Competency of early childhood teacher educators: the perspectives of teaching and research officers in China

This study surveyed Chinese early childhood teaching and research officers, who are personnel specialising in teaching, research and guidance services within the early childhood education system. Using interviews and questionnaires and drawing on an ‘onion’ model which structured traits into hierarchical concentric circles, we built a theoretical competency model incorporating intrinsic motivation, professionalism, teaching guidance, research leadership, and coordination and innovation. This model demonstrated good reliability and validity. Then, descriptive statistics and latent profile analysis were used to examine the competencies of 634 teaching and research officers. The results revealed that these teaching and research officers generally perceived their competency at a medium level. Four latent profiles were identified, showing low, middle, upper-middle and high competency. Teaching and research officers with more preschool work experience or a relevant professional background were more likely to demonstrate higher-level competency. These findings provide theoretical insights into the competency structure of teaching and research officers and offer practical implications for enhancing systems of support for early childhood educators.