Childhood Education Pre-service Teachers Research Articles

Early childhood education pre-service teachers’ perception of outdoor learning

Outdoor learning encompasses a wide range of educational activities, from local natural play areas to formal school curriculum classes. Despite growing evidence of its benefits, outdoor learning is still underutilized in Malaysia’s early childhood education system. Hence, this study aims to investigate preservice teachers’ perceptions of the impact of outdoor learning on children’s well-being since future teachers’ perception is the most important indicator in predicting their intention to use it in the future. A quantitative approach was used, and the questionnaire was distributed to 63 pre-service teachers studying at Universiti Selangor, Malaysia. Based on the findings, the majority of respondents agree that outdoor learning benefits children’s well-being, especially their social and psychosocial well-being. Thus, this study provides insight into the significance of outdoor learning on children’s learning experiences and that it should be utilized more frequently in the classroom.

Pre-Service Teachers’ Assessment of ChatGPT’s Utility in Higher Education: SWOT and Content Analysis

ChatGPT (GPT-3.5), an intelligent Web-based tool capable of conducting text-based conversations akin to human interaction across various subjects, has recently gained significant popularity. This surge in interest has led researchers to examine its impact on numerous fields, including education. The aim of this paper is to investigate the perceptions of undergraduate students regarding ChatGPT’s utility in academic environments, focusing on its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It responds to emerging challenges in educational technology, such as the integration of artificial intelligence in teaching and learning processes. The study involved 257 students from two university departments in Greece—namely primary and early childhood education pre-service teachers. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Various methods were employed for data analysis, including descriptive statistics, inferential analysis, K-means clustering, and decision trees. Additional insights were obtained from a subset of students who undertook a project in an elective course, detailing the types of inquiries made to ChatGPT and their reasons for recommending (or not recommending) it to their peers. The findings offer valuable insights for tutors, researchers, educational policymakers, and ChatGPT developers. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, these issues have not been dealt with by other researchers.

Early childhood education pre-service teachers’ mental health: The mediating effect of depression in the relationship between anxiety and stress and teaching efficacy

Early childhood education pre-service teachers’ mental health: The mediating effect of depression in the relationship between anxiety and stress and teaching efficacy

Analysis of Early Childhood Pre-Service Teacher's Science Concepts Comprehension Based On Their Science Process Skill

Science concepts comprehension is a foundation that allows students to create thinking constructions to another related concept or more complex concepts, facts, laws, principles, and theories in science. Understanding the concept of science is one of the important things required by early childhood education pre-service teachers as professional and competent educators in their fields. This research is an ex-post-facto research, with the aim of analyzing science concepts comprehension based on science process skills of the early childhood education pre-service teachers, especially on the subjects of the diversity of living things and environmental pollution. The subjects in this study were early childhood education students in semester VI of the 2021/2022 academic year. Analysis of science concept comprehension was carried out using the
 Certainty of Response Index
 (CRI) method. The results showed: 1) The Comprehension of Science concepts of early childhood education pre-service teachers with the criteria of understanding the concept (PK) is at 81.75%, not understanding the concept (TPK) at 4,90%, and misconceptions (M) at 13.34%; 2) The comprehension of science concept of early childhood education pre-service teachers based on high category science process skills are better than the science concept comprehension of early childhood education pre-service teachers with low category science process skills. The data obtained confirm that the comprehension of science concepts in early childhood education pre-service teachers is high. The comprehension of science concepts that owned by early childhood education pre-service teachers is directly proportional to their science process skills, the higher the science process skills of early childhood education pre-service teachers, the higher their science concepts comprehension.

Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Early Childhood Education Pre-Service Teachers in Teaching Psychosocial Skills Across the Kindergarten Curriculum In The Volta Region, Ghana

The purpose of this study was to examine pre-service early childhood educators pedagogical content knowledge in teaching psychosocial skills across the kindergarten curriculum in the Volta Region of Ghana. Descriptive survey design was used for the study. A mixed method approach was adopted. Purposive sampling was used to select 4 colleges out of seven colleges in the 18 districts for the study to avoid selecting a college that do not pursue B.ed in early childhood education. Sample of 140 final year pre-service teachers pursuing a degree in early childhood education in colleges in Ghana, who have completed their macro teaching practice programme was employed using census and simple random sampling. Questionnaires were administered after which ten were reselected for the interview session. Data was analysed using means, standard deviation and narratives. The study revealed that pre-service teachers had enough knowledge to achieve two goals of the curriculum and also not much attention has been given to psychosocial skills of the kindergarten curriculum during the preparation of pre-service teachers. Pre-service teachers also had enough knowledge in the use of observation and conversation among others. A thorough examination of the kindergarten curriculum by pre-service teachers during supported teaching in schools and macro teaching practice before getting into the teaching field was recommended.

