Pre-service Early Childhood Education Research Articles

Developing TPACK through task design: exploring the use of multiple modes of representation and the promotion of mathematical processes

ABSTRACT This research considers the need to train teachers who can effectively integrate technology for teaching and learning mathematics. The primary goal of this research is to showcase a successful training experience by identifying and describing some indicators of the technological pedagogical content knowledge acquired by pre-service early childhood education teachers during their participation in this initial training programme. Specifically, we focus on the different ways of representing mathematical concepts and the mathematical processes that can be activated by including such modes of representation. The participants in this research were 28 PECTs, who were organised into groups that planned a set of tasks using technology to teach geometric concepts. The results show that the groups employed a variety of modes of representation, translations and transformations (connections), fostering the emergence of different mathematical processes. Thus, our proposal to integrate technology was satisfactory in this sense, suggesting its potential applicability across diverse subjects, particularly those in which the ways of representing concepts play a relevant role. Also, the analysis conducted may be extrapolated to subjects others than mathematics.

Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior in Sexuality Education: Educators’ Behavioral Intentions Toward Sexuality Issues

Grounded on Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior (1991), the current project in two studies (N = 402) examined Greek and Spanish pre-service early childhood educators’ behavioral intentions (i.e., approach and avoidance intentions) toward young children’s sexual curiosities. Specifically, the current research project aimed to examine whether Greek and Spanish pre-service early childhood educators’ views on sexuality education were linked to their behavioral intentions toward children’s sexual curiosities. The current research also examined whether conservative ideology (religiosity and right-wing political orientation) moderates the link between educators’ views and their behavioral intentions. This study’s findings showed that educators’ views influence their behavioral intentions toward children’s curiosity about sexual issues. In addition, moderation analysis showed religiosity’s role in avoidance intention. This result provides evidence that there are theoretical and empirical grounds to assume that conservative worldviews (i.e., religiosity) significantly influence behavioral intentions concerning sexuality education. The theory of planned behavior not only represents the factors influencing intention but also provides an opportunity to comprehend the impacts of contextual and individual background elements that may be relevant to a particular behavior.

Many Prompts, Few Expansions: Preservice Early Childhood Educators’ Implementation of Dialogic Reading

Many Prompts, Few Expansions: Preservice Early Childhood Educators’ Implementation of Dialogic Reading

Mathematical Knowledge of Early Algebra Exhibited by Pre-Service Early Childhood Education Teachers

AbstractThis study analyzes the mathematical knowledge to teach early algebra exhibited by pre-service early childhood education teachers, from the perspective of the Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) model. The research adopts a mixed exploratory-descriptive methodological approach, based on the application of the MKT-early algebra questionnaire (3–6), consisting of six open-ended items that place teachers in various teaching situations reflecting the knowledge that characterizes early algebra at this stage of schooling. The analysis of the answers given by the pre-service teachers of early childhood education revealed a level general of insufficient mathematical knowledge, with the common content knowledge exhibiting fewer limitations compared to the other subdomains that comprise the model, and the horizon content knowledge the weakest. We conclude that it is necessary to offer teacher training programs that deepen the didactics of early algebra and provide tools to further the effective teaching of this content block in early childhood education.

자극회상법을 활용한 수업 실연이 예비 유아 교사의 수업역량에 미치는 변화: 그릿 수준을 중심으로

This study aims to examine the differences in the impact of simulation classes using stimulated recall on pre-service early childhood teachers' teaching competencies with a focus on grit. Sixty-eight third-year students majoring in early childhood education at a 3-year college in Gyeonggi Province were selected for this study. Data collected before and after the survey were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired sample t-tests, and independent sample t-tests. The study's results are as follows: First, simulation classes with stimulated recall significantly impacted the teaching competencies of pre-service early childhood educators. Second, a statistically significant difference exists in teaching competencies of pre-service early childhood teachers between the high and low grit groups. The results suggest that stimulated recall classes effectively enhances the teaching competencies of pre-service early childhood teachers. It also emphasizes the importance of identifying teaching competency factors based on grit level and suggests the need for differentiated curriculum operation and support to improve teaching competencies during teacher training programs.

