中国学前教育专业大学生（职前教师）实习计划以及实习的演变

师范生教育实习评价是教师职前培养中的重要一环，对于检测师范生的实习成效、促进师范生素质能力提升及其入职后的专业发展具有重要意义。美国学前教育专业师范生实习表现性评价对实习师范生在教学设计、教学实施、教学反思与评价等整个教学流程中的表现展开全方位评估，具有评价内容全面、评价标准具体、注重师范生自我反思、重视评价结果的客观性等特点，对我国学前教育专业师范生的培养尤其是教育实习的评价具有借鉴意义。

学前教育师范生在幼儿园参加教育实习时所收获的现实感受,会影响他们对幼儿园教师职业的认同和在幼儿园工作的从教选择。本研究以完成教育实习的12名学前教育专业公费师范生为研究对象,采用半结构访谈法,借助场域理论,实证分析了公费师范生对幼儿教师职业的认同状况以及从教选择。研究发现,学前教育公费师范生在实习过程中受到高校与幼儿园场域间、权力场域与实习场域间等多种张力和具体因素的影响,表现出主动反思的惯习;公费师范生高度认同幼儿教师职业对儿童发展的内在专业价值,但对其外在社会地位和薪酬待遇的认同度低,并对幼儿园教师这个职业表现出“敬而远之”的态度。

This study addresses the issue of "disconnection between learning and application" among preschool education interns under the "2+1" model—"students can't apply what they've learned, yet lack exposure to what they need to know." Based on longitudinal research, the study analyzes the causes from three dimensions: the educational curriculum system, teaching schedule arrangement, and student competency enhancement. It identifies that disciplinary logic dominance leads to fragmented knowledge, while prioritizing theory over practice disrupts the learning-application cycle, and competency development halts at mere knowledge storage. Accordingly, the study proposes an integrated "Deep Learning + PBL" approach: using deep learning to facilitate knowledge integration and transfer, and employing PBL to bridge theory with workplace contexts. Specific optimization strategies include developing a "job-task-oriented" PBL project repository, constructing a "theory-project-internship" spiral framework, and defining "transfer and application" as the core competency. These recommendations aim to bridge the "learning-application gap" and refine the "2+1" educational model.

D. Lino, R. Friães, C. Parente, F. Vieira, C. Craveiro, B. Silva Institute Polytechnique of Lisbon, Higher School of Education/CIED/CIEC (PORTUGAL) Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon,CIED, UIFED (PORTUGAL) Institute of Education, University of Minho, CIEC (PORTUGAL) Higher School of Education Paula Frassinetti (PORTUGAL) Nowadays is recognized that practicum has a key role in the initial education of teachers and preschool teachers, being considered as a fundamental axis for the professional development of these professionals. It is acknowledged that this period of supervised, reflected and experiential learning acts as a wedge between the academic and theoretical training and the one that occurs in practice contexts, being practicum pointed out by research as a crucial space and time to promote the preschool teachers’ awareness of the profession and the acquisition of human skills and qualities of practical thinking and professional knowledge. This study is part of a research project that aims to understand the role of practicum for preschool and 1st and 2nd cycle of basic education teachers.

… In Swedish teacher education, all preschool teacher students have to include a school-… educational practice, in a preschool or in another form of educational setting, such as a preschool …

Practicum is a central component of initial teacher education programs. Most teacher education studies focus on practicum in primary and secondary school, while the practicum in kindergartens has received less attention in international literature. The goal of this study is to explore student teachers’ perceptions of practicum experience in kindergarten, within the context of an initial teacher education program. A total of 42 final year student teachers enrolled in the Pedagogy of Primary and Preschool Education program at a Romanian university participated in the study. They completed a questionnaire about their final practicum experience in kindergarten, concerning the benefits of the practicum, the difficulties encountered, and the ways of coping with them. The main benefits reported by the participants were: professional relationships, planning and practicing teaching, professional and personal skill development, and insights into the preschool education system. Difficulties included: implementing instruction, class management and self-concerns issues. The student teachers relied on internal resources, but also on external resources (the preschool mentor teachers, the student teacher supervisor and the colleagues) for overcoming the difficulties encountered during practicum. Based on their testimonies, we suggest possible improvements to the teacher education program.