Implementation of Education for Sustainability in Turkish Pre-Service Teachers’ Practicum

In this study, we explored early childhood education pre-service teachers’ (ECEPTs’) understanding and pedagogical application of education for sustainability (EfS) by critically analyzing EfS implementation during ECEPTs’ practicum. The study examined the challenges and critical aspects of EfS practices in the practicum, and the relationships among mentor teachers, academic mentors, and ECEPTs. A multiple case study methodology was employed involving two purposefully distinct universities with 14 participant students across the two university case study sites. Initially, 22 practicum activity plans for each ECEPT were examined via content analysis; then, the students were individually interviewed about the plans and their implications. Subsequent analysis indicated negligible differences between the two universities’ student activity plans regarding quality (aspects of EfS) and quantity (frequency of EfS activities). The students self-reflected about their EfS understandings and implementation. Additionally, they remarked that academic mentors’ and mentor teachers’ stances influenced them either positively or negatively during their workplace-based learning. They also pointed to the absence of a whole-institution approach, not only at the practicum school but also at the university level.

EARLY CHILDHOOD STUDENT TEACHING PRACTICUM IN TURKEY THROUGH EMERGENCY REMOTE TEACHING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Turkish early childhood pre-service teachers had to follow their student teaching practicum courses through emergency remote teaching on the online platform available to them during COVID-19 pandemic like in most countries. The pre-service teachers were experimenting with this new form of student teaching practicum by building up new knowledge and experiences without being present in the school context and having no interaction with the children. This study aims to analyse early childhood education pre-service teachers' experiences of emergency remote teaching (ERT) during COVID-19 Pandemic in Turkey and explore how these experiences shape their professional development to meet the quality standards and preschool teacher competencies. Doing a content analysis of the codes through a qualitative data analysis software program (NVivo 12) and making a constant comparison between codes and categories, three themes as a result of this study after doing a content analysis of the data, have emerged: (1) Early childhood education pre-service teachers’ practices in ERT supported only certain competencies. (2) With its natural structure of distance education, ERT restrained pre-service teachers' field experiences to enable them to gain the necessary competencies and qualifications for early childhood education (3) the pre-service teachers perceived ERT as insufficient for their placement experiences. There is a need for a regulation on how the practice in teacher education should be done in ERT since pre-service teachers' field placements have a crucial role in their training and there is a missing gap for practice during distance education. Keywords: Early childhood education, emergency remote teaching, COVID-19 pandemic, preservice teachers

STEAM to R-SLAMET Modification: An Integrative Thematic Play Based Learning with R-SLAMETS Content in Early Child-hood Education

STEAM to R-SLAMET Modification: An Integrative Thematic Play Based Learning with R-SLAMETS Content in Early Child-hood Education

Belief system of future teachers on Education for Sustainable Development in math classes

This paper studied the belief system of future Chilean teachers of Early Childhood Education and Primary Education regarding their competencies to incorporate Education for Sustainable Development (EDS) in the classroom, specifically, in math classes. To this end, a survey was applied to 87 Primary Education preservice teachers and 58 Early Childhood Education preservice teachers, which was analyzed from an interpretative approach. Results are not clear regarding ESD and its scope, despite being valued. In addition, there is a clear need for training in this regard and the potential of mathematical education as a tool to incorporate ESD into the school classroom. It is concluded that ESD-related competencies need to be incorporated in initial and permanent teacher training programs in a transversal way, in our case for Mathematics Education.

