Trial lecture - time and place
Place: Auditorium 3, Helga Engs hus
Time: 10:00 - 10:45
Title: Models of Professional Development in ECEC: Dynamic Factors across Societies, Sites, Classrooms, Teachers, and Children
Public Defence
Place: Auditorium 3, Helga Engs hus
Time: 12:00 -
Adjudication committee
- 1st opponent: Professor Franziska Egert, The Catholic University of Applied Sciences Munich, Germany
- 2nd opponent: Professor Pauline Slot, Utrecht University, Netherlands
- Chair of committee: Professor Joshua Lawrence, Department of Education, University of Oslo
Chair of defence
- Professor and Head of Research Monika Bærøe Nerland, Department of Education, University of Oslo
Supervisors
- Principal supervisor: Professor Veslemøy Rydland, Department of Education, University of Oslo
- Co-supervisor: Associate Professor Ratib Lekhal, Department of Education, University of Oslo
- Co-supervisor: Professor emeritus Vibeke Grøver, Department of Education, University of Oslo
Summary
Supporting children’s language development is a central task in early childhood education and care (ECEC). However, we still have limited knowledge about language-supportive practices across diverse ECEC settings and how professional development (PD) can strengthen teacher practices over time. This thesis uses multiple analytical approaches to examine teacher support for children’s language development through collaboration with parents, language exposure during shared classroom reading, and participation in PD. It draws on three empirical studies conducted as part of the Oslo Early Education Study in 56 diverse ECEC centers in Norway.
Paper I explored teacher–parent collaboration and its associated factors using survey data from 266 teachers. The results showed that teachers with higher self-efficacy communicated more frequently with parents about supporting children’s dual language development and reported fewer challenges in working with parents. In contrast, more experienced teachers working in more linguistically diverse centers identified more challenges in parent collaboration. These findings offer insight into factors that may either strengthen or hinder teachers’ collaboration with parents.
Paper II examined whether teacher talk during shared reading in 203 classrooms predicted the societal language development of 734 children. The results indicated that teachers can meaningfully promote children’s oral language development by asking questions that encourage children to provide elaborate responses and by adjusting the complexity and diversity of their talk to match children’s developmental levels. These findings underscore the value of shared reading as a language-supportive context for children across ages and linguistic backgrounds.
Paper III examined the effects of a PD intervention on teacher talk using a randomized controlled trial that compared 106 intervention teachers with 108 business-as-usual control teachers. Shared reading sessions were recorded at three time points to investigate how and when teacher talk changed during a two-year, practice-based PD intervention. The results showed that intervention teachers tended to increase their questioning as well as the diversity and complexity of their talk over time, suggesting that sustained support may be necessary for teachers to develop specific language-supportive practices in diverse ECEC classrooms.
In summary, the thesis (I) identified variability in teachers’ communication with parents and perceived challenges, which were associated with factors within the ECEC center; (II) demonstrated that specific teacher talk practices during shared reading can promote language development in diverse groups of children; and (III) showed that such practices may develop over time through an ongoing, practice-based PD model. Together, these findings enhance our understanding of teachers’ work in supporting children’s language development in diverse ECEC settings.