In the last decade with the reforms required by the Bologna process the role of practicum in preservice teacher education has been emphasized, making it a central component of European curricula. It has been observed over the years that this dimension has been mainly approached in terms of organization and supervision processes and cannot be found many studies that focus effectively on what it represents for the actors and its contributions for professional development. This study aims to understand the practicum at pre-service early childhood teacher education. The objectives of the study are: (i) to identify the role of the practicum for professional learning and development of early childhood teachers; (ii) to know the difficulties and critical factors experienced by student teachers at practicum. The methodology used is the mix-method research and data was collected through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The participants are early childhood teachers that have graduated in the last three years from different Portuguese Higher Education Institutions. The qualitative data was analyzed through content analyze and descriptive statistic was used to analyze the quantitative data. To ensure confidentiality no information is disclosed without participant’s consent and the interviews were transcribed. The results confirm the centrality of practicum for early childhood teachers’ professional development. The construction of professional knowledge emerges as one of the main contributions of practicum. Another contribution is the student teachers’ awareness of their own strengths and weaknesses in terms of theoretical and practical knowledge. The data also show that the relationships with the educational context and with the different practicum actors (supervisors, cooperating teachers) has a supportive role for student teachers’ success. The study points out several difficulties experienced by the student teachers, namely: lack of time to respond to all the academic tasks; the interconnection theory practice; the development of reflection and research skills.

Establishing a strong connection between the theory and practice that prospective teachers acquire during their education is one of the most important issues in teacher education. The teaching practice course in teacher education undergraduate programs serves this purpose. It is known that the experiences of pre-service teachers during the practicum process affect them positively or negatively both emotionally and cognitively. This situation plays a role in the quality of teaching and these effects can also be seen when teachers commit to the profession. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of emotional and cognitive experiences of pre-service preschool teachers during their teaching practice on their professional development. The study was conducted with 16 pre-service preschool teachers who were practicing within the scope of Teaching Practice I course. The data collected using a semi-structured interview form were analyzed by content analysis method. The data obtained showed that while the pre-service teachers had intense stress caused by uncertainty at the beginning of the practice, as their experience increased, their planning skills and communication with children improved, but the most common concern in the process was classroom management skills.

ABSTRACT This study presents a contemporary overview of practicums as a key element in research on early childhood teacher education (ECTE). Based on a semi-systematic literature review, this study asked what kind of research informs practicums and how. The search identified 81 articles in peer-reviewed journals, which were categorised and thematically analysed according to focus, countries in which the research was undertaken, methodologies, participants and outcomes. Four major themes emerged: the position of student teachers, competent and ethical supervision, teacher educators as practicum designers and the construction of collective spaces to aid practicum learning and teaching. This review of practicums in research reveals the dominance of countries that produce more scientific research and calls for more scholarship exploring the perspectives of principals and children. This review offers teacher educators and researchers new insights into theory-practice complexities in ECTE practicums and argues for a more democratic enactment of practicum models.

Student approaches to learning are a key factor in determining learning outcomes in higher education, particularly in teacher education programmes where the development of reflective and autonomous professionals is essential. This study examines second-year Early Childhood Education students’ self-perceptions of their learning approaches prior to the practicum. Data were collected from 311 students across three Catalan universities using the Revised Two-Factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F). A quantitative design was employed using a self-report questionnaire to analyse the relationship between motivation, learning strategies, and students’ tendency towards deep or surface learning approaches. The findings reveal variability in motivation and strategy use, with a tendency towards less consolidated deep learning approaches at this stage of training. Differences associated with students’ profiles, particularly age and academic pathways, were also observed, although these should be interpreted with caution. The study identifies key pedagogical factors that may support the development of deeper learning, including the design of practicum seminars that promote reflection, meaningful engagement, and alignment between theory and practice. These results suggest that structured pedagogical approaches, such as constructive alignment, can contribute to fostering reflective, autonomous, and professionally oriented learning in teacher education. By linking students’ learning profiles with curriculum and assessment design, this research contributes to current debates on sustainable teacher education and offers evidence-based guidance for strengthening practicum structures aligned with Education for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Goal 4.

