Challenges and barriers to Austrian early childhood educators' participation in online professional development programmes
Funding information
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Abstract
Online professional development programmes have a long tradition in adult education. However, in early childhood education, such programmes are only just beginning to be developed. Before online professional development courses can be made inclusive, accessible and widely available to early childhood educators, they must meet a few basic requirements. The present study provides insights into essential aspects that need to be considered when setting up online professional development programmes, a field which is still in its infancy in Austria. The results of a representative survey (n = 317) demonstrated that early childhood educators' digital competencies are highly variable and cannot be taken for granted. The survey results also stress the need to provide educators with functional digital devices appropriate to their work environment. Early childhood educators' interest in online professional development programmes is very high, in recognition of the advantages afforded by flexible participation options independent of users' time constraints or location. The development of attractive, compelling and accessible online professional development courses can contribute to current professionalisation efforts in the field of early childhood education.
Practitioner notes
What is already known about this topic
- Online professional development has already a very long tradition in the field of adult vocational training but not in Early Childhood Education.
- The possibility of attending online professional development programmes independent of a participant's time constraints or location is viewed as a particularly beneficial advantage.
- Online professional development programmes positively affect the professionalisation of educators. For this reason, they must increasingly be integrated into the field of early childhood education.
What this paper adds
- In the field of early childhood education in German-speaking regions, online professional development training courses are only beginning to be developed.
- This paper examines the challenges and barriers for early childhood educators associated with implementing online professional development programmes for early childhood educators.
- The survey was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic and includes current data on the ongoing digitalisation boom.
Implications for practise and/or policy
- Online professional development courses should not be understood as competition for conventional face-to-face programmes. Instead, they act as a useful supplement.
- Media competencies are a fundamental prerequisite for everyday professional life—early childhood educators need functional media devices, stable internet connections, and support structures in IT and computer literacy.
- Early childhood educators require effective instruction in using online professional development programmes to expand online professional development programmes in their field. They must also address compelling topics in early childhood education relevant to educators' practise.
INTRODUCTION
Plea for a professional development courses—A contextualisation
Diverse systems of early childhood education and care are being developed, consolidated and reformed Europe-wide (Moser et al., 2014). Due to pluralistic training paths and a professional field subject to constant socio-political change, there must be increased investment in professional development programmes. A study by Oberhuemer et al. (2010) examined the status of professional development programmes for early childhood educators in 27 European countries. The study makes clear that educators across Europe have completed very different basic training programmes and face very disparate prospects for further educating and training. Additionally, early childhood education is integrated into broader national education systems in very different ways. In Norway and Estonia, for example, early childhood education is fully integrated into the system, whilst Austria and Germany are organised on a provincial basis. In Portugal, early childhood education and care facilities are separate from the school system. Whilst the formal conditions in European states are quite diverse, the practical requirements in early childhood institutions are quite similar: Along with the international push for institutional development, recent years have seen increased demands for quality control and development in nurseries and kindergartens, including with regard to the professionalisation of staff. In Europe, the training of early childhood educators is integrated into the formal education system. This training can range from vocational training at school to a bachelor's or master's degree. Attendance at a further education or training programme is generally voluntary (Buschle & Friedrich, 2020; Oberhuemer et al., 2010). Due to the ever increasing speed of such changes, the influence of empirical research on pedagogical work, and the quantitative development of early childhood education and childcare facilities, further training and continuing education opportunities must increasingly be more focused and targeted (Buschle & Gruber, 2018; Kratzmann et al., 2020). Austria is a unique case in Europe, as the training to become an elementary education specialist takes place at the secondary level (higher vocational school). There are no basic studies at the tertiary level—these are only offered at university colleges of teacher education and at universities of applied sciences for the further qualification of early childhood professionals (Krenn-Wache, 2017; Pölzl-Stefanec, 2020). The problem with this training is its dual function: On the one hand, students are prepared for the school-leaving examination (Matura), and on the other hand, they are prepared for professional practise as an early childhood educator. The training to become an early childhood educator comprises 25% of the student's total education (Pölzl-Stefanec, 2017). Online professional development programmes can be a solution to contribute to the professionalisation of elementary education professionals, as learners have the advantage of being able to attend independently of time and place.
