Title

The CDA Experience: Promoting Professional Development in Entry-Level Practitioners

Author

Leslie A. Deem, Concordia University, St. Paul

Date of Award

2002

Document Type

Non Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Education

Department

Education

Program

Early Childhood Education

Capstone Instructor

Barbara Schoenbeck

Second Reader

Nedra Robinson

Keywords

Child Development Associate training, practical application of educational theory

Abstract

Entry-level, early childhood practitioners involved in Child Development Associate (CDA) training have voiced difficulty with carryover of adult classroom training, theory and education to the early childhood environment. The purpose of this thesis was to discover strategies, both in the adult training classroom as well as the early childhood environment that would help facilitate successful carryover and implementation of theory and practice, allowing the practitioners to be better prepared with children which in turn would yield more positive outcomes for children in the early childhood environment, regardless of setting.

The subjects of this phenomenological research were eight CDA candidate volunteers who received training from a high school's adult community education program in northeast Ohio. The researcher spent individual time with each candidate through interviews, observation, and perusal of a private journal kept for the research project.

Narrative text was used to report the findings. It was obvious from interviews with the candidates that they desired to do their best with children, but needed assistance to do their 'best".

The CDA process involves many people on many different levels, in many different environments. Only when we, those adults involved in the process, work together as a united front for the candidate will successful carryover be the rule and not the exception.

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