Preservice Teachers' Experience with Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in Early Childhood Language Education

Abstract

The role of teachers in early childhood education is very important. The early childhood education environment is where young children first receive established education and develop their first social relationships, aside fromthose with their parents. Therefore, strengthening the capacity of early childhood teachers improves young children’s human environment, which serves as the foundation that can lead to dedication to life-long education. Therefore, this study applied problem-based learning (PBL) in early childhood language education courses at K University (Busan, Republic of Korea) as a methodological approach to strengthen the capacity of preservice teachers. The results showed that, first, PBL led the students to actively participate in class. Second, the students started to consider their roles, and over time, they began to actively interact and communicate with teammates. Third, the students felt that PBL generated positive changes in their self-confidence and potential development. Thus, PBL enabledthe students to develop experience-based knowledge and providedthem with the opportunity for reflection on their learning. In addition, PBL elicitedstudents’ internal motivation to learn and provided them with continuity to sustain learning. Therefore, this study contributes to the development of PBL objects and methods and to experiential research withpreservice early childhood teachers.