Enhancing Argumentation and Decision-Making of Preservice Early Childhood Education Teachers Through Role-Playing on Animal Experimentation

AbstractThis study explores the socio-scientific issue of the relevance of animal experimentation using a role-playing game to develop argumentation and decision-making skills as key components of critical thinking. The activity was conducted with two cohorts, each consisting of 30 pre-service early childhood education teachers at the University of Málaga (Málaga, Spain). The study analyzes the arguments provided by the participants to justify their decisions and perceptions on the issue before and after engaging in the role-playing. The findings reveal a progression of participants from the initial rejection of animal experimentation to recognizing its imperative role in shaping scientific knowledge. Additionally, an enhancement in the understanding of rational aspects of the issue is detected, as observed through the evolution of the types of arguments employed in justifications before and after the intervention. Furthermore, emotionally charged arguments related to ethical and moral aspects of the issue are also observed.

Using picturebooks to support student teachers to address complex social justice issues in early childhood education settings

ABSTRACT Aotearoa New Zealand society is diverse in its ethnic, cultural and linguistic composition. Teachers in all education settings in this country are required to develop learning focused-cultures that are collaborative, respectful and inclusive for all children/students and their families. In this article, we report on a case study describing how picturebooks were utilised in a compulsory graduate course entitled ‘Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing’ for preservice early childhood education (ECE) student teachers. Thirteen picturebooks selected to match weekly topics were shared with students in face-to-face and online classes. Weekly reflections by the tertiary lecturer/teacher educator relating to the picturebooks, associated readings and subsequent discussions by students were analysed to explore student teacher responses to the picturebooks. The findings are discussed in relation to exploring the power of picturebooks as pedagogical tools in a tertiary environment and as advocacy and activism provocations for student teachers and teachers to use with children/students and their families.

예비유아교사의 디지털 정보화 수준과 테크노스트레스가 디지털 시민성에 미치는 영향

Objectives The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship and influence of pre-service early childhood educators' level of digital literacy, techno-stress, and digital citizenship.
 Methods To achieve the objectives of this study, a survey was conducted with 283 pre-service early childhood educators in Gyeonggi, Gangwon, and Chungcheong regions. Out of the collected surveys, 271 were deemed suitable for the study. The collected survey data was analyzed using correlation analysis and hierarchical multiple regression analysis with the SPSS 21.0 program.
 Results The results of the study are as follows. The digital citizenship of pre-service early childhood educators showed a positive correlation with both their level of digital literacy and techno-stress. Secondly, the level of digital literacy and techno-stress of pre-service early childhood educators were found to influence digital citizenship.
 Conclusions This study provides foundational data to support pre-service early childhood educators in developing competencies necessary for the digital age.

예비유아교사들의 디지털 역량 강화를 위한 교수공동체 경험 탐색

This study explores faculty community experience to consolidate the digital competence of S University students in G City. The participants were six professors of the Department of Early Childhood Education, who formed a program to strengthen digital capabilities and conducted qualitative research on program learning and application processes to reinforce digital competence. As a result of learning process exploration of the professors for digital competence consolidation, they tried to get out of fear deriving from the lack of digital-friendliness, implemented digital devices handling methods, made creative ideas each other, and felt joy of learning. As a community with a goal of reinforcing digital competence, they demonstrated teamwork and built up knowledge. According to the professors’ onsite application exploration results to reinforce digital competence, they had child-like curiosities as they encountered digital education and tried to make good use of digital education’s positive function so that digital education can become practical knowledge in connection with early childhood education. They decided to apply digital education to the curriculum of each subject in order to enhance the preservice early childhood education teachers’ competence. Based on the study results, various communities and training for teachers are expected to be invigorated for consolidation of digital competence of the preservice early childhood education teachers.

