Bridging ‘the gap’ – linking workplace-based and university-based learning in preschool teacher education in Sweden

Abstract

Professional experience in preschool settings comprises an important part of the education of preschool teachers. During their placements, students are expected to link theory to practice, to integrate university-based knowledge with workplace-based knowledge and skills essential for their future profession. They often refer to a perceived gap between the two contexts, university and workplace, which could be described as a ‘reality gap’, and sometimes find it hard to apply theory to practice. In the two most recent teacher education reforms in Sweden, this gap between so-called ‘theory’ and ‘practice’ is also brought to the fore and the importance of minimising the gap through collaborative strategies is emphasised. Taking these reforms as the point of departure, this article discusses workplace-based learning and its link to university-based learning in two distinctive preschool teacher education programmes in Sweden. Data sources include policy and management documents, evaluation reports and interviews with key stakeholders.

Keywords:

• preschool teacher education
• workplace-based learning
• university-based learning
• theory to practice
• collaboration/integration

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank sincerely the participants from the university and workplace contexts for dedicating their time and sharing their views on and experiences of the link between workplaces and university in preschool teacher education. This paper is based on a country report written for a cross-national study on ‘Workplace-based learning and mentoring practices in early childhood teacher education in Europe’, co-ordinated by Pamela Oberhuemer (Munich, Germany) for WiFF (Weiterbildungsinitiative Frühpädagogische Fachkräfte). The Early Years Professional Development Initiative WiFF was launched in 2009 as a joint project of the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF), the Robert Bosch Foundation (Robert Bosch Stiftung) and the German Youth Institute (Deutsches Jugendinstitut). It is funded by the BMBF and the European Social Fund (ESF) of the European Union. The full-text report in German can be downloaded at: http://www.weiterbildungsinitiative.de/publikationen/details/data/ausgewaehlte-konzepte-der-fachpraktischen-ausbildung-in-europa/.

Notes

1. In 1980, the programme