Digital professional development for early childhood education
Several EU policy papers strategically address teachers' digital literacy development. The EU's Digital Education Action Plan from 2018 focuses on the digitalisation of specific content-related goals. The European Commission described digital literacy as the confident and critical use of digital technologies from early childhood into later life (European Commission, 2018). The Digital Agenda for Europe (European Commission, 2020) focuses on expanding broadband internet access and increasing network speeds. The development of relevant digital skills and competencies will be essential to ensuring high-quality education in the digital age. Early childhood educators' digital competencies will not explicitly be addressed in this context (Wilmers et al., 2020).
A look at the United States of America shows an entirely different development: The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) initiative promotes an integrated system of continuing education in order to advocate for professional standards and support career paths both within early childhood education systems and beyond. Online professional development programmes for early childhood educators exhibit the core concepts outlined in the NAEYC position statement (NAEYC, 2021). More than 10 years ago, the federal government of the United States undertook to overcome both temporal and geographical barriers to professionalisation by implementing the E-Learning for Educators (EfE) Initiative, which stipulated the development of online professional development opportunities for educators (Reeves & Pedulla, 2011). Online professional development programmes have the potential to offer educational professionals standardised and improved access to continuing education opportunities (Stone-MacDonald & Douglass, 2015). Early childhood institutions in European member states could also follow this example.
(ONLINE) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES COULD BE THE WAYS AND MEANS FOR PROFESSIONALISATION
Importantly, attending further training courses has a measurable effect on the pedagogical methods used on site. In a meta-analysis of 17 intervention-studies between 1980 and 2005, Fukkink and Lont (2007) found that the completion of a further training programme positively influences the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of educational professionals. Werner et al. (2016) analysed 16 studies examining adult–child interactions, finding aggregated effects correlated with educational professionals' behaviour, which in turn was an indicator of high quality group behaviour. The results of studies focused on pedagogical quality have also shown a correlation between educators' level of training and the quality of their designed interactions (Pianta et al., 2020; Sylva et al., 2009). Various training formats specially targeted for early childhood educators may represent a promising new hope: They can make an important contribution to the professionalisation of early childhood educators (Buschle & König, 2018). Online professional development programmes are hardly or not at all taken into account in these studies. The process of digitalisation is multifaceted. The transfer of knowledge about digitalisation will be key to a successful transition.
Distance learning in adult vocational training has steadily increased since the 1960s and has been developed into various mediums since the 1980s (Zawacki-Richter & Naidu, 2016). As a result, e-learning opportunities have established a long tradition and have become an integral part of modern pedagogy (Knauf, 2019). Several studies (eg, Doo et al., 2020; Naidu, 2020; Salmon et al., 2015) have examined participants' assessment of various online learning platforms. Studies (Askov et al., 2003; Drummond, 2011) show that online teaching is just as effective as face-to-face teaching, although current pedagogical platforms tend towards online interactive learning (Zawacki-Richter & Naidu, 2016). The target audience of early childhood educators in Central Europe has as yet made little use of further training programmes based on e-learning and digital platforms (Brandt et al., 2018; Buschle & König, 2018). In a telephone survey carried out in 2017, for example, only 2% of the early childhood educators surveyed stated that they had participated in online professional development programmes, and only 38% of those surveyed were aware that online professional development programmes existed for the field of early childhood education (Little Scientists' House [German: Haus der kleinen Forscher]). In the German-speaking world, the field of early childhood education has very few connections to virtual teaching/learning platforms, and general knowledge of further training programmes is somewhat rare (Buschle & König, 2018). Nieding and Klaudy (2020) emphasised in their study that early childhood educators' attitude and approach towards digital media is a major factor in whether digital media are used. Early childhood educators are currently required to use digital media to meet instructional goals (keyword: educational plans) whilst simultaneously fulfilling pedagogical requirements in the context of current societal developments. The competent, critical and professional assessment of digital media is, along with the practical implementation of such media in the classroom, part of the modern-day educator's professional reality (Knauf, 2019).
DIGITAL COMPETENCIES—THE NEW PEDAGOGICAL NORM?
Online professional development programmes enjoy many advantages. Lively, appealing and practise-oriented online courses have a positive effect on classroom participation (Salmon et al., 2015). The results of several studies have also shown that setting goals, effectively managing time and reflecting on one's professional practise all have a positive effect on participation in online training programmes (Doo et al., 2020). For both child care and educational institutions, online professional development programmes are an effective means of maximising access to continuing education whilst simultaneously limiting costs (Reeves & Pedulla, 2011; Stone-MacDonald & Douglass, 2015). Especially in countries where training requirements are low and the need for skilled workers is high—as in Austria, for example—high-quality online professional development programmes can positively contribute to the professionalisation of educators.
