Date of Award

Spring 2026

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

Educational Studies

First Advisor

Michael M. Grant

Abstract

The purpose of this action research was to identify and describe early childhood teachers’ needs and preferences, as well as district and school leaders’ perceptions of teachers’ needs and preferences, for professional development on literacy and technology integration at South Elementary School. Like much of South Carolina, South Elementary has reported decreases in reading performance and skills, causing leaders to focus on teacher professional development in early literacy and technology integration. This research was guided by two research questions: (1) What are early childhood teachers’ needs and preferences for professional development on literacy and technology integration at South Elementary School? and (2) What are district and school leaders’ perceptions of early childhood teachers’ needs and preferences for professional development on literacy and technology integration at South Elementary School?

This mixed methods study began with a survey emailed to early childhood teachers at South Elementary and district and school leaders in East School District. Teacher respondents (n = 9) then participated in focus group interviews and leaders (n = 4) participated in individual interviews. Survey results were reported using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data were inductively analyzed.

Survey results indicated teachers and district and school leaders expressed desires and value for a culture of professional development with leaders’ support, and a focus on literacy and technology integration was a need for professional development. However, teacher preferences for professional development varied from leaders’ perceptions. Qualitative data analysis identified four themes: (a) both teachers and leaders noted similar needs for initial training and gaps for ongoing professional development focused on literacy; (b) teachers identified program- or resource-specific preferences and feedback for initial training while school leaders identified preferences and feedback for who and how initial trainings were presented; (c) both teachers and leaders identified preferences for whom and how professional development should be presented; and (d) both teachers and leaders shared perspectives on technology usage and drawbacks. A discussion of the findings, implications, and limitations are also presented.

Rights

© 2026, Kristen Sargent Hopkins

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