FACTORS IMPACTING KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS’ PROFESSIONAL LEARNING IN KINDERGARTEN-BASED TEACHING RESEARCH: A CASE STUDY OF SELECTED KINDERGARTENS IN HENAN, CHINA

Teacher professional learning is widely recognized as a critical mechanism for improving teaching quality and promoting sustainable development in early childhood education. Drawing on an Intervention Design and Implementation (IDI) framework, this study examines the relationships between teacher trust, teacher agency, learning-centred leadership, teacher self-efficacy, collaboration, and teacher professional learning in kindergarten-based teaching research in selected kindergartens in Henan, China. A mixed-methods approach was employed. Quantitative data were collected from 90 kindergarten teachers and analysed using multiple linear regression (MLR) to examine the relationships among the variables. In addition, an IDI program was implemented with 30 teachers over a 12-week period, and paired-samples t-tests were conducted to compare pre- and post-intervention outcomes. Qualitative data from semi-structured interviews further supported the quantitative findings. The results indicate that teacher trust, teacher agency, and teacher self-efficacy have significant positive effects on teachers’ professional learning, whereas learning-centred leadership and collaboration do not show significant direct effects in the regression model. However, post-intervention results reveal significant improvements across all variables, including professional learning. The findings of this study have practical significance for enhancing the effectiveness of teacher professional learning and for improving the implementation of kindergarten-based teaching research in Henan, China.