Teachers’ professional learning and development experiences in Chinese kindergartens: Opportunities and tensions

Professional learning and development (PLD) activities for Chinese kindergarten teachers have introduced imported knowledge to promote teaching and learning. Much PLD provision is led by leaders and experts rather than teachers. To understand the educational beliefs and power differences that surface among teachers, leaders and experts during PLD sessions and how teachers navigate this complex terrain, this paper presents a post-intentional phenomenological study involving seven participants from two Chinese early childhood settings. Data collection included semi-structured interviews, observations of PLD meetings and videos of teachers’ implementation of PLD ideas. Educational policies, PLD materials, and the researcher’s reflexive journal were also used for analysis. Analysis involved a line-by-line reading process where theoretical concepts, data and researcher reflexivity interacted. The findings reveal that teachers experienced tensions in relation to formal PLD sessions. These tensions stemmed from established values and hierarchical constraints that limited their joint reflection and actions. Our analysis, framed by the concepts of relational agency and in-between spaces, shows how teachers navigated these tensions. Despite these constraints, the teachers responded by creating opportunities for collaborative learning. They sought out informal situations where they had the flexibility to develop shared knowledge. We argue that Chinese teachers’ PLD can occur within and across such tensions and opportunities. These informal situations empowered teachers to enact relational agency by aligning their expertise to make PLD decisions. This process eased tensions and created space for collaborative learning. The study concludes that valuing these informal, teacher-initiated spaces is crucial for moving beyond top-down knowledge transmission and fostering sustainable professional growth in hierarchical educational contexts. Ultimately, by empowering teachers as collaborative and adaptable professionals, this model of PLD offers new insights into enhancing the professional environments that shape teaching practice and young children’s learning.