Early childhood teachers’ professional capital: a phenomenological study

Purpose Overemphasis on teaching academic literacy and legislating high-stakes accountability measures have foregrounded narrow literacy approaches in early childhood settings and sparked debates over teacher professionalism (Reinking et al., 2023). This study examines the experiences of early childhood teachers following a two-year in-service Professional Development (PD) program. The PD program was designed to enhance the teachers' professional capital in early childhood literacies. Design/methodology/approach Using phenomenology as the design of the study, three focus groups, one survey, and observations during two events were conducted to document “the essence” of participant teachers’ views and lived experiences (Creswell, 2013). Findings Our data analysis revealed that participant teachers demonstrated an increased awareness of different literacy teaching approaches and applied new strategies in their literacy teaching through continuous discussions with other participant teachers and co-workers within their schools. Originality/value This phenomenological study underscores the value of integrating collaboration into in-service PD programs for leveraging teachers’ professional capital, in addition to strengthening their human and decisional capital, as reported by the teachers. The study also contributes to scientific knowledge about the ways teachers experience collaborative PD opportunities and their self-initiated strategies to create a cooperative learning environment at their schools.