Professional growth through collaboration between kindergarten and elementary school teachers

•Cross-institutional reflection indicates positive impacts on the collaboration process.•Cross-institutional reflection indicates positive impacts on professional growth.•Cross-institutional reflection indicates positive impacts on teaching practice.•Professional experience may moderate utilizing the reflective dialog.•Documentation may moderate utilizing the reflective dialog.

Research shows that teachers can develop competencies necessary for teaching practices through reflective dialog about shared practice. In this regard we surveyed 310 teachers participating in a collaboration pilot project between kindergartens and elementary schools to scrutinize the impacts of reflective dialog in a cross-institutional context. The results indicate benefits condensing in complemented child-perception and a more student-centered practice. Furthermore, teachers' experience and a practice of documentation seem to mediate impacts. Ultimately, the approach of learning communities gives reason to expect benefits in such cross-institutional contexts and thus could contribute to an early childhood education and care policy.