… Understanding practicum students’ feelings while in their practicum … that practicum students’ feelings of being anxious, energized, frustrated, relaxed, and quiet while in the practicum …

The purpose of the study is to examine the results of lecturing the Teaching Practicum I and II courses included within the curriculum of the final year of Preschool Teaching/Education undergraduate programs of various universities in Türkiye through distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic period according to experiences and viewpoints of preservice teachers. The research is a phenomenological study among qualitative research designs. The study group is comprised of 93 preservice teachers in the final year of the 2020-2021 education year who receive their teaching practice lectures through distance education. The results show that although the pandemic period has some positive effects on the personal lives of preservice teachers, the negative effects of this process are more distinct. Almost all of the participants mentioned that they performed online practices with preschool children, and more than half of them mentioned that they had difficulty performing practice lessons. Results concerning the questions about the knowledge of field and profession showed that preservice teachers considered their level of competence for all items in the pandemic period to be a middle level; and that they would have had much higher levels of competence if the pandemic period did not exist.

Pandemi sürecinde üniversitelerin öğretmen yetiştiren kurumlarında öğretmenlik uygulamalarının nasıl yürütüleceği konusunda belirsizlikler yaşanmış ve pek çok ülkede olduğu gibi ülkemizde de 2020-2021 akademik yılında bu derslerin teorik ve uygulama boyutları çevrim içi formatta gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu araştırmada okul öncesi öğretmen adaylarının deneyimlerine dayalı olarak uzaktan öğretmenlik uygulaması sürecinin niteliğini etkileyen faktörlerin ortaya çıkarılması amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmanın katılımcılarını 2020-2021 akademik yılında bir devlet üniversitesinin okul öncesi öğretmenliği programında öğrenim gören ve pandemi nedeniyle öğretmenlik Uygulaması I ve II derslerini uzaktan eğitimle tamamlayan 11 öğretmen adayı oluşturmaktadır. Temel nitel araştırma olarak tasarlanan bu çalışmada veriler yapılandırılmış görüşme formu ile toplanmış ve tümevarımsal yöntem ile analiz edilmiştir. Öğretmen adayları ile yapılan görüşmeler sonucunda uzaktan eğitim ile gerçekleştiren öğretmenlik uygulaması sürecinin niteliğini pek çok faktörün etkilediği belirlenmiştir. Bu faktörlerden “öğretim elemanı ve uygulama öğretmeni rehberliği”, “uygulama öğretim elemanı ve uygulama öğretmeni ile etkileşim”, “partnerli çalışma”, “iki dönem aynı sınıfta öğretmenlik uygulamasını yürütme”, “ders materyallerine erişim” faktörlerinin sürecin niteliğini olumlu yönde etkileyen ve öğretmen adayları tarafından “kolaylaştırıcı” olarak deneyimlenen; “teknolojik yetersizlikler”, “çocuklarla ilişkilerde ve değerlendirmede sınırlılık”, “çevrimiçi sınıf yönetimi”, “aile müdahalesi” faktörlerinin ise sürecin niteliğini olumsuz yönde etkileyen ve öğretmen adayları tarafından “zorlaştırıcı” olarak deneyimlenen faktörler oldukları tespit edilmiştir.

… final practicum of professional masters (preschool education and 1st and 2nd cycle of basic education … Within pedagogical knowledge, practicum has a key role on preschool pre-service …

ABSTRACT This study explored changes in preservice teachers’ beliefs about teaching in early childhood education during teaching practicums in China. Data from four preservice teachers’ beliefs were collected through interviews and reflection journals. Based on Bronfenbrenner’s theory, an ecological system framework was used to explore the change factors. The findings indicated two change orientations: elaboration and integration. Elaboration incorporated situated reflection, positive emotions, and interactions with children and mentors to explain belief change. Consistency between practices and beliefs with positive emotions and strong agency reinforced their beliefs. Integration of beliefs can be ascribed to teaching dilemmas that arouse negative emotions, parental expectations, and the field school’s culture, which weaken agency and social culture in the ecological framework’s nested system. Therefore, belief change can be attributed to individual factors that interact with the ecological system. The study elucidates how changes occur in preservice teachers’ beliefs. Teacher education programmes should address the constraints and enabling factors during teaching practicum.

