Innovative approaches to continuous professional development (CPD) in early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Europe: findings from a comparative review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Innovative approaches to continuous professional development (CPD) in early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Europe

T2 - findings from a comparative review

AU - Jensen, Bente

AU - Iannone, Rosa Lisa

PY - 2018/3

Y1 - 2018/3

N2 - This article explores innovation as an aspect of in-service continuous professional development (CPD) in ECEC. Based on a literature review and a cross-country analysis conducted in ten European countries, we found that innovation in CPD was understood as a way to improving quality in ECEC. CPD no longer solely deals with practitioners’ knowledge and skills. Rather, it encompasses processes such as critical thinking, reflexivity and co-creation within and across ECEC systems. Two overall approaches to innovation in CPD emerged: one can be characterised as developing in systems that lack a national definition for innovation, where there is nevertheless a growing awareness of the need to finding new solutions for ECEC; and one as highly innovative in systems that have a history, culture and societal tradition of innovation. Also, three additional insights were identified as crucial aspects of CPD in terms of innovation: (a) critical reflection; (b) communities of practice; and (c) a growing focus on politics that address social inequality through ECEC. This analysis contributes to filling the gaps in research on innovative CPD in ECEC at three levels: system (macro), inter-organisational (meso) and individual, organisational (micro). Further research is needed to explore more in-depth the identified approaches to innovation related to CPD and their impact on quality development in European ECEC.

AB - This article explores innovation as an aspect of in-service continuous professional development (CPD) in ECEC. Based on a literature review and a cross-country analysis conducted in ten European countries, we found that innovation in CPD was understood as a way to improving quality in ECEC. CPD no longer solely deals with practitioners’ knowledge and skills. Rather, it encompasses processes such as critical thinking, reflexivity and co-creation within and across ECEC systems. Two overall approaches to innovation in CPD emerged: one can be characterised as developing in systems that lack a national definition for innovation, where there is nevertheless a growing awareness of the need to finding new solutions for ECEC; and one as highly innovative in systems that have a history, culture and societal tradition of innovation. Also, three additional insights were identified as crucial aspects of CPD in terms of innovation: (a) critical reflection; (b) communities of practice; and (c) a growing focus on politics that address social inequality through ECEC. This analysis contributes to filling the gaps in research on innovative CPD in ECEC at three levels: system (macro), inter-organisational (meso) and individual, organisational (micro). Further research is needed to explore more in-depth the identified approaches to innovation related to CPD and their impact on quality development in European ECEC.

KW - Early childhood

KW - Grundskole

KW - Dagtilbud

KW - Innovation

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85040632319&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1111/ejed.12253

DO - 10.1111/ejed.12253

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0141-8211

VL - 53

SP - 23

EP - 33

JO - European Journal of Education

JF - European Journal of Education

IS - 1

ER -