Planning, assessment, and development time through the lens of teacher leadership – Perceptions of Finnish early childhood education teachers

The 2018 reform in Finland revised the guidelines for early childhood education (ECE) teachers’ planning, assessment, and development (PAD) time with the purpose of supporting teachers in managing their increased leadership responsibilities and enhancing the quality of ECE. This study examined the PAD time reform through the lens of teacher leadership, investigating how Finnish ECE teachers (n = 282) perceive its impact on the implementation of teacher leadership. The data were collected via an electronic questionnaire and analyzed using data-driven content analysis. The study identified three aspects through which teachers perceived the reform had influenced teacher leadership: leadership responsibilities, expertise and competence, and the culture of teamwork and collaboration. Positive experiences, on the one hand, were associated with the clarification of teachers’ leadership roles within teamwork, as well as improved abilities to manage responsibilities and enhance professional competence and pedagogy. Negative experiences, on the other hand, involved increased administrative tasks, heightened expectations, and a weakened team atmosphere, which hindered teamwork and challenged teacher leadership implementation. The findings suggest the need to clarify the purpose and practices of PAD time, ensure adequate resources for its regular implementation, and organize it to promote teachers’ collegial reflection to support professional development and quality pedagogy.