Heeding the Voices of Pre-Service Early Childhood Education Teachers: Their Beliefs about Early Childhood Science Education and Self-Efficacy for Teaching Science

This cross-sectional survey study aimed to explore pre-service early childhood education teachers’ (PTs) beliefs about (a) the aims and scope of early childhood science education and (b) their self-efficacy beliefs in teaching science to preschool children. A survey consisting of open-ended questions was applied to PTs (N = 130). According to the results, PTs were aware of the importance of science education in early childhood. They mainly focused on the roles of early childhood science education in satisfying curiosity, developing questioning skills, and facilitating understanding of the environment and life. However, most PTs associated science education in early childhood with only natural sciences-related activities and concepts. Moreover, PTs reported low self-efficacy beliefs in teaching science to preschool children due to their lack of experience and theoretical knowledge. This study has some implications for PTs to view science education in early childhood from a comprehensive perspective and improve their self-efficacy.

통합적 동작활동이 예비유아교사의 창의적 신체표현에 미치는 의미 탐색

This study aims to investigate the impact of integrated movement activities on the creative physical expression of pre-service Early Childhood Educators participating in a child movement class. The research involved 68 students from the Department of Early Childhood Education during a 15-week course. Data were collected through unstructured interviews, reflective journals, simulated lesson evaluation forms, and researchers' field notes. The content was categorized and analyzed through a process of thematic classification. First, pre-service Early Childhood Educators began the classes with a sense of apprehension towards movement activities. However, as they integrated movement activities with art, confidence and interest were cultivated. Second, pre-service Early Childhood Educators integrated the topics of integrated movement activities with what they learned in theory, experiencing them as a method of practical knowledge. Third, pre-service Early Childhood Educators extended their prior experience with integrated movement activities into creative physical expressions, including elements like imagination, inference, and embodied representation. This study seeks to find significance in that it explores the practical knowledge potential in child movement activities, demonstrating that integrated movement activities, combining art and physical activities, enable pre-service Early Childhood Educators to experience and extend diverse and specific creative physical expressions.

예비유아교사와 예비특수교사의 세계시민성과 세계시민역량 비교

This study is a comparative analysis of global citizenship and global citizenship competency between pre-service special education teachers and pre-service early childhood teachers, and is based on the subject's background variables(grade, gender, experience in global citizenship activities, experience in taking global citizenship education). A sample of 225 pre-service education teachers in the college of education was included in the study. The results of this study were following. There were no difference between the two groups of pre-service teachers in global citizenship competency. However, pre-service special education teachers's global citizenship were higher than pre-service early childhood education teachers. There were differences in knowledge among the sub-domains of global citizenship. The study findings indicated that the global citizenship and global citizenship competency were different according the major, grade, gender, global citizenship education's experience. Additionally, there were significant correlation between pre-service education's global citizenship and global citizenship competencies. These results will serve as basic data for those in charge of teacher training institutions to provide global citizenship education for prospective teachers in universities, and will further help develop various global citizenship education programs according to the characteristics of prospective teachers' majors.

Unveiling Pre-Service Early Childhood Teachers' Perspectives on Inclusive Culture, Policy, and Practice

The integration of inclusive practices into the preschools in China has unfolded as a gradual and intricate process, marked by the initiation of the "Learning in Regular Classrooms" campaign by the China Ministry of Education in the 1980s. This campaign signified a pivotal step towards the integration of children with special needs into mainstream classrooms. As the landscape of education in China continues to evolve, the concept of inclusive education has gradually seeped into the area of preschool education. However, this transformative journey has been multifaceted and intricate. This study takes a pivotal turn by directing its attention to pre-service early childhood education teachers, aiming to assess their readiness in implementing the principles of inclusive education. Employing a questionnaire adapted from the Index of Inclusion by Booth et al. (2006), this study aimed to investigate the pre-service early childhood teachers' perspectives on inclusive culture, policy, and practice. The outcomes of this analysis offer a nuanced understanding of the perceptions of inclusive culture, policy, and practice, as observed through the lens of future teachers in early childhood education. This exploration serves as a critical examination of the challenges and strengths that these prospective teachers bring to the context of implementing inclusive education in preschool settings. The results not only contribute to the broader discourse on inclusive education in China but also offer valuable insights for refining and strengthening training and preparation programs for pre-service teachers in the country. This nuanced understanding of the perspectives of future teachers serves as a catalyst for informed enhancements to teacher training, ultimately shaping a more inclusive and effective early childhood education landscape in China.