Sedimented professional identities: early childhood education pre-service teachers

ABSTRACT A shifting notion in the field of early childhood education (ECE) is what it is to be a ‘professional’. This paper examines third-year early childhood undergraduate pre-service teachers (PSTs) developing understandings of notions of ‘professionalism’ as expressed through identity texts. PSTs develop knowledge of standards, frameworks and policies that impact on their professional work and undertake a review of legislative requirements. As a counterpart, the intent of this teaching unit and its associated research was to move PSTs beyond regulatory requirements to assist them to develop a critical awareness of the notion of ‘professionalism’. To gather evidence of PSTs own dynamic perceptions of what ‘professionalism’ entails, insights were gleaned from the ways they responded to an identity text workshop activity that asked them to represent ‘professionalism’ through visual imagery and text. These insights are discussed in terms of ‘sedimented identities’ and three sites of meaning of an image. The findings suggest that developing conceptions of professionalism in ECE are sedimented over time through engagement with generic principles from the workplace and official government documents that regulate the profession of early childhood education.

Early Childhood Preservice Teachers’ Attitude Development Toward the Inclusion of Children with Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to explore what Early Childhood Education (ECE) preservice teachers thought about inclusion and what factors influenced their attitude development toward inclusion, based on written reflections collected from 90 undergraduate ECE preservice teachers. Overall, the majority of the preservice teachers believed that inclusion was important and beneficial for both children with and without disabilities. However, some of the preservice teachers described concerns and challenges they might face when working with students with severe disabilities or challenging behaviors. Also, the majority of the preservice teachers reported that direct contacts with individuals with disabilities had a great impact on shaping their attitudes toward inclusion while several preservice teachers indicated that college courses and/or their family members influenced their attitude formation. The implications of the results and suggestions for future research and teacher education programs are discussed.

Socioeconomic Profile of Early Childhood Education Preservice Teachers

Socioeconomic Profile of Early Childhood Education Preservice Teachers

Content- and Language-Integrated Learning Based Strategies for the Professional Development of Early Childhood Education Pre-Service Teachers

This research article presents the results of an exploratory study that was conducted with a group of 14 early childhood education pre-service teachers at a private Colombian university. It intended to determine: 1) the amount of metalanguage expressions used for teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) and foreign language (FL) content; 2) the number of concepts related to the teaching of EFL and FL content pre-service teachers were able to learn in a 7-session (14 face-to-face hours) course based on a methodology inspired by the content and language integrated learning (CLIL) approach, using songs, rhymes, and poems in English; 3) the degree of difficulty pre-service teachers perceived about teaching English and English content to young children. This quasi-experimental study was performed with pre- and post-study tests given to one group, analyzing quantitative data through a non-parametric statistical hypothesis test and a non-parametric measure of rank correlation. Pre-service teachers were found to successfully learn vocabulary and concepts, but their perceptions about the degree of difficulty of teaching EFL and FL content remained basically the same as prior to the course. In addition, the correlation between the participants’ level of English and their learning process was analyzed, as well as the correlation between English proficiency level and perception of the degree of difficulty of teaching EFL and FL content. The results show a strong correlation in the first case, but no correlation for the second one.

Instructors’ teaching styles: relation with competences, self-efficacy, and commitment in pre-service teachers

Instructors’ teaching styles in higher education are an issue of major importance because these interactions affect students’ self-perceptions, involvement, and achievement. This study aimed to test a theoretical model of relations between perceived teaching styles (autonomy support, structure, and control) and competences, self-efficacy, and commitment in pre-service teachers; to assess the invariance of the model in two samples; and to analyze the mediated relations between these variables. Measures were collected from 842 Spanish pre-service teachers. As main research implications, teaching styles predicted acquired competences, competences predicted teaching self-efficacy, and self-efficacy predicted commitment to the profession. This model was equivalent in two samples of childhood and primary education pre-service teachers. Competences and self-efficacy mediated the relationships between variables. As practical implications, this study clearly shows the need for different interventions to enhance adequate instructors’ teaching styles and to foster among novice pre-service teachers the acquisition of professional competences, initial self-efficacy, and a good level of commitment to their profession.

