Partnerships as Professional Learning: Early Childhood Teaching Assistants’ Role Development and Navigation of Challenges Within a Culturally Responsive Robotics Program
Theory and practice related to computing education with racially/ethnically and linguistically diverse groups of preschoolers remain in nascent stages. Accordingly, early childhood educators both require substantial support when integrating culturally responsive computing into curriculum and instruc...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Education Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/4/514 |
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| author | Hannah R. Thompson Lori A. Caudle Frances K. Harper Margaret F. Quinn Mary Kate Avin The CRRAFT Partnership |
| author_facet | Hannah R. Thompson Lori A. Caudle Frances K. Harper Margaret F. Quinn Mary Kate Avin The CRRAFT Partnership |
| author_sort | Hannah R. Thompson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Theory and practice related to computing education with racially/ethnically and linguistically diverse groups of preschoolers remain in nascent stages. Accordingly, early childhood educators both require substantial support when integrating culturally responsive computing into curriculum and instruction and offer valuable perspectives on emerging practices. The purpose of this research study is to explore how educator voice-directed efforts support the implementation of a culturally relevant preschool robotics program through multi-year professional development. Through qualitative analyses, we examined how educator voice, conceptualized as perspectives and participation, guided the direction of professional learning situated within a larger research-practice partnership using design-based research (DBR) methodology. By comparing voice across these sessions, we were able to identify what roles educators assumed within the partnership and how those roles shifted over time. Further, we are able to identify the structural and systemic factors that may have affected their participation and implementation. Findings show a contrast in roles across the different stages of the partnership, suggesting implications for embedding professional learning within broader partnership work as a way to cultivate educator leadership and to realize culturally responsive computing education in sustainable ways. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-37287e8d8f6645159786110fdb0a55c7 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2227-7102 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Education Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-37287e8d8f6645159786110fdb0a55c72025-08-20T02:17:25ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022025-04-0115451410.3390/educsci15040514Partnerships as Professional Learning: Early Childhood Teaching Assistants’ Role Development and Navigation of Challenges Within a Culturally Responsive Robotics ProgramHannah R. Thompson0Lori A. Caudle1Frances K. Harper2Margaret F. Quinn3Mary Kate Avin4The CRRAFT Partnership5College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, TN 37996, USACollege of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, TN 37996, USACollege of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, TN 37996, USASchool of Education and Human Development, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USACollege of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, TN 37996, USACollege of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, TN 37996, USATheory and practice related to computing education with racially/ethnically and linguistically diverse groups of preschoolers remain in nascent stages. Accordingly, early childhood educators both require substantial support when integrating culturally responsive computing into curriculum and instruction and offer valuable perspectives on emerging practices. The purpose of this research study is to explore how educator voice-directed efforts support the implementation of a culturally relevant preschool robotics program through multi-year professional development. Through qualitative analyses, we examined how educator voice, conceptualized as perspectives and participation, guided the direction of professional learning situated within a larger research-practice partnership using design-based research (DBR) methodology. By comparing voice across these sessions, we were able to identify what roles educators assumed within the partnership and how those roles shifted over time. Further, we are able to identify the structural and systemic factors that may have affected their participation and implementation. Findings show a contrast in roles across the different stages of the partnership, suggesting implications for embedding professional learning within broader partnership work as a way to cultivate educator leadership and to realize culturally responsive computing education in sustainable ways.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/4/514teaching assistant professional learningeducator voiceresearch–practice partnershipdesign-based researchculturally relevant robotics |
| spellingShingle | Hannah R. Thompson Lori A. Caudle Frances K. Harper Margaret F. Quinn Mary Kate Avin The CRRAFT Partnership Partnerships as Professional Learning: Early Childhood Teaching Assistants’ Role Development and Navigation of Challenges Within a Culturally Responsive Robotics Program Education Sciences teaching assistant professional learning educator voice research–practice partnership design-based research culturally relevant robotics |
| title | Partnerships as Professional Learning: Early Childhood Teaching Assistants’ Role Development and Navigation of Challenges Within a Culturally Responsive Robotics Program |
| title_full | Partnerships as Professional Learning: Early Childhood Teaching Assistants’ Role Development and Navigation of Challenges Within a Culturally Responsive Robotics Program |
| title_fullStr | Partnerships as Professional Learning: Early Childhood Teaching Assistants’ Role Development and Navigation of Challenges Within a Culturally Responsive Robotics Program |
| title_full_unstemmed | Partnerships as Professional Learning: Early Childhood Teaching Assistants’ Role Development and Navigation of Challenges Within a Culturally Responsive Robotics Program |
| title_short | Partnerships as Professional Learning: Early Childhood Teaching Assistants’ Role Development and Navigation of Challenges Within a Culturally Responsive Robotics Program |
| title_sort | partnerships as professional learning early childhood teaching assistants role development and navigation of challenges within a culturally responsive robotics program |
| topic | teaching assistant professional learning educator voice research–practice partnership design-based research culturally relevant robotics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/4/514 |
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