The arts in early childhood teacher education in China: a question of curriculum balance

Abstract

ABSTRACT Art education is important for young children, yet the place of the arts in early childhood teacher education (ECTE) has been an unresolved issue. Framed within the conception of curriculum balance, the study aimed to navigate and make sense of the diverse perspectives on how early childhood pre-service teachers should be taught the arts. In the context of ECTE in China, qualitative data were collected from 10 early childhood teacher educators from six universities, 16 early childhood in-service teachers from 11 kindergartens, and four groups of pre-service teachers from four ECTE programmes. Reflexive thematic analysis generated a multi-continuum model that illustrates multi-faceted and gradational curriculum balance in terms of the place of the arts in ECTE.