Early Childhood Open-Mindedness: An Investigation Into Preservice Teachers’ Capacity to Address Controversial Issues

We investigated the characteristics of early childhood education (ECE) preservice teachers (PSTs) who were identified as closed minded and their capacity to deal with controversial issues. We define open-mindedness as the willingness to consider experiences, beliefs, values, and perspectives that differ from one’s own. First, we used quantitative surveys to identify PSTs with less open-minded thinking dispositions among those who responded ( n = 84). Then, we selected and ultimately interviewed five participants who indicated that their religious views played a significant role in the way they developed their epistemological and ontological views. Interviews suggested that concepts of social justice and the common good were seen as inimical to their core religious beliefs. As such, some respondents avoided these ideas without sufficiently entertaining the complexity involved with their religious beliefs and democratic ideals. This study has numerous implications for the macrocurriculum of teacher education.

Early Childhood Education Pre-Service Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Teaching Psychosocial Skills Across the Kindergarten Curriculum in Ghana

The study sought to assess Early Childhood Education Pre-service Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Teaching Psychosocial skills across the kindergarten curriculum in Ghana. A mixed method approach was used. The study comprised 123 conveniently selected regular final year preservice teachers pursuing a degree in early childhood education in a public university in Ghana, who have completed their internship programme. Questionnaires were administered after which five students were selected for a focused group discussion. Data were analysed using means, standard deviation and narratives. The study showed that Pre-service teachers had enough knowledge in achieving two goals of the KG curriculum and were also more familiar with the use of fieldtrips and demonstration. They also had enough knowledge in the use of observation and conversation among others. A thorough examination of the KG curriculum by pre-service teachers during pre and post internship was recommended.

The Relationship Between Sense of Happiness and Teacher Efficacy on Pre-Service Teachers in Early Childhood Education

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between pre-service sense of happiness and teacher efficacy. Futhermore, this study is expected to be used to improve preservice education. For this purpose 132 early childhood education pre-service teachers were surveyed to measure the sense of happiness and teacher efficacy. Data analysis was conducted by SPSS WIN 22.0 Program. So data analysis was conducted by T-test, Anova, Pearson’s spatial correlation, simple regression analysis and internal consistency. The results of this study indicted that the higher than average level of the sense of happiness and teacher efficacy. The difference was significant according to individual characteristics such as volunteer work experence in the sense of happiness and teacher efficacy. They were correlated static as a whole in the sense of happiness and teacher efficacy. The sense of happiness affected the teacher efficacy in early childhood education pre-service teachers.

Pre-service teachers’ perceptions on TPACK development after designing educational games

This qualitative case study aimed to investigate Early Childhood Education (ECE) pre-service teachers’ perception of development in their technological, pedagogical, content knowledge (TPACK) after designing educational computer games for young children. Participants included 21 ECE pre-service teachers enrolled in the course Instructional Technology and Material Design. The data were collected through focus group interviews, observations, and journals. The results indicated a perceived improvement in TPACK. Moreover, participants described initial difficulty designing educational computer games since they had limited technological knowledge (TK), design knowledge (DK), or experience designing educational computer games (TPACK). However, during the game design, specific TPACK was disseminated, and participants reported increased abilities in using technology and designing computer games for educational purposes.

Investigating the Unit of Study Approach as a Way to Teach Writing to Early Childhood Education Preservice Teachers

The purpose of this study was to better understand the learning opportunities within a university writing methods course centering on a unit of study experience. Specifically, we wanted to investigate what early childhood education preservice teachers (PSTs) learn about poetry and the writing process when engaged in a poetry unit of study. Our findings revealed that a unit of study format: (a) served as a vehicle to deconstruct and develop new genre awareness; (b) helped PSTs live process aspects of writing instruction; and (c) supported PSTs in developing genre-specific knowledge through the use of mentor texts.

The effect of expertise-based training on the quality of digital stories created to teach mathematics to young children

This study investigated the effect of expertise-based training (XBT) on the quality of digital stories created by early childhood education (ECE) pre-service teachers. The participants of the study were 69 pre-service teachers from the ECE Department. The study was experimental, utilizing a static-group pre-test/post-test design, supported with qualitative data. Data were collected through analysis and evaluation of digital stories, open-ended questionnaire, and journals. During analysis, an independent t-test was conducted and open coding analysis was applied. The results showed that the XBT group teachers earned significantly higher scores on their digital stories than the traditional group. Moreover, the XBT group focused more on the details of digital story creation, such as emphasizing the purpose of the story during each component; choosing an appropriate tone of voice; using pictures, including characters as Pepe, Kayo, and The Smurfs; and defining key words then applying pictures accordingly.