This study explores how pre-service early childhood educators imagine and anticipate their upcoming practicum experience before entering the classroom, focusing on how schooling is both remembered and reimagined in advance of practice. Drawing on qualitative data from open-ended prompts in a Google Forms survey with undergraduate teacher education students, the study examines expectations regarding childhood, schooling, the teacher’s role, and practicum challenges. Using thematic analysis, the findings reveal persistent tensions in how participants conceptualize teaching and learning. While students frequently articulate child-centred and democratic ideals—emphasizing care, participation, and experiential learning—their responses simultaneously reproduce elements of the schoolized mind, through which schooling is imagined as structured by control, transmission, evaluation, and teacher authority. Practicum is anticipated both as a learning opportunity and as a moment of exposure requiring competence, classroom management, and error avoidance. The findings suggest that pre-service teachers approach practicum through already sedimented and socially shaped imaginaries of schooling. These anticipatory frameworks highlight the need for teacher education to critically engage with how schooling is imagined, in order to better shape future pedagogical practice.

… education (ECE) preservice practicums has provided insights into students’ practicum … The second-year practicums, which take place in a preschool/child group setting, aim for …

… preschools for the optimal development of PSTs’ professional competencies. This study recommends higher education … , 2) increase the collaboration with practicum centres in order to …

Understanding the mentoring practices used by cooperating teachers to guide and support early childhood (EC) pre-service teachers’ learning-to-teach during internship in a disadvantaged environment was the main purpose of this qualitative case study. Three EC pre-service teachers and their cooperating teachers were purposively selected from whom data was collected through interviews, documents, classroom observations, and post conferences. Collected data were analyzed and identified cooperating teachers’ appropriate mentoring behaviors and practices as themes which evolved as a mentoring framework during internship. The findings presented in this study implicate the development of a mentoring framework that will guide the development of cooperating teachers’ capability for effective mentoring.

Introduction Teacher education research has documented beginning teachers' struggles extensively, but we know surprisingly little about the innovative capabilities that emerge during intensive field experiences. This phenomenological study examines how 17 pre-service teachers, 16 women and one man, representing both Arab and Jewish students, aged 22–28, discovered their creative capacity during year-long teaching internships at an Israeli teacher training college. Through interpretative phenomenological analysis of in-depth interviews, we invited participants to share their most meaningful success stories about transformative work with individual students. Methods Through interpretative phenomenological analysis, three interconnected themes emerged. Results First, participants systematically transformed personal struggles into professional tools for healing, converting difficult life experiences into resources to support students facing similar challenges. Second, they developed sophisticated environmental awareness, paired with methodical relationship-building approaches that evolved from intuitive care into systematic professional practice. Third, they engaged in principled rule-breaking, prioritizing student success over institutional compliance and thoughtfully departing from conventional approaches when these failed to serve student needs. Our analysis reveals that pre-service teachers possess innovative potential that challenges deficit-focused perspectives dominating teacher preparation discourse. Discussion This creative capacity flourishes when certain conditions are met: extended time for authentic relationship-building, supervision that encourages personal and professional integration, and institutional environments that support thoughtful innovation. Rather than viewing difficult life experiences as barriers to effective teaching, participants converted personal wisdom into professional resources. These findings suggest that teacher education needs fundamental rethinking. Rather than focusing primarily on fixing deficits, programs could recognize and systematically cultivate the creative power that emerges during intensive field experiences. This requires redesigned supervision approaches, curriculum modifications, and institutional structures that support principled innovation during teaching internships.