The findings of several international studies show that professionals regularly take advantage of online learning opportunities. Those surveyed find the flexibility afforded by such programmes, including the ease of independent use and flexible scheduling possibilities, particularly appealing. These studies, however, were all carried out in Anglo-American environments, where online training has a long tradition and professionals have full access to internet-ready PCs or laptops (Little & King, 2008; Weigel et al., 2012). In Central Europe, online professional development courses for early childhood educators are not yet widespread (Baumeister & Grieser, 2011; Buschle & Friedrich, 2020) and are only beginning to be developed.
The use of digital media in early childhood education is currently the subject of intense discussion (Bostelmann et al., 2018; Cohen & Hemmerich, 2020; Knauf, 2019)—it seems to be generally assumed that early childhood educators already possess the digital competencies necessary for their practise. This is not surprising; digital skills are widely recognised by modern science and socio-political studies to be essential to a successful and future-oriented society (Redecker, 2017). Against this background, relevant communication technologies must be integrated into pedagogical practise. This in turn means that educators must have the skills and abilities necessary to make proper use of digital media; in a broader sense, they must be active and creative participants in a culture and professional world which is increasingly influenced and formed by digitalisation (Kerres, 2018).
In Austria, pedagogical training includes little computer science or media education. In fact, these subjects are very nearly absent from the curriculum (only 2 hr per week for 2 years during a total of 5 years of training) (Bundesgesetzblatt, 2016). Studies have, however, shown that educators' digital media competency has a direct influence on their use of media in pedagogical practise (Nolte, 2014). Clearly, our personal and professional lives are becoming increasingly digital. Digital skills and media competence at work are more important than ever, presenting several possibilities for growth (Carretero et al., 2018).
The present study is intended to close the research gap in our understanding of early childhood professional's media competencies, as well as to show the challenges and barriers early childhood educators must overcome to participate in online professional development programmes.
THE STUDY—MEDIA USE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS
Austria is a federal state with nine provinces. The training to become a professional early childhood educator is regulated uniformly nationwide, beginning in secondary school. A basic academic education, as exists in many other European countries, does not exist in Austria. Individual provinces have legislative and executive control over educational professionalisation within their jurisdiction (Krenn-Wache, 2017).
- What types of digital media are available to early childhood educators in their daily work?
- What types of digital media do early childhood educators regularly use in their daily work, and how competently do they rate their skills in using this media?
- Do early childhood educators attend online training courses? If yes, what are their primary reasons for attending and what challenges and barriers do they face?
- What sort of requests and requirements do early childhood educators have for online professional development programmes?
In December 2020, a semistandardised questionnaire was distributed to at least two institutions per Austrian municipality (N = 2463). The response rate from this stratified random sample was 12.9% (N = 317). This sample includes both private and public as well as rural and urban institutions.
A total of 317 early childhood educators (310 female, 4 male, 3 third sex) took part in the survey. Table 1 shows that the majority of those surveyed (56%) were younger than 42 years old and had worked in an institution of early childhood education for an average of 18 years. A majority of those surveyed work in public institutions (N = 245) and have completed the basic educational requirements necessary to become a pedagogical professional (N = 306)—these requirements do not include training in the field of computer science. Eleven people (3.5%) had completed a masters or doctoral degree.
| n | % | |
|---|---|---|
| Gender | ||
| Male | 4 | 1.2 |
| Female | 310 | 97.8 |
| Third sex | 3 | 0.9 |
| Age | ||
| 19–24 | 28 | 8.9 |
| 25–30 | 41 | 13.1 |
| 31–36 | 49 | 15.6 |
| 37–42 | 57 | 18.2 |
| 43–45 | 27 | 8.6 |
| 46–51 | 49 | 15.6 |
| 52–57 | 49 | 15.6 |
| 58–63 | 14 | 4.5 |
| n/a | 3 | |
| Education | ||
| Educational institute for early childhood education (high school) | 306 | 96.5 |
| Master's | 10 | 3.2 |
| PhD | 1 | 0.3 |
Note
- N = 317, years worked in child care field M = 17.67.
