Summary Report 2022 – Exploring the impact of eTwinning in early childhood education and care and initial vocational education training

The 2022 eTwinning monitoring report investigates the impact of eTwinning on staff working in early childhood education and care (ECEC) and initial vocational education and training (IVET). An online survey was created and shared across the eTwinning channels, yielding 2,108 valid responses from 40 countries.

The key findings of the report include:

• The majority of early childhood education and care (ECEC) and initial vocational education training (IVET) respondents reported a significant positive impact of eTwinning on their pedagogical, professional, and technological skills and practices.
• Both groups indicated that eTwinning has had a positive impact on children/learners’ motivation, interest in new technologies, and collaboration.
• ECEC staff reported that eTwinning supports children’s emotional and social readiness to continue in primary school.
• IVET staff said that eTwinning mostly impacts learners’ digital practices in terms of collaboration and communication.
• Both groups stated that they have been encouraged to participate in both formal and less formal professional development (PD) activities since they are free of charge, promote collaborative work, provide a Europe-wide/international perspective, and mainstream innovative and current topics, best practices, and real-world examples.
• The types of recognition available in eTwinning are perceived as useful in respondents’ work, in particular the certificates that are provided upon completion of the PD activities and the European and National Quality Labels.
• Both groups reported that eTwinning is in line with topics and/or pedagogical approaches in their national curriculum.

In conclusion, the report situates eTwinning at three different levels:

• At macro-level: as a concrete, tangible action that supports learners, teachers, and schools in working towards specific national and European policy objectives in ECEC and IVET (e.g. improving teachers’ and learners’ digital skills and promoting teachers’ networking and PD), and towards more transversal EU policy actions and initiatives (e.g. the Digital Education Action Plan and Rural Areas).
• At meso-level: in terms of providing valuable insights regarding participants’ perceptions about their national CPD policies and aspects of their curricula in relation to eTwinning, elements that could inform future developments and increase the relevance and impact of eTwinning.
• At micro-level: by illustrating the perceived impact areas of eTwinning on participants’ competences and daily practice, identifying their needs, motives, and obstacles regarding CPD activities in eTwinning and indicating the elements that would further support their work.

Are you curious to find out more?

The summary report can be read here and the full report will be published in December 2022 here.