Early childhood education (ECE) student teachers experience “reality shock” and a heavy burden of emotional regulation as they encounter many challenges in their internships, such as failing to cater for children's needs and lacking autonomy and efficacy. Effective emotion regulation can alleviate the impact of negative emotions and facilitate the construction of teacher identity. However, existing research has paid less attention to the emotion regulation of student teachers, especially ECE student teachers. Previous researchers mainly categorize in-service teachers’ emotion regulation strategies, whereas ECE student teachers’ emotion regulation strategies are more nuanced and in need of additional theoretical perspective to uncover their emotion regulation strategies. To address the research gap, we conducted a qualitative and follow-up research to examine the emotional experiences and emotion regulation strategies of 25 ECE student teachers in Guangzhou, China, during their internships. Data were collected through interviews, observation, and critical incidents forms. Informed by an integrative perspective, this study classified the emotion regulation strategies of ECE student teachers into four categories, including expressive regulation, cognitive change, behavioral adjustment, and sequential regulation. The study also analyzed the emotion regulation strategies at different stages of their internships, presenting the uniqueness of ECE student teachers’ emotional regulation in the Chinese cultural context. The Chinese social culture of “ren qing” and the power hierarchy in classrooms have led ECE student teachers to use suppressing strategy to regulate emotions. This study enriches our understanding of ECE student teachers’ emotions and provides implications for ECE teacher education.

: From the perspective of “three complete education”, the research on the talent training mechanism of higher vocational preschool education focuses on the construction of multi-dimensional cooperative education community, the importance of educational skills competition and the realization of the integration of knowledge and practice. The key to the collaborative education mechanism lies in to break down professional barriers, promote the cooperation between the government, colleges, kindergartens and vocational schools, and realize resource sharing and experience exchange through interdisciplinary curriculum, project cooperation and teacher exchange. Such cooperation can not only optimize the education ecosystem, but also help to improve the comprehensive quality and practical ability of preschool education talents, and realize the collaborative education effect of "1 + 1 + 1 + 1> 4". At the same time, educational skills competition is regarded as an important activity to cultivate students' educational skills, stimulate interest and cultivate competitiveness. The competition encourages innovative and unique educational approaches, develops students' ability to solve problems, cooperate, endure stress and manage their time, and helps them better adapt to workplace competition. Finally, the realization of the integration of knowledge and practice is the key to the training of higher vocational preschool education talents, which requires the organic integration of theoretical learning and practical courses to ensure that the practice content is connected with classroom learning. Tutors play an important role in the internship, guiding students to apply theoretical knowledge to practical operations, and providing feedback and suggestions. Practical skills training and comprehensive evaluation are also important links to ensure that students have the necessary vocational skills. These measures will help to cultivate preschool education talents with more comprehensive quality and practical ability.

China entered the baby boom era with the announcement of Second Child Policy in 2015, this has led to increase of child birth rate and subsequently a growing shortage of preschool teachers. To solve this issue, Chinese State Council drafted the policy proposal on training of cross-disciplinary talents in higher education allowing people with different bachelor degree to become preschool teachers. Cross-Disciplinary Preschool Education Master Degree (CDPEM) program offered in some universities is an outcome of this policy. The purpose of this study is to explore in depth professional growth experiences of these CDPEM students. Findings of the study can be input to decision of the continuity of this policy. The study was conducted using qualitative research method. In-depth interviews of three Chinese CDPEM participants were used to collect data. These three CDPEM participants respectively have Chinese Literature, English Education and Applied Chemistry background. Findings is discussed according to the characteristics of professional growth, personalities and experiences, and strategies to overcome problem faced during the Master course. The results of professional growth experiences are summarized into four themes: professional attitude and motivation, professional ability, professional knowledge and professional philosophy. Data analysis indicated that these three CDPEM students have strong desire of professional development, and consistently striving for professional identity, however they have low self-efficacy, perceived weak professional knowledge, perceived lack of professional ability and poor research ability. The background knowledge from Bachelor degree, real-life experience, inherent motivation and attitude towards learning influence their professional development in the course. These students develop their own authentic internal strategies towards ascertaining professional identity. The external strategies are cultivation of research ability and internship as well as participation in universities joint projects. The policy of CDPEM is feasible as a short-term measure to counter shortage of preschool teachers however the shortcomings need to be overcome to ensure quality of preschool teachers produced through CDPEM program.