The questionnaire surveyed participants regarding their current media use and asked them to assess their media competencies in everyday pedagogical life. Of special interest is the fact that this study was carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic in December 2020. During this time, Austria was in its second full lockdown. The early childhood educators surveyed had already had experience with e-learning, home-office and an increased use of digital media during the first lockdown (Cohen et al., 2020), which took place in Spring 2020.
DIGITAL MEDIA EQUIPMENT IN EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES
Most of those surveyed reported having a printer (92%) or scanner (80%) available at their institution. About 35.6% reported having no access to a laptop or PC at their workplace. About 60.6% of the early childhood educators surveyed stated that their employer provides them with a PC or laptop for work in a kindergarten (3.8% gave no answer). Of these, 56.5% have access to either a PC or laptop in their institution and 35.6% have access to both (Tables 2–8).
| Equipment | n | M | SD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Printera | 300 | 11.37 | 1.97 | 92% |
| Scannera | 279 | 11.95 | 3.09 | 80% |
| PCa | 253 | 13.13 | 4.35 | 64% |
| Laptopa | 274 | 14.05 | 4.93 | 63% |
| Digital cameraa | 251 | 14.11 | 4.96 | 57% |
| Projectora | 221 | 15.48 | 5.41 | 41% |
| Smartphonea | 240 | 16.68 | 5.50 | 37% |
| Tableta | 201 | 19.98 | 4.27 | 12% |
- a Reflects the number and percentage of participants answering “yes” to this question.
It is interesting to note that almost every facility has a printer, whilst PC or laptop was much rarer. Over a third (35.6%) of those surveyed has no access to a laptop or PC at work. Tablets are very sparse in the facilities. Pearson's chi-square test showed no significant difference in access to digital media equipment between public and private institutions.
| Provider | Public institutions | Private institutions | χ2 (2) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | Yes | No | ||||||
| N | % | N | % | N | % | N | % | ||
| Printer | 77 | 97.50 | 2 | 2.50 | 65 | 95.60 | 3 | 4.40 | 0.92* |
| Scanner | 65 | 91.50 | 6 | 8.50 | 62 | 95.40 | 3 | 4.60 | 0.52* |
| PC | 54 | 85.70 | 9 | 14.30 | 41 | 70.70 | 17 | 29.30 | 0.93* |
| Laptop | 96 | 68.10 | 45 | 31.90 | 50 | 78.1 | 14 | 21.90 | 0.34* |
| Digital camera | 50 | 76.90 | 15 | 23.10 | 45 | 73.80 | 16 | 26.20 | 0.41* |
| Projector | 36 | 70.60 | 15 | 29.40 | 28 | 51.90 | 26 | 48.1 | 0.25* |
| Smartphone | 31 | 51.70 | 29 | 48.30 | 34 | 58.60 | 24 | 41.40 | 0.18* |
| Tablet | 6 | 13.60 | 38 | 86.40 | 8 | 16.30 | 41 | 83.70 | 0.56* |
- * p < 0.005.
The lack of digital media equipment in some early childhood institutions contributes to inequality and bars many educators from attending online professional development programmes. If these online further training courses are to be completed during the school day in addition to a full work schedule, administrators should ensure that the technical requirements necessary to attend be readily available at educators' places of work.
EVERYDAY USE OF DIGITAL MEDIA
The present study makes clear that digital media devices are used either several times a day or daily. The types of equipment which received the most use were (in descending order): printers (46%), PCs (39.8%), smartphones (37.2%), laptops (32.1%), scanners (19.2%), digital cameras (18.6%), tablets (8.2%) and projectors (0.9%).
| Variable | M | SD | Several times daily | Daily | Several times per week | Several times per month (rarely) | Never | n/a |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Printer | 1.31 | 1.39 | 35.60 | 10.40 | 13.90 | 3.50 | 0.90 | 35.60 |
| PC | 1.09 | 1.51 | 32.20 | 7.60 | 3.50 | 3.20 | 6.00 | 47.60 |
| Smartphone | 0.97 | 1.45 | 26.80 | 10.40 | 2.80 | 2.20 | 3.20 | 54.60 |
| Laptop | 1.23 | 1.53 | 23.00 | 9.10 | 11.40 | 5.40 | 3.80 | 47.30 |
| Scanner | 1.35 | 1.39 | 14.20 | 5.00 | 15.50 | 21.50 | 2.20 | 41.60 |
| Digital camera | 1.36 | 1.62 | 12.90 | 5.70 | 17.70 | 8.80 | 6.00 | 48.90 |
| Tablet | 0.95 | 1.76 | 4.40 | 3.80 | 3.50 | 3.20 | 11.70 | 73.50 |
| Projector | 1.12 | 1.62 | 0.60 | 0.30 | 0.60 | 27.40 | 10.70 | 60.30 |
Note
- All data in percent.
