A Content Analysis of Early Childhood Teachers' Theoretical and Practical Experiences with Infants and Toddlers in Australian Teacher Education Programs

Autor/inn/en	Garvis, Susanne; Lemon, Narelle; Pendergast, Donna; Yim, Bonnie
Titel	A Content Analysis of Early Childhood Teachers' Theoretical and Practical Experiences with Infants and Toddlers in Australian Teacher Education Programs
Quelle	In: Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 38 (2013) 9, Artikel 3 (13 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0313-5373
Schlagwörter	Content Analysis; Early Childhood Education; Preschool Teachers; Infants; Toddlers; Foreign Countries; Teacher Qualifications; Teacher Education Programs; Child Care; Web Sites; Futures (of Society); Program Content; Course Content; Program Evaluation; Knowledge Level; Knowledge Base for Teaching; Australia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Inhaltsanalyse; Early childhood; Education; Frühkindliche Bildung; Frühpädagogik; Pre-school education; Preschool education; Erzieher; Erzieherin; Kindergärtnerin; Vorschulerziehung; Vorschule; Infant; Toddler; Toddlers; Kleinkind; Infants; Ausland; Lehrqualifikation; Kinderfürsorge; Kinderbetreuung; Web-Design; Future; Society; Zukunft; Programmgestaltung; Kursprogramm; Programme evaluation; Programmevaluation; Wissensbasis; Teaching theory; Theory of teaching; Unterrichtstheorie; Australien
Abstract	In Australia, the growth in the provision of early childhood services for very young children aged birth to three years has placed increased demands on pre-service teachers as new policy stipulates the need for qualified early childhood teachers. While many teacher education programs offer early childhood courses, they have traditionally had a greater focus on kindergarten and the formal years of schooling. Less is known about the amount of time devoted to developing the specialist educational capacity for teaching and caring for infants and toddlers. This paper explores 55 Australian early childhood teacher undergraduate education programs to provide data regarding what pre-service teachers learn about children from birth to three years of age during their formal program of study. It explores: if pre-service teachers engage in practical experiences with this age range; what content they learn; and how knowledge for this age range is assessed. Utilising information from fully accessible public program websites, data in the form of course details were examined to reveal the extent and nature of courses inclusive of teaching and learning focusing on children aged from birth to three years. Of the 55 programs, 18 programs provided practical experience with infants and toddlers, and to a lesser extent content was evident and assessed. Most of the programs which included a focus on birth to three years of age were delivered by Victorian institutions. Findings are important for the future of early childhood teacher education in Australia and hold key messages for teacher registration bodies. (Contains 3 tables.) (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Edith Cowan University. Bradford Street, Mount Lawley, West Australia 6050, Australia. Web site: http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10