An increasing amount of attention has been focused on the issue of the low recruitment and retention of male teachers in early childhood education worldwide. Previous research has indicated that personal perceptions of male preservice teachers’ personal regarding early childhood education could have a major influence on their decision of a future career. This qualitative study aims at promoting the significance of early childhood preservice preparation programs by exploring the perspectives and experiences of male preservice teachers working with infants in China. Using the purposeful sampling method, two male interns in an infant classroom were interviewed individually, and each of them was interviewed three times in total: at the beginning of their professional studies, during their internship, and after completing their studies. Participants’ reflections were also considered as supplementary data. The results underscore the necessity of a comprehensive early childhood preservice preparation program for prospective male teachers, particularly regarding infants’ development. Additionally, the study highlights the crucial role of male preservice teachers’ involvement and perspectives before entering the early childhood education field. The study was limited to one location and may not apply to others. Despite the small sample, it offers valuable perspectives. Future focus should be on attracting males to early childhood education area and exploring useful strategies.

… habilitating teachers for preschool education and teaching of … The evolution of these requirements is expressed in Table 1, … to be considered equivalent to internship, since HEI tend to …

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This qualitative case study investigates how early childhood student teachers experience and interpret mentor support for their psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness during teaching internships in Chinese public kindergartens. Guided by self-determination theory, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with nine senior student teachers and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that mentors foster student teachers’ psychological needs satisfaction through the following three key mechanisms: progressive autonomy fulfillment through selective empowerment, delegated instructional responsibility and personalized work assignment, gradual competence development via constructive feedback and optimal challenge in scaffolded tasks, and dual relatedness construction through professional collaboration and emotional care. The mechanisms enhance student teachers’ intrinsic motivation, engagement and professional identity formation. The study proposes the Developmentally Responsive Mentoring for Motivation (DRMM) model, which conceptualizes mentoring as a calibrated process of assessing readiness, assigning optimally challenging tasks, analyzing performance, and adjusting guidance, ensuring that support remains responsive to developmental and contextual needs. The model extends the applicability of self-determination theory and offers a transferable framework for teacher education programs.

… teaching practicum, fulfilled the student teaching internship, … analysis of the students’ evolving perceptions of fieldwork over time. … project at a local public preschool for children with and …

… review held that the practicum could acquaint preservice teachers with diverse educational … taken by their preservice teachers, and evaluating the preservice teachers according to the …

… The context for this mixed methods study was a Master of Teaching, graduate-level … practicum in pre-service teacher education, there has been a limited focus on how student teachers …

… The researchers highlighted in the rubric that had been prepared for the self-evaluation reports that pre-service teachers were encouraged to take some personal time to reflect on their …

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, preservice teachers in all education programmes have been affected by the closure of schools. This has forced a shift from in-school preservice teaching experience to an online preservice teaching approach. The aim of the present paper is to provide an overview of research on teaching practicum experience during the COVID-19 pandemic through a systematic review. Out of 51 initially identified publications between March 2020 and December 2020, 26 articles were included for the final synthesis in terms of teaching strategies, methods used for assessing preservice teachers, digital technology tools and challenges that faculties and preservice teachers faced. The results indicate that the most commonly used teaching strategies used in the practicum were demonstration in synchronous sessions, observation/helping associate teachers, micro-teaching, and e-coaching/mentoring. Additionally, the results demonstrated that the main use of digital technology tools was for communication, instruction, collaboration and e-coaching. Additionally, the results present four methods of assessment that education programmes followed: (1) grading preservice teachers’ performance in the first weeks of the spring semester; (2) evaluating students’ recorded lessons; (3) evaluating prepared virtual classroom presentation; and (4) grading online portfolios. Moreover, the results indicate that faculties and preservice teachers have faced numerous challenges such as a lack of real teaching experience, limited experience in the use of information and communications technology (ICT), and a lack of technological infrastructure, access and support. The conclusions reflect on the importance of including technology integration and teaching and learning in the online environment in courses offered by teacher education programmes, equity issues for students, and the need to strengthen preservice teachers’ beliefs in their capacity to deal with the transition to distance modes of education in times of crisis.