The situation demonstrated by the data is indeed a logical one: if a device is present, it tends to be used more frequently. The exact test, carried out according to Fisher, showed that word processing programmes (Word/Pages) and data processing programmes (Excel/Numbers) are much more likely to be used by administrators than by educators. This is explained by the increased organisational requirements for administrators.
| Programmes | Administrator | Educator | χ2 (2) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | % | n | % | ||
| Word/pages | 166 | 83.40 | 107 | 90.70 | 0.04* |
| Excel/numbers | 160 | 80.40 | 81 | 68.60 | 0.01* |
| Power point/keynote | 145 | 72.90 | 65 | 55.10 | 0.00* |
| 181 | 91.00 | 108 | 91.50 | 0.51* | |
| Zoom | 132 | 66.30 | 74 | 62.70 | 0.29* |
| WhatsApp, Threema, etc. | 136 | 68.30 | 83 | 70.30 | 0.40* |
- * p < 0.005.
About 73.5% of the educators surveyed (M = 1.23; SD = 0.62) use digital media for professional research, 67.5% for pedagogical planning (M = 1.32; SD = 0.77), 63.4% for documentation (M = 1.36; SD = 0.91), 59.7% for interactions with parents (M = 1.41; SD = 0.88), 48.6% for interactions with the general public (M = 1.58; SD = 1.04), 34.4% for further education and training (M = 1.86; SD = 1.28) and 29% for observing and documenting children's development (M = 2.11; SD = 0.77).
| Variable | M | SD | >1 min daily | >30 min daily | >60 min daily | <60 min daily | No use of digital media |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional research | 1.15 | 1.26 | 22.10 | 19.60 | 7.90 | 7.60 | 42.90 |
| Observation of children | 0.59 | 0.99 | 15.80 | 11.70 | 2.80 | 2.80 | 66.90 |
| Pedagogical planning | 1.31 | 1.41 | 9.50 | 21.50 | 13.60 | 10.10 | 45.40 |
| Documentation | 1.04 | 1.28 | 18.60 | 16.70 | 7.30 | 7.60 | 49.80 |
| Interaction with parents | 0.87 | 1.15 | 27.10 | 10.10 | 5.70 | 5.70 | 51.40 |
| Interaction with the general public | 0.63 | 1.08 | 16.70 | 7.30 | 5.00 | 4.10 | 66.90 |
| Online professional development programmes | 1.16 | 1.16 | 10.10 | 3.50 | 7.90 | 4.70 | 73.80 |
Note
- Data in percent.
Pearson's chi-square test did not reveal any significant correlation between the amount of time spent using digital media and the various purposes stated above (professional research, observation of children, pedagogical planning, documentation, interaction with parents, interaction with the general public and online professional development programmes) and between educators and administrators at institutions of early childhood education.
The data make clear that only a small percentage of educational professionals and administrators—6.85% on average—use digital media more than 60 min a day for the purposes stated above. On average, 35.74% of those surveyed used digital media for the professional purposes listed above for less than 60 min a day. Slightly more than half (51.27%) generally did not use digital media in their everyday work.
Most of the educators surveyed rate themselves as very competent at sending e-mails, uploading documents or sending photos. More than 55% of respondents also assess themselves as either “good” or “very good” at installing programmes. Advanced digital media skills, such as making and editing short videos, can be highly relevant to educational contexts; according to educators' self-assessments, these skills play a rather subordinate role in their daily work.
