice change. We think a focus on development with its conceptualisation of crisis offers a valuable contribution. Specifically, Vygotsky’s theory never covered teacher development, his focus was on children’s development.

We are drawing on the data being collected as part of our longitudinal study over the last four years to make our methodological principles visible.

The Conceptual PlayWorld intervention formed the centrepiece of our professional development program and whilst it was designed to improve early childhood educators’ confidence and competence in teaching Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) concepts, we know from our data that crisis became a central motivating force for teacher development.

2 A Cultural-Historically Framed Survey Approach that Was Within a Dynamic Professional Development Program

The study design consists of professional development programs along with a series of data collection points that were dynamically and culturally related. Studying something in the process of change is the basic demand of the dialectic method, which is an essential element of Vygotsky’s theory. He argues against the postmortem approach to research, the central idea is to research phenomena in its development: “encompass in research the process of development of something in all its phases and changes from the moment of its appearance to its death-means to reveal its nature, to know its essence, for only in movement does the body exhibit that it is.” (Vygotsky, 1997, p. 294). Notably,

Conceptual PlayWorld as an intervention creates a condensed and amplified experience for children and their caregivers and teachers where the object of inquiry is seen (1) in-motion; (2) beyond fossilised complete forms; (3) the past in the present, and (4) where the researcher has a central role in developing practice in collaboration with teachers (Fleer et al., 2020, p. 57).

Before the professional development, the educators are invited to complete a short online survey (i.e. data set 1) which takes about 10–15 minutes to complete. There are four sections in the survey. The first section collects demographic information which includes questions about gender, age, educational background, length of teaching experience, work setting, current role, and age group they mostly teach. The second section investigates educators’ confidence in teaching STEM. The third section examines educators’ attitudes towards STEM, for instance, their level of enjoyment, perception of usefulness, and perception of difficulties in teaching STEM concepts to young children. The fourth section explores educators’ concerns about their involvement with Conceptual PlayWorld. For example, whether they would like to learn more about characteristics, resources, and the way they can implement the Conceptual PlayWorld in their own setting. However, these data points must be conceptualised within the system of human relations and practices that form the professional development program.

First, responses from the pre-professional development survey (see Fig. 9.1) are crucial as baseline information for researchers to understand educators’ background so that the professional development content can be modified to fit with the educator’s contexts (e.g. to target specific age groups or work settings). The approach is to offer responsive support to teachers. The online survey and planning session bring to the fore teachers’ challenges while developing a play-pedagogic model for their group. This is used as an opportunity to develop their emerging motive orientations for learning to develop a STEM Conceptual PlayWorld in their play-based settings. As such, the baseline cannot be conceptualised as something within the individual, but rather it is the collective dynamic of participants who bring their experiences and ways of being within the professional development program as a collective social situation of development.

Fig. 9.1
A chart presents examples of 8 pre- and post-professional development survey questions for thinking about people's current experience as an early childhood educator or teacher. Each question has 7 radio buttons against each, ranging from 1 to 7 for not at all and very much responses.

Examples of pre- and post- professional development survey questions

Full size image

From a cultural historical perspective, teachers participating in professional development programs are agentic learners who pursue and appreciate new demands, challenging themselves to connect their sense-making with the public meanings valued in teaching (Edwards, 2017). Data set 1 gave insights into how the course of data collection process and professional development made visible a shift in teachers’ motive orientation and hence their intention to work with children in their play setting.

The next stage is for educators to actively participate in professional development. The professional development program is delivered as self-paced, via Zoom, and in-person. During the global pandemic, the most preferred mode of delivery was through Zoom sessions which allowed direct digital interactions between the researchers and early childhood educators. The professional development takes about two hours and consists of two parts. The first part is a presentation to guide early childhood educators through each of the five characteristics of a Conceptual PlayWorld by showing video content of what a Conceptual PlayWorld looks like in practice. The second part is a group workshop where educators plan their own Conceptual PlayWorld. This session is recorded and is analysed as part of a second data set. The data generated brings forward the struggles and the imagining of the new concepts into practice, as teachers make concrete plans for the new practice being considered.

The next phase in the study design is the practical component of the program. Participants have opportunities to implement their own Conceptual PlayWorld in their own time and setting.

Once they have experience with the Conceptual PlayWorld, they are invited to join group or individual interviews and share their reflections (i.e. third data set). The data generated from this process is oriented to how teachers make concrete the new practices as part of their everyday realities of their play-based settings. At the same time, they are invited to respond to the same questions via an online survey (fourth data set).

Second, after the completion of the post-professional development online survey, participants are invited to reflect on their experiences, identify the challenges, crises experienced, and areas for improvement. The educators are also invited to enhance their knowledge and skills through an advanced professional development program (i.e. professional development 2). These activities continue depending on the educators’ needs. After the second Conceptual PlayWorld implementation, educators are encouraged to join reflection sessions where they can share their experiences and learn from each other (see Fig. 9.2).