… This article reports on student preschool teachers’ views of science and its role in … concerning students in preschool teacher education and their attitudes to science. The students are in …

… preschool children. Ethnographers usually carry out fieldwork and in this case, the field is the preschool … The student teachers do not stay in the field for the extended period expected of …

… for preservice students to obtain experience in family-centered intervention. As this study showed that preservice teachers are most affected by the experiences in fieldwork in which …

ABSTRACT Early childhood (EC) education has usually involved in-person teaching and learning. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has imposed remote teaching on EC practitioners and complicated practicum students’ fieldwork experiences. This study explored EC practicum students’ fieldwork experiences in the U.S. during the pandemic and their preparedness for online teaching and technology employment and integration. Participants included 28 students enrolled in Directed Field Experience in Spring 2021. A mixed-methods approach incorporating multiple sources of data, including reflection papers, interviews, and questionnaires, was used. The findings showed that the EC practicum students changed their perceptions of and attitudes toward a remote field experience course and online teaching with young children over the semester. Additionally, EC practicum students’ challenges and professional and academic growth were evident in their reporting. These findings have implications for the development of effective strategies for alleviating EC practicum students’ challenges, facilitating their professional growth, and providing resources to integrate digital technology in their teaching in developmentally appropriate ways.

At institutions striving to maintain face-to-face field placements and instruction amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, circumstances changed daily in response to new developments at the university, local school districts, and personal circumstances. This mixed-methods study explored and evaluated the adaptations made to early childhood teacher preparation courses in an undergraduate program in order to provide relevant training through a variety of instructional modalities including face-to-face, virtual, hypothetical, and mixed reality. Focused on maintaining professional standards through adapted coursework designed to meet student learning outcomes, instructors reflected on multiple instructional modalities and analysis of demonstrable learning outcomes for students in a four-year bachelor’s degree program resulting in state teacher certification. Data were collected from students from three different cohorts (n = 26) through course assignments, reflections, and instructor- and self-assessments. Results highlight several areas where students found success in meeting professional standards in new ways including: knowledge of development, relevant and responsive curriculum, collaborative engagement, cultural and familial knowledge, inclusive and individualized design, and flexibility and adaptability. Students were prepared to teach in the following ways: designing curriculum, implementation, and reflective practice. Students felt unprepared to teach citing needing more practice and continued skills development. These findings highlight the need for flexibility in the face of the pandemic and underscore the importance of using the new knowledge and practices generated about student learning to reinvent early childhood teacher education programs when faced with post-pandemic realities.

… teacher education, fieldwork broadens the student's understanding of the variety in teaching … With ample opportunity to apply material from coursework, student teachers are better able …

… 14), we propose that fieldwork with infants may expose preservice teachers to new social contexts, promote disequilibrium, and facilitate the construction of new knowledge (Citation…

In educational contexts, including early childhood settings, ableism and racism circulate interdependently to define normalcy and deviance. Book reading offers an important platform for dismantling these interlocking ideologies with young children. In this article, we examine dis/ability and race talk in the context of picture-book reading, analyzing the ways four white, nondisabled teacher candidates attempted to discursively resist deficit-based framings of dis/ability and race with small groups of young children in preschool classrooms. Findings revealed how—despite stated intentions to advance educational justice—teacher candidates drew on discourse models that reinforced status quo notions of normativity. We argue that understanding how teacher candidates navigate dis/ability and race talk with young children in the context of literacy instruction can lend insight into the teacher education experiences needed to support these critical conversations.

Early childhood personnel preparation programs must prepare future early educators who can counteract racism and ableism to provide all children with an equitable and just education. We applied Dis/ability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) Classroom Ecology to early childhood and specifically to preschool settings. We argue that early childhood personnel preparation programs can utilize this framework to prepare preservice early educators to facilitate more equitable experiences for Children of Color with disabilities and their families. We discuss the importance of preparing future early educators to counteract racism and ableism through their fieldwork experiences. We also provide a brief overview of DisCrit in relation to early childhood personnel preparation and present DisCrit Classroom Ecology to apply the framework components to preschool fieldwork.