The impact of professional development on early childhood educators’ confidence, understanding and knowledge of education for sustainability
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12526507 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Janet Dyment (0000-0002-7960-5971, University of Tasmania, corresponding author), Janet E Dyment, Julie M Davis (0000-0003-1222-918X, Queensland University of Technology), Diane Nailon (University of Tasmania), Sherridan Emery (0000-0003-2949-2793, University of Tasmania), Seyum Getenet (0000-0001-8338-4326, University of Tasmania), Nadine McCrea (University of New England), Allen Hill (0000-0003-0939-0765, University of Tasmania) |
| Year | 2013 |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 660-679 |
| Publication date | 2013-09-27 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Environmental Education Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1350-4622 • E-ISSN: 1469-5871 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13504622.2013.833591 |
| OpenAlex | W2014686434 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 27 |
| References cited | 26 |
In recent times, Australia has recognised and enacted a range of initiatives atservice, system and community levels that seek to embed sustainability into theearly childhood sector. This paper explores the impact of a professional development(PD) session that provided opportunities for early childhood educators tolearn and share ideas about the theory and practice of sustainability generallyand early childhood education for sustainability (ECEfS) specifically. The PDwas entitled Living and Learning about Sustainability in the Early Years andwas offered on three occasions across Tasmania. A total of 99 participantsattended the three PD sessions (one 5 hour; two 2 hour). The participants hadvarying levels of experience and included early childhood teachers, centre-basededucators and pre-service teachers. At the start and end of the PD, participantswere invited to complete a questionnaire that contained a series of Likert scalequestions that explored their content knowledge, level of understanding andconfidence in regards to ECEfS. Participants were also asked at the start and endof the PD to list five words you think of when you consider the word sustainability.A model of teacher professional growth was used to conceptualise theresults related to the changes in knowledge, understanding and confidence (personaldomain) as a result of the PD related to ECEfS (external domain). The Likertscale questions on the questionnaire revealed significant positive changes inlevels of knowledge, understanding and confidence from the start to the end ofthe PD. Differences as a function of length of PD, level of experience and roleare presented and discussed. The 5 words question showed that participantswidened their understandings of ECEfS from a narrow environmental focus to abroader understanding of the social, political and economic dimensions. Theearly childhood education and care (ECEC) sector has been characterised as havinga pedagogical advantage for EfS suggesting that early childhood educatorsare well placed to engage with EfS more readily than might educators in othereducation sectors. This article argues that PD is necessary to develop capabilityin educators in order to meet the imperatives around sustainability outlined ineducational policy and curriculum documents in ECEC
Developmental psychology · Early childhood · Early childhood education · Environmental education · Likert scale · Medical education · Pedagogy · Professional development · Scale (ratio · Session (web analytics · Sustainability · Children's Rights and Participation · Early Childhood Education and Development · Environmental Education and Sustainability · Medicine · Psychology
Australian Preservice Early Childhood Teachers’ Considerations of Natural Areas as Conducive and Important to Include in Educational Experiences
Teacher Mental Health Literacy and Child Development in Australian Primary Schools
Tracking education for sustainable development in Ecec institutions’ annual plans
Sustainability, play and children ́s agency
A Trial Patch to Sustainable Development
The Effectiveness of a Community-Based Playgroup in Inspiring Positive Changes in the Environmental Attitudes and Behaviours of Children and their Parents
Turkish pre-service early childhood education teachers’ perceptions and practices of nature-based teaching on professional experience
Early childhood educators’ understanding of education for sustainable development
Teaching for sustainability and altruism through project-based learning
Sustainability Literate Preschool Teachers
Toddlers and sustainability
The Healthy Environment Project
The impact of early childhood care and education training programs on educator outcomes
Sustainable life skills in early childhood
Influencing Greek pre-service teachers’ efficacy beliefs and self-confidence to implement the new ‘Studies for the Environment’ curricula
National policy guidelines and early childhood sustainability education
Practice change in environmental education
Connecting gender equality with sustainability in early childhood
The prospect of education for sustainable development ameliorating specific abiotic factors in the environment
Understanding teacher instructional change
When Teachers Walk the Green Talk
Exploring the role of intentions and expectations in continuing professional development in sustainability education
A mixed-methods study on the role of a professional development program in shifting teaching self-efficacy, confidence, practices, knowledge, and need for support of K-12 educators teaching multilingual learners
Nurturing Sustainability in Toddlerhood
Education for sustainability in early childhood education
Education for sustainable development in early childhood education
We are all interconnected.”
Knowledge, Action and Pro-environmental Behaviour
An ecological footprint for an early learning centre
Environmental Education for Sustainability
Revealing the research ‘hole’ of early childhood education for sustainability
To know, to decide, to act
Collaboration and self-regulation in teachers’ professional development
Elaborating a model of teacher professional growth
| Unique citing works | 27 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2.45 |
| Citation span | 2015 - 2026 (12) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 27 |