Pre-Service Ece Teachers’ Experiences in Implementing Multicultural Education

This research explores the essential importance of pre-service early childhood education (ECE) teachers having a strong comprehension and proficiency in intercultural instruction. This research focuses on examining the practical experiences of 168 pre-service ECE teachers from four institutions in Kalimantan. The main objective is to investigate how these teachers negotiate the implementation of multicultural education throughout their field placements. The research utilizes a descriptive quantitative research methodology by conducting surveys. Pre-service ECE teachers utilize a variety of methods to introduce and commemorate cultural diversity among young learners. These activities encompass field visits, media exploration, cultural performances, and storytelling to cultivate comprehension and admiration for diverse cultures. Although a few individuals encounter difficulties when carrying out tasks, the majority enthusiastically adopt interactive methods to enhance their experiences and expand their viewpoints. The assessment of multicultural education entails the quantification of engagement, comprehension, and reactions, thereby emphasizing specific domains that require enhancement. Efforts to tackle negative attitudes focus on promoting inclusive dialogues and cooperative endeavours, while refraining from punitive actions. Engaging parents, cultivating intercultural comprehension, facilitating discourse, and commemorating festivals all contribute to establishing inclusive educational environments where diversity is respected and celebrated. This research emphasizes the crucial significance of a comprehensive approach to multicultural teaching for pre-service ECE teachers. It also highlights the necessity of ongoing evaluation to enable the continuous enhancement of practices in this important educational field.

Cultural Awareness in Pre-Service Early Childhood Teacher Training: A Catalogue of British Cultural Elements in Peppa Pig

Foreign language teaching should integrate the culture embodied in the target language. However, raising cultural awareness does not systematically produce the intended effects when considered an integral component in the teaching context. This quantitative research study focuses on creating a catalogue featuring elements representative of British culture in the animated television series Peppa Pig as part of pre-service early childhood education teacher training in English as a Foreign Language (EFL). This prompts the examination of the potential of Peppa Pig to not exclusively enhance EFL proficiency but to foster a comprehensive understanding of British culture for non-native speakers. Eleven pre-service teachers at the University of Cádiz, Spain, analysed the 52 episodes of Peppa Pig’s season 1 and classified all elements into 13 categories, according to the Qualitative Text Analysis approach. To minimise differences between evaluators, each element of each episode was only checked if at least three evaluators agreed; therefore, 1050 elements were identified, with 501 elements verified in 48 of the 52 episodes. The resulting catalogue contributes to selecting the most significant Peppa Pig’s season 1 episodes concerning British culture elements. The major limitation of the investigation may be the fatigue experienced by the evaluators.

Okul Öncesi Öğretmen Adaylarının Öğretmenlik Uygulaması Yoluyla Fen Öğretimine Yönelik Özgüvenlerindeki Değişim

TTo investigate how pre-service early childhood education (ECE) teachers’ self-confidence in teaching science was changed through their teaching practice course, a qualitative case study research design was used in the current study. The study involved 15 senior pre-service ECE teachers who were enrolled in a teaching practice course as part of their teacher education program. The study was created with their experiential learning opportunities in account. Participants developed five distinct science activity plans that are connected with several other disciplines and implemented their science activities in a real classroom environment for this purpose. Individual pre and post-interviews were conducted with them to investigate the change in their self-confidence in teaching science. The data analysis revealed four major themes: 1) prior knowledge and interest in science, 2) experience of teaching science in a real classroom, 3) expectation from teaching practice course, and 4) feelings when preparing activities and teaching science. The study’s findings revealed that a teaching practice course was quite helpful in enhancing preservice teachers' self-confidence in science teaching and changing their interests and feelings about science. The study's findings improved understanding of the importance of experiential learning and practicing in teacher education.

