However, there is a gap in research regarding effective professional development models that would prepare early childhood teachers in terms of both disciplinary ideas and practices of CT, as well as

The gap

Consensus across the literature

Supporting evidence — 4 representative gaps

• A year of learning: early childhood teachers’ computational learning and implementation while participating in a yearlong professional development project (2026) · doi

  However, while CT is central to CS education, there is a gap in the literature on how CT emerges and develops in early childhood with limited research on how CT is taught in early childhood classroomsObjective The purpose of this study was to uncover what early childhood teachers learned about CT and how they integrated CT in their classrooms after participating in a yearlong professional development program.

  Keywords: early childhood central education there literature emerges develops limited taught classroomsobjective purpose uncover teachers learned
• Creating Sustainable Computational Thinking Infusion: An Analysis of Teacher-Led Practitioner Inquiry Projects (2023) · doi

  Although research has begun to document professional learning models and supports for CT infusion, an understudied area for both research and practice is how in-service teachers come to lead CT infusion efforts through determining curriculum, supporting their colleagues, and designing school and district-wide programs, once the professional development (PD) and related learning experiences are over.

  Keywords: professional learning infusion begun document models supports understudied area practice service teachers come lead efforts
• The <i>what, how</i>, and <i>who</i>, of early childhood professional development (PD): Differential associations of PD and self-reported beliefs and practices (2020) · doi

  Although there have been calls in the early childhood field for effective approaches to preparing the workforce to support optimal early child development, there is a gap in understanding how different types of professional development predict teachers’ beliefs about children and their self-reported classroom practices.

  Keywords: there early development calls childhood field effective approaches preparing workforce support optimal child understanding different
• Integrating computational thinking practices into early childhood education in culturally responsive ways: Insights from research–practice partnership (2024) · doi

  However, there is a gap in research regarding effective professional development models that would prepare early childhood teachers in terms of both disciplinary ideas and practices of CT, as well as attending to cultural, linguistic, and developmental differences in young children in asset‐based ways.

  Keywords: there regarding effective professional development models prepare early childhood teachers terms disciplinary ideas practices well