Perceptions of placement experiences of Early Childhood Studies students: the fluency of knowledge and skills

ABSTRACT

This paper discusses how academic support prepares undergraduate students for their workplace experience, involving cohorts of students from two universities in England, who offer an undergraduate level, three-year, Early Childhood Studies (ECS) degree. By adopting an interpretive approach, questionnaires were administered to the students concerned (n = 65), to seek their views and opinions on the placement experience. These were administered prior to them attending their first placement and then again on their return. The study found that students were more prepared than they originally perceived themselves to be when undertaking placement, and that a lack of confidence derived from fearing the unknown. The findings indicated that tutor and peer support were most valued as preparation tools and it is suggested that this support is a major factor in the confidence levels of students. This paper argues that the explicit knowledge gained from studying a degree course, and the tacit knowledge and skills that are gained through placement should be viewed as a combined approach rather than two separate entities which should, in turn, aid in confidence building. This is of significance both nationally and internationally for those who may be considering including a workplace experience within their programme.

KEYWORDS:

• Placement
• higher education
• Early Childhood Studies
• England
• workplace learning
• tacit and explicit knowledge

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kerry Holman

Kerry Holman, I joined the Early Childhood Studies teaching team in October 2015. I have worked in a range of early years settings in my career to date. Within these settings I have worked as a Learning and Development Co-ordinator, improving practice and inspiring practitioners to achieve the best outcomes for children. Whilst working in this role I completed a Masters in Early Years and gained Early Years Professional Status, on the New Leaders in Early Years Programme. I then joined a new setting and worked as a senior practitioner based in the pre-school but worked with practitioners across all rooms, then as the setting’s Early Years Teacher and Deputy Manager before I moved into the field of Further Education. In 2012 I spent time in Ghana where I worked in school evironments assisting headteachers and their teaching teams to improve practice, working with them on a range of projects within the schools. Prior to beginning work as a lecturer at the university, I taught in Further Education colleges across a range of programmes.

Currently within the university, I teach on a range of courses, across Levels 4-6 and on a variety of modules. I am also a link tutor for Early Years Teacher Trainees who are on Early Years Initial Teacher Training (EYITT) programmes and am also a mentor development tutor for staff who support these students during their placements. My research interests include the voice of the child in research, and the concept of environments in early years settings.

Outside of my academic duties, I am a member of OMEP UK (World Organisation for Early Childhood) and sit on the executive committee for this charity where I am the membership secretary.

Tanya Richardson

Tanya Richardson, is a Senior Lecturer in Early Years at Northampton University. She has previously managed and led her own ‘outstanding’ day nursery and out of school club. The nursery setting was fortunate enough to have a forest school as part of its ethos and Tanya became very interested in the impact that this environment had on children’s speech and language development. She therefore is lucky enough to have the practice wisdom that she is able to apply to the academic studies. Her PhD researched the impact that different learning and play environments have on young children’s speech and language development. She is also particularly interested in the student experience for those studying Early Childhood Studies and researches aspects with the aim to enhance this experience and produce professionals who will be excellent advocates for children and their families.