Even though higher educational attainment among early childhood education (ECE) workforce members has been linked to improved classroom quality,1 just under half of all preschool teachers over age 25 have a bachelor's degree.2 ECE workforce members face various systemic barriers to developing their skills through higher education and professional development, including low wages,3,4 limited training opportunities in languages other than English, and ECE workforce members' need to balance family and work obligations.5
To boost training and education, some states--including Oregon--have begun using a career lattice, a pathway system with a set of steps that guide ECE workforce members in professional development.6 The Oregon Center for Career Development in Childhood Care and Education at Portland State University manages the career lattice for ECE workforce members in Oregon. The center collaborated with REL Northwest to investigate ways to incentivize ECE workforce members to sign up for the career lattice, increase their education and training, and move up the steps.
A Nudge in the Right Direction
REL Northwest's study explored whether different behavioral nudges--prompts or reminders to take some action--led ECE workforce members to sign up for and move through the career lattice. Researchers randomly assigned study participants to receive one of three interventions. These interventions were a series of behavioral nudges sent through email to:
- Encourage ECE workforce members to sign up for the career lattice.
- Offer ECE workforce members a financial award for reaching certain career lattice steps earlier than usual.
- Notify ECE workforce members that they were automatically enrolled for a community college scholarship.
To understand the impact of each nudge, some study participants also served as a control group and received no emails.
Promising Results for Training Hours and Motivation
Overall, REL Northwest researchers found that ECE workforce members who received emails about financial awards at certain career lattice steps completed 10 additional training hours on average compared to workforce members who did not receive emails. The emails had no impact on college credit hours earned or career lattice movement.
Receiving emails about community college scholarships positively impacted ECE workforce members' motivation to take a future college course and earn a degree or certificate in the next five years.7 The scholarship emails did not noticeably impact scholarship use, career lattice movement, college credit hours earned, or workplace retention. However, it is important to note that the study ended several months early due to a state policy change. Additional study could show whether the behavioral nudges examined in this study impact longer-term outcomes, such as increased training or coursework, which may take months or years to complete.
Implications for Researchers and Practitioners
This study did not demonstrate that email nudges positively impact ECE workforce members' behavior for most outcomes, but the study does have important implications for researchers and other education stakeholders. For example, researchers might conduct future studies to:
- Understand the barriers that prevent ECE workforce members from using a career lattice or similar system.
- Test different kinds of behavioral nudges, such as text messages.
- Extend the study period to allow time to examine additional outcomes.
Based on this study's findings, staff members at state education agencies and other organizations might consider:
- Providing ECE workforce members with more information about available career lattices or similar systems and financial incentives for pursuing professional development.
- Exploring how additional supports, such as release time, could help ECE workforce members advance their education.
- Trying different kinds of behavioral nudges, such as text messages or social media posts.
Ultimately, while more research is needed, certain types of emails are a promising, low-cost way to encourage ECE workforce members' motivation and behavior. Continued use and testing of behavioral nudges could help increase education levels among ECE workforce members
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ashley Pierson conducts research and evaluation projects and provides technical assistance to support the use of data and evidence in policy and practice.
1Manning, M., Garvis, S., Fleming, C., & Wong, G. T. W. (2017). The relationship between teacher qualification and the quality of the early childhood education and care environment (Campbell Systematic Review No. 1). Campbell Collaboration. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED573516.
2U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projects. (2018, January 30). Table 1.11: Educational attainment for workers 25 years and older by detailed occupation, 2015-16 (Updated ed.). https://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_table_111.htm.
3U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Division of Occupational Employment Statistics. (2017a, March 31). Occupational employment and wages, May 2016: 25-2011 preschool teachers, except special education (Updated ed.). https://www.bls.gov/oes/2016/may/oes252011.htm.
4U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Division of Occupational Employment Statistics. (2017b, March 31). Occupational employment and wages, May 2016: 39-9011 childcare workers (Updated ed.). Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/oes/2016/may/oes399011.htm.
5Ackerman, D. J. (2004). States' efforts in improving the qualifications of early care and education teachers. Educational Policy, 18(2), 311-337. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ690085.
6Oregon Center for Career Development in Childhood Care and Education & Oregon Child Care Research Partnership. (2019). Oregon early learning workforce: Six years beyond baseline comparison of 2012 and 2018. Oregon State University, Oregon Child Care Research Partnership. https://health.oregonstate.edu/sites/health.oregonstate.edu/files/early-learners/pdf/research/oregon-early-learning-workforce-2018-report.pdf.
7These results, which come from a survey REL Northwest analyzed, should be interpreted with caution due to low response rates.
