“Increased PAD time makes me a better early childhood education teacher” – Finnish ECE teachers’ perceptions of the significance of planning, assessment, and development reform for implementation of pedagogy

Planning, assessment, and development (PAD) by teachers are essential for quality pedagogy and early childhood education (ECE). The allocated PAD time for ECE teachers in Finland was increased from 8 percent to 13 percent in 2018. This study aimed to investigate the significance of this PAD time reform for pedagogy implementation by exploring ECE teachers’ perspectives on the support, challenges, and improvement needs related to the reform. Data were collected via an electronic questionnaire, and 282 teachers’ responses were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The study found that, according to teachers, the PAD time reform has strengthened assessment and development work, alongside planning, while also supporting implementing a goal-oriented pedagogy that is more firmly and holistically aligned with the ECE curriculum. Furthermore, the reform has fostered teamwork and pedagogical expertise among ECE professionals. Challenges were linked to ambiguity surrounding the meaning and content of PAD time, atmosphere problems among team members, and concerns about professionals’ fatigue. Therefore, the teachers in the study emphasised the importance of improving PAD time guidelines, practices and resources to enhance not only the pedagogy’s quality but also the professionals’ well-being.