FROM TRAINING TO PEDAGOGICAL TRANSFORMATION: PRESCHOOL TEACHERS’ EXPERIENCES OF ONLINE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN CREATIVE MUSIC EDUCATION

Författare

  • Dimitra Kanellou Department of Pre-School Education & Educational Design, School of Humanities, University of The Aegean, Greece
  • Maria Argyriou Department of Pre-School Education & Educational Design, School of Humanities, University of The Aegean, Greece

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejoe.v10i4.6500

Nyckelord:

online professional development, early childhood education, creative music education, pedagogical transformation, teacher professional learning, digital pedagogy

Abstract

Online professional development (OPD) has become an increasingly prominent component of teachers’ professional learning, particularly in early childhood education contexts. However, research has often focused on issues of access, effectiveness, or technological competence, paying limited attention to OPD’s potential to support deeper pedagogical transformation. This study explores preschool teachers’ experiences of OPD in creative music education and examines whether and how these experiences contribute to changes in pedagogical thinking and practice beyond technical training. Adopting a qualitative-dominant action research design, the study involved eight preschool teachers working in Rhodes, Greece. Data were collected between 24 November 2024 and 14 February 2025, during a period in which online and blended learning practices were actively implemented. Data were gathered through an open-ended questionnaire and analysed thematically. Descriptive visualisations were employed to support the interpretation of qualitative patterns without implying statistical generalisation. The findings indicate that teachers valued OPD for its flexibility and accessibility, but, more importantly, perceived it as meaningful when it connected digital tools to pedagogical aims in early childhood music education. Participants reported increased confidence, enhanced reflective practice, and a shift towards more open-ended, child-centred and creative musical activities. Challenges related to digital mediation, embodied interaction, family involvement, and contextual inequalities were also identified. The study concludes that OPD can function as a catalyst for pedagogical transformation in creative music education when it is practice-oriented, reflective, and responsive to the specificities of early childhood contexts.

Författarbiografier

  • Dimitra Kanellou, Department of Pre-School Education & Educational Design, School of Humanities, University of The Aegean, Greece

    Dimitra Kanellou is a kindergarten teacher and final-year undergraduate student at the Department of Sciences of Preschool Education and Educational Design, University of the Aegean, Greece. Her academic interests focus on the role of the Arts in early childhood education, with particular emphasis on creative music activities, aesthetic learning, and innovative pedagogical approaches that support children’s holistic development. Her work reflects a strong commitment to contemporary educational challenges, combining creativity, pedagogical reflection, and research-informed practice in preschool education.

  • Maria Argyriou, Department of Pre-School Education & Educational Design, School of Humanities, University of The Aegean, Greece

    Maria Argyriou (Post-doc, PhD) serves as Laboratory Teaching Staff in Applied Music Pedagogy at the Department of Preschool Education and Educational Design, School of Humanities, University of the Aegean (Rhodes, Greece). She holds a PhD in Cultural Policy and Music Education from the Department of Music Studies at the Ionian University, as well as a Master’s degree in Education from the Hellenic Open University and a second Master’s in Educational Leadership and School Unit Evaluation. She is Co-Editor of the open-access journal Hellenic Journal of Music, Education, and Culture (http://hejmec.eu/journal/index.php/HeJMEC), and Editor of the music pedagogical open journal “Music in the First Grade” (http://mspv.aegean.gr/), Aegean University Editions.

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Nedladdningar

Publicerad

2026-01-23

Nummer

Vol 10 Nr 4 (2025)

Sektion

Articles

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