| Variable | M | SD | Very good | Good | Require assistance | Another colleague takes over for me | I have never done this |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sending e-mails | 1.13 | 0.35 | 87.40 | 12.00 | 0.60 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Uploading documents | 1.30 | 0.55 | 72.90 | 24.30 | 1.60 | 0.90 | 0.00 |
| Sending photos | 1.30 | 0.60 | 76.00 | 17.70 | 5.40 | 0.60 | 0.00 |
| Downloading videos | 1.77 | 1.09 | 52.70 | 28.10 | 10.10 | 3.20 | 5.00 |
| Send videos online | 2.06 | 1.25 | 40.10 | 30.60 | 15.50 | 2.80 | 9.50 |
| Participate in webinars | 1.90 | 1.34 | 45.70 | 30.30 | 6.60 | 0.90 | 12.00 |
| Participate in video conferences | 1.92 | 1.31 | 46.70 | 30.60 | 7.30 | 0.90 | 11.70 |
| Create videos/tutorials | 3.10 | 1.56 | 12.90 | 24.30 | 19.60 | 7.60 | 31.90 |
| Edit videos | 3.67 | 1.54 | 5.40 | 1.00 | 21.80 | 8.50 | 47.90 |
| Download an app | 1.62 | 1.14 | 57.10 | 24.90 | 4.40 | 2.80 | 6.00 |
| Instal a programme | 2.32 | 1.46 | 34.70 | 21.10 | 15.50 | 12.30 | 12.00 |
| Use an online learning platform | 2.49 | 1.66 | 31.20 | 22.70 | 13.20 | 1.90 | 24.90 |
Note
- Data in percent.
The data show that educational professionals consider themselves competent in basic digital media skills, such as writing emails. Educational professionals generally have not attempted or require assistance in completing activities that go beyond these basic skills, such as making and editing videos. Almost 25% of those surveyed have never used an online learning platform. About 13.2% require assistance to use such a platform. About 18.6% of those surveyed either need help to participate in webinars or have never done so, whilst 19% either require assistance to participate in video conferences or have never done so. The areas that appear to be relevant for attending online professional development programmes, such as using learning platforms or attending video conferences and webinars, seem particularly likely to represent challenges to educational professionals who lack the experience or technical knowledge necessary to attend. Nevertheless, slightly more than half of those surveyed have already attended an online professional development programme.
REASONS FOR ATTENDING ONLINE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES
Of those surveyed, 50.5% have already attended an online professional development programme, whilst 49.5% have not. International studies (Beher & Walter, 2012) have shown that kindergarten management personnel attend further training courses more often than educators. Compared to a survey conducted in 2017, the number of people who have attended online professional development programmes is very high (Little Scientists' House [German: Haus der kleinen Forscher]). This is potentially caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 and the associated boom in digitalisation. “This sudden need for work from home is driving the digital transformation of the workforce and the evolution of the work environment at an unprecedented speed. Mass adoption of telecommuting has become a vital business change since the outbreak of the virus. And this change is here to stay” (Dobrica, 2020, p. 104).
In keeping with research results in Anglo-American regions, 51% of those surveyed indicated that they had taken part in an online professional development programme because of its exciting content, 40.4% agreed that attending an online professional development programme saves resources and 43.5% stated that the primary advantage of online training is the option to attend independently of time constraints and location. Only 6.3% indicated that they were not interested in online professional development programmes. The data show that most of those surveyed place a large weight on engaging content, followed by the flexibility and time efficiency afforded by online learning formats.
Reasons for not having attended online professional development programmes currently include a lack of opportunity (29.7%, M = 0.69; SD = 0.78), a lack of technical knowledge (8.2%, M = 0.91; SD = 0.95), a lack of programmes and tools (5.7%, M = 0.93; SD = 0.97) and a lack of available devices (3.8%, M = 0.95; SD = 0.98) and/or nonfunctioning devices (0.06%, M = 0.98; SD = 0.99). The data seem to indicate that if more opportunities to participate in online professional development programmes existed, educational professionals would take advantage and attend more often. A lack of digital media devices seems to play only a subordinate role in educators' attendance of online training programmes. This is somewhat surprising, as educational professionals stated repeatedly in their survey responses that often only one PC is available for the entire team in their institution. It is reasonable to assume, therefore, that educational professionals are willing to attend online professional development programmes with their own personal devices.
About 39.8% (M = 1.43, SD = 2.55) of those surveyed stated that they have already participated in live webinars, 26.8% (M = 1.98; SD = 3.32) have attended live lectures online and 26.2% (M = 2.03, SD = 3.32) have viewed online lectures on the internet (eg, on Youtube). About 34.7% (M = 1.75; SD = 2.82) indicated that they read academic and professional content online and 16.1% (M = 2.66, SD = 3.90) have already attended an online professional development programme using a learning platform (eg, Moodle).
| M | SD | n | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–2 hra | 0.74 | 0.81 | 86 | 27.10 |
| 3–4 hra | 0.82 | 0.88 | 61 | 19.20 |
| 7 hr or morea | 0.88 | 0.92 | 42 | 13.20 |
| 5–6 hra | 0.93 | 0.95 | 25 | 7.90 |
- a Number and percentage of participants who checked this question.
