Continuous professional development and ECEC quality: Findings from a European systematic literature review

The purpose of the study is to (1) investigate whether – and under what conditions – investment in initiatives for continuous professional development and working conditions contributes to the improvement of employees’ education and care practices in kindergartens, (2) document the effects of continuous professional development activities and working conditions on everyday interactions between employees and the children, as well as on children’s learning and well-being, (3) identify features of continuous professional development programmes and working conditions found to be more effective in relation to points 1 and 2.

The results from the systematic overview of knowledge show that continuous professional development interventions that are integrated into kindergarten practice, with feedback components, are most effective in the form of lasting impact on the kindergarten employees’ learning, development and the quality of their practices. Long-term continuous professional development interventions that are integrated into practice, such as pedagogical guidance and coaching in reflection groups, produce positive impacts in very different contexts. The impact seems to sustain in countries where there are well-established kindergarten practices and high qualification requirements for employees, and in countries with low initial qualification requirements for kindergarten practice.

The findings show that participation in continuous professional development activities increased employees’ pedagogical awareness and professional understanding. Through the activities, the participants reconceptualised their role as an educator and began to see the children as protagonists in their own learning. The study also indicates that continuous professional development activities that are workplace-based have a greater effect on collegial and team collaboration than activities outside the workplace.

The study is a systematic overview of knowledge. Included studies are retrieved from a number of international databases and national databases in all 28 EU countries in 2016. Studies were then excluded and included based on stated inclusion criteria, and other mapping of existing studies was carried out. After quality assessments and data retrieval, a narrative synthesis of 44 included studies was conducted.

Peleman, B., Lazzari, A., Budginaitė, I., Siarova, H., Hauari, H., Peeters, J. & Cameron, C.  (2018). "Continuous professional development and ECEC quality: Findings from a European systematic literature review". European journal of education, 53(1):9-22.