Efthymia Penderi is currently working as Assistant Professor in Democritus University of Thrace, Department of Education Sciences in Early Childhood. She had worked as a kindergarten teacher for over 20 years.

She has participated in national and European Research Projects such as Thalis, CARE, ISOTIS and PARTICIPA. She leaded the scientific team that developed the new curriculum for the pre-primary education and the relevant in-service training program, having also the scientific responsibility and supervision [Greek Institute of Educational Policy (IEP): MIS 5035542 and MIS 5035543 respectively].

She was a member of the scientific committee of IEP developing the Initial Training Project for the pilot introduction of the English language in the pre-primary school. She is a basic member of the scientific team of the project focusing on the training of pre-primary and English teachers regarding the introduction and monitoring of EFL in all the pre-primary schools in Greece.

Her research interests regard the sociopedagogical role of the school, sociocultural learning, pre-primary education curricula and quality, professional development, school-parent-community partnerships, children’s participation and inclusive pedagogy.