However, it is interesting that 26.8% of the professionals surveyed have attended online professional development programmes in ‘synchronous’ formats. About 19.2% have attended ‘blended learning’ courses with asynchronous and synchronous components, whilst 3.2% have attended training courses which are exclusively asynchronous (M = 0.91, SD = 1.14).
EDUCATORS' REQUESTS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR ONLINE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES
The questionnaire consists largely of standardised questions, many of which were open-ended and allowed respondents to craft longer responses. These responses were then coded, organised into categories and quantified as part of a content analysis (Mayring, 2015). An analysis of responses which pertained to areas in which educators would like more support showed that 25.53% of those surveyed (n = 141) would appreciate more training in the use of certain office programmes (eg, Excel/Numbers) (16.31%), short tutorials and/or simple user guides (9.92%) and more convenient management of digital media (6.38%), 4.25% of those surveyed stated that their workplace had either a slow internet connection or none at all, whilst 14.8% indicated that the technical equipment at their workplace was either nonexistent or inadequate (eg, outdated hardware), 4.96% would appreciate more financial support from provider in order to purchase adequate equipment. Additionally, 56.02% (n = 192) of those surveyed responded negatively to online professional development programmes. Respondents indicated that this was due to a lack of the free time necessary to learn and use the required technology (23.31%), a lack of the technical knowledge required (18.13%) and inadequate equipment at their workplace (12.95%). Educators named several other obstacles to online professional development programmes, including constant hardware updates (4.14%), a poor internet connection (4.14%), concerns about data protection (3.10%) and internet security (1.83%), health concerns (1.93%) and the perceived impersonality of online professional development programmes (1.03%). Significantly, more than a third of those surveyed (n = 166) would appreciate further training in the use of specific office programmes (eg, PowerPoint or Excel). In addition to the aspects mentioned above, educational professionals would like to see online seminars that include more competent public speakers who do not simply read off of PowerPoint slides that treat topics relevant to their educational practise and that feature more online group work.
STUDY SIGNIFICANCE AND RECOMMENDED ACTIONS FOR THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF ONLINE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
In contrast to studies carried out in Anglo-American regions, the present study demonstrates that in Austria, the availability of (digital) media technologies in childcare and educational institutions is highly variable. For example, 35.6% of those surveyed stated that they did not have a PC or laptop available at their workplace. The use of digital media technologies in the workplace is directly correlated with the availability of such devices. This is particularly evident in educators' use of PCs, laptops, smartphones and tablets. It should also be noted that management make more use of digital media in the workplace than do educators. This is likely related to the availability of said media, as administrators have direct access to digital media in their office. It may generally be assumed that early childhood educators are increasingly making use of their personal digital media devices for professional work.
The shortage of digital media devices for providers and educators in all educational and childcare institutions represents a significant problem for both the public and private sector, whether in nurseries, kindergartens, or institutions with integrated age groups. This is particularly disheartening, as 23% of those surveyed stated that they make daily use of their laptop for work, whilst 32.2% make daily use of their PCs.
Before implementing online professional development programmes, media devices must be made fully accessible, and the presence of adequate and functional devices in educational and childcare facilities must first be ensured. Early Childhood Educators are generally interested in participating in online professional development programmes. In addition, educational professionals indicated they would appreciate specific training in office programmes (eg, Excel and PowerPoint) as well as in the creation and editing of videos. The likelihood that educational professionals will take part in online professional development programmes increases with the availability of functioning devices and a stable internet connection at their workplace. It is recommended that all early childhood facilities are equipped with a stable internet connection and sufficient equipment with functioning software.