문제중심학습(PBL) 기반 유아안전교육 수업이 예비유아교사의 협력적 자기효능감, 학습태도, 전공몰입에 미치는 효과

Objectives This study aimed to investigate the effect of preservice early childhood teachers on cooperative self- efficacy, learning attitude, and major commitment before and after early childhood safety education course applying problem-based learning methods.
 Methods To examine this purpose, the problem-based learning design was applied to the early childhood safety education course in the 1st semester of 2022. We examined the differences in cooperative self-efficiency, learning attitudes and major commitment at the beginning and the end of the course were examined for 20 students. The collected data were analyzed by paired t-test with SPSS 24.0 program.
 Results The results of this study preservice early childhood teacher cooperative self-efficiency(t=-4.832, p<.001), learning attitudes(t=-4.445 p<.001), major commitment(t=-4.338 p<.001) after application of problem-based learning safety education in early childhood class showed a significant effect. In other words, it could be inferred that the early childhood safety education course itself, which applied problem-based learning (PBL), was a direct factor in improving the cooperative self-efficacy, learning attitude, and major commitment of preservice early childhood education teachers.
 Conclusions Therefore, it suggests that the problem-based learning in early childhood safety education is the meaningful teaching method to improve the cooperative self-efficiency, learning attitudes and major commitment of preservice early childhood teachers.

Maddening pre-service early childhood education and care through poetics: Dismantling epistemic injustice through mad autobiographical poetics.

In this article, the author forwards the importance of mad autobiographical poetic writing to challenge and disrupt epistemic injustice within pre-service early childhood education and care. They explore their own mad autobiographical poetic writing as a queer, non-binary, mad early childhood educator and pre-service early childhood education and care faculty member, and argue that mad poetic writing can methodologically be used as a form of resistance to epistemic injustices and epistemological erasure in early childhood education and care. This article argues for the importance of autobiographical writing in early childhood education and care, and the necessity of centralizing early childhood educators' subjectivities and histories when addressing - and transforming - issues of equity, inclusion and belonging in early childhood education and care. The personal and intimate mad autobiographical poetic writing of this article - written by the author - focuses on how personal experience with madness as it pertains to working within pre-service early childhood education and care can challenge norms that govern and regulate madness. Ultimately, the author argues that transformation in early childhood education and care can take place by reflecting on experiences of mental and emotional distress, and considering poetic writings as starting places for imagining new futurities and a plurality of educator voices and perspectives.

Pursuing early childhood inclusion through reinforcing partnerships with parents of disabled children: beliefs of Greek pre-service early childhood educators

ABSTRACT Early childhood inclusion for disabled children is a priority area as jointly stated by United Nations’ and European Commission’s policies. Educators have a crucial role in supporting all children’s learning by working cooperatively with parents. However, their internalized ableist/disablist beliefs and misconceptions can inhibit the process of inclusion and effective parental partnership. Initial Teacher Education (ITE) is the pivotal factor in preparing early childhood educators (ECEs) for inclusive learning environments. Therefore, this survey investigated 332 Greek pre-service ECEs’ preparation and their beliefs of self-efficacy of inclusion and parental empowerment. Results show that pre-service ECEs’ knowledge has an impact on their beliefs about inclusion. Additionally, our results highlight the need to approach ITE through inclusive and critical disability studies pedagogies. Such an orientation could provide prospective ECEs with the mental models and confidence that augment their willingness for supporting inclusion, and collaborating with parents, leading to a transformative praxis.

Contesting the hegemony of developmentalism in pre-service early childhood education and care: Critical discourses and new directions

Contesting the hegemony of developmentalism in pre-service early childhood education and care: Critical discourses and new directions