With this study we examined the challenges that impeded effective professional development (PD) provisioning and the strategies for improvement of 211 practitioners spread across 45 early childhood care and education (ECCE) centres. The main research question that guided the study was: What are the professional development needs of ECCE practitioners in disadvantaged communities of the Motheo district of South Africa? A convergent mixed methods research design was followed, with a questionnaire supplemented by semi-structured interviews. We used SPSS Version 25 to analyse the quantitative data collected. The qualitative data were analysed thematically. The main themes were arranged according to the challenges confronting the effective provision of PD to early-year practitioners and the strategies to facilitate the provision of their PD needs. An analysis of practitioners’ responses revealed the challenges experienced by and the views of ECCE practitioners. These included, among others, barriers to ECCE provision such as budget constraints, lack of PD training opportunities, and fostering greater stakeholder engagement with institutions of higher learning to provide PD. We recommend the development of PD training tailored to the needs of practitioners, a partnership between government and training providers, and increased financial support for the ECCE sector to aid PD. The study provides knowledge and understanding of professional development in marginalised communities through the identification of key challenges and providing insights to inform stakeholders on training opportunities and needs.

https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v45ns2a2446

ORCiD iDs of authors:
Chinedu Okeke - https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9959-8019
Ndileleni Mudzielwana - https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1212-0483
Matseliso Mokhele-Makgalwa - https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0003-9530