It must once again be stated that, due to a lack of opportunity and offered courses, the early childhood educators surveyed were largely unable to acquire necessary media competencies during their training. Nevertheless, more than 90% of those surveyed rate their media competencies in sending emails and uploading documents as good to very good. Over 80% of those surveyed feel competent in downloading apps and downloading videos. Around a third of those surveyed require assistance when sending videos or attending webinars/video conferences. Half of the respondents require assistance when installing programmes and using online learning platforms. Three quarters of those surveyed require assistance making videos, and almost all respondents require assistance when editing videos. The development of online professional development programmes must therefore place a significant emphasis on the creation of a user-friendly interface. Before beginning to develop learning materials and content for an online training programme targeted to early childhood educators, it must first be ensured that every participant has the technical skills and equipment required to participate. Before starting an online professional development programme, the present study suggests that offering short introductory workshops and appealing user manuals in the form of illustrated screenshot descriptions or tutorials (eg, in the form of screencasts) could be highly beneficial points of immediate action. These can help participants to familiarise themselves with the use of online learning platforms and conferencing tools.
Although some respondents indicated (in their open-ended responses) their preference for face-to-face further training courses over online programmes, 50.5% of respondents indicated they had already attended an online professional development programme. These courses varied in both length and format. This high level of participation in online professional development programmes must be seen in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which, due to the lack of face-to-face events during lockdown, has been associated with a boom in digitalisation. Online professional development programmes should not be seen as being in competition with face-to-face events; rather, they should be supplementary to other learning opportunities for early childhood educators. Interestingly, when online professional development programmes courses are offered, they are also generally attended by early childhood educators. The most common reason for attendance was participants' interest in the topics addressed (most likely including compelling lecturers and a presentation relevant to educators' educational practise) followed by the time-efficient and flexible use afforded by online learning platforms, which saves resources. In 2019, almost 60% of Austrians lived in cities (Statistik Austria, 2020). Accordingly, most adult education programmes take place in cities (Egger & Posch, 2016), making them difficult to reach for more rural educators. Online professional development programmes therefore represent a promising alternative; they are cost-effective and can be attended by anyone, anywhere, provided that the content presented is engaging and relevant to participants' practise. Due to the many advantages of online professional development programmes, and in consideration of the current debate on professionalisation of early childhood educators, the present study suggests that investment in and expanding online professional development programmes would be a highly beneficial and recommendable action.
DISCUSSION
Digital media have become indispensable to modern professional life, including in the field of pedagogy. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become clear that media competencies are now a prerequisite for meeting the challenges of everyday professional life (Carretero et al., 2018; Dobrica, 2020; Europäische Kommission, 2018). In the United States, educators are guaranteed access to a computer with a stable internet connection (Askov, 2003). However, as the present study shows, this is not the case in all Western countries. Studies have demonstrated that ones' own pedagogical media competencies are decisive for whether media are a central component in everyday early childhood education with children (Nieding & Klaudy, 2020). The state of research regarding early childhood educators' media competence is a desideratum (Knauf, 2019). The field of early childhood education must be more strongly integrated into the expansion of digital infrastructure and technical equipment. Specifically, this means that every early childhood facility must have a stable internet connection as well as functioning hardware and software. Likewise, the content of early childhood educators' professional development programmes must be adapted to specific media and IT competencies. Early childhood educators are therefore in urgent need of organised access to functional media devices with stable internet connections, along with corresponding support structures in IT and computer literacy. The technical use of online professional development programmes must be self-explanatory. Introductory courses, tutorials, or short user's guides, can be beneficial when beginning an online course. Early childhood educators are, in principle, highly motivated to attend such digitised courses, provided that the framework conditions for participation in online professional development programmes will be given.
As shown in the present study, online professional development programmes are not to be seen as being in competition with conventional face-to-face programmes. They can, however, offer numerous advantages, mostly due to their flexibility of use. Users can participate regardless of their location and personal time constraints. Should the coming years see additional expansion and investment in online professional development programme opportunities for early childhood educators, these programmes must feature an inclusive, accessible and user-friendly (ie, self-explanatory) digital interface, designed with the target group of early childhood educators in mind.
ETHICS STATEMENT
The participants were protected by hiding their personal information during the research process. They knew that their participation was voluntary and they could withdraw from the study at any time.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The author declares that the present study does not represent a conflict of interest.
Open Research
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
The research project is anonymous and voluntary participation in an online questionnaire survey—the participants' physical or psychological integrity or the right to privacy or other necessary rights and interests of the subject or their relatives were not affected in any way. The generated and/or analysed data sets within the present study framework are not publicly accessible. The data can be requested from the author upon justified request. Data from this study are available to other investigators upon request. E-mail requests should be addressed to the author, including explaining how the data will be handled.