Fig. 9.2
An arrow diagram presents the design of the study across the pre-P D, P D 1, post-P D, and P D 2. They include data 1 from the online survey, C P W professional development 1, data 2, C P W implementation, data 3, data 4, C P W professional development 2, C P W implementation, and data 5.

Study design

Full size image

To understand teacher development as a complex process of professional practice chance, data are gathered not just through a pre- and post-survey design as is traditionally conceptualised. Rather, these surveys give context for professional development across time, where support sessions are available via a private Facebook group, email, and Zoom discussions with the researchers, whichever is convenient for participants.

3 How Crisis Propels Teacher Development

Conceptual PlayWorld professional development has been designed to create new motivating conditions for teacher’s development where different crisis points emerge (also see Fig. 9.3). There are three central arguments worth making here:

  1. 1.

    Creating a collective professional community. One of the central aspects of participating in the Conceptual PlayWorld professional development program is that teachers engage in an evidence-informed model of professional practice but they also feel supported by the collective. The moments of crisis thus are not individual but offer opportunities for transforming groups’ professional practice. The concept of crisis can be explained as a dramatic situation that the person lives through. This dramatic situation can be generated by contradictions that exist in a person’s environment. Contradictions cause inner as well as external tensions and conflicts that are critical for transforming and changing a person’s experience, motives and values by putting new demands on the person. During the time of global pandemic, apart from the existing professional demands, the teachers were also navigating new responses which were expected of them to sustain their practice. The Conceptual PlayWorld professional development program gave teachers confidence and competence from an evidence-informed approach to respond to this crisis. In line with this Vygotskian perspective, experiencing a crisis is not conceptualised as an obstacle or a disorientation in the process of development. On the contrary, crisis is understood as a dynamic turning point that creates developmental conditions and becomes the source of a person’s development. As Vygotsky (1998) argued, the development of the personality is not a case of stability and balance but a contradictory process and a crisis that includes transitions, destabilizations, qualitative changes and neoformations. To sustain and support these neoformations and qualitative changes, we noted how Facebook supported teachers through consistent mentoring support. The digital technology thus came to create a collective professional community through a professional development program.

  2. 2.

    Creating new demands. One of the central focuses of the Conceptual PlayWorld professional development program is to introduce new demands of professional practice for the early childhood teachers. This new demand was to follow a Conceptual Playworld approach in designing, thinking and implementing their pedagogy in their early learning centre, and this makes these teachers more aware of their existing practice. Rather than focusing on the outcome of professional development, Conceptual PlayWorlds is a process-focussed model—our intention was to study the process of teacher development as they feel challenged and negotiate new demands of weaving play and STEM concepts into their teaching practice. As Fleer et al. (2022) argues “the challenge for the teachers is how to bring into the imaginary play science concepts, so they are meaningful and enduring (rather than a one-off experiment)” (p. 11). The methods presented above gave possibilities for researchers to observe the visible signs of the crises of professional practice change (Fleer et al., 2022), at the same time giving possibilities for making visible in the analysis of the digitally documented professional development process and the responses to the surveys. Which together were valuable research tools for a microgenetic level of teachers’ crises as they brought into their own practices concepts into play.

  3. 3.

    A cultural-historical reading of pre- and post-survey designs. The traditional pre- and post-design has to be conceptualised in a cultural-historical study as a tool that gives context and points in time, but is not the source of all information about teacher development. The developmental crisis may be captured through a survey, but the meaning it has for teacher development is only brought forward through the dynamics of the workshop, the implementation process, reflections, and ongoing drama that occurs in the play-based settings as the reality of the new practices morph and change in everyday practice.

Fig. 9.3
A chart presents 2 questions with space for answers aimed at understanding how teachers meet new challenges. The questions include describing what people enjoy most and least about running their playworld.

Making explicit how teachers meet the new demands (Question examples)

Full size image

4 Conclusion

The study design discussed in this chapter aligns well with Schachter’s (2015) recommendations that researchers should draw from multiple sources to inform professional development design and implementation. For our cultural-historical study design, it was important to be innovative in professional development delivery, particularly when using digital technology to capture the points of crisis and to make safe and convenient multi-modal delivery, which involved teachers trying out new practices with support, including making reflections on self-development. Pre- and post-surveys made visible the points of crisis, but only when embedded in the realities of the new practices, where qualitative changes became understood. When the new conceptualisation of pre- and post-survey design is considered in this way, we suggest these tools and the professional development program undertaken over time, collectively capture crises points and their resolution in synthesis as teacher development.