Connecting professional development to current practices: An examination of implementation of developmentally appropriate practices in early childhood education

This study uses a basic qualitative research design to uncover and understand how early childhood teachers apply developmentally appropriate practices and what successes and barriers they encounter. The new knowledge produced might help professional development practitioners by increasing their understanding of how developmentally appropriate practices are applied by teachers and the obstacles encountered and thus can help practitioners develop professional development strategies to improve the facilitation of developmentally appropriate practice training and ongoing professional development.