‘Now it goes to my blood’: Australian early career preschool teachers’ experiences of learning theories of child development at university

Résumé fourni par la source

Concerns with the quality and quantity of early childhood educators’ skills and knowledge in theories of child development in Australian early childhood education have persisted for over a decade. This alleged child development theory-practice gap appears problematic in light of a well-established body of evidence attesting to the need for, and value of, child development knowledge when working with preschool-aged children. This multiple case study asks what informs three early career preschool teachers’ use of theories of child development in their daily practice. Analysing interview data through a Freirean inspired conceptual framework illustrates how participants’ experiences might reflect oppression, marginalisation, or liberation. Participants agree there is a child development theory-practice gap upon entering the workforce but, contrasting with Australian Government critiques of the gap, it was not portrayed as highly problematic. Although there was some evidence of oppressive and marginalising factors informing participants’ use of child development theories, a sense of liberation was prominent. Professional development, pragmatism, enlightenment, connection, and intuition were portrayed as highly influential upon participants’ daily practice. This multiple case study provides opportunity for international comparisons of early career preschool teachers’ experiences of learning theories of child development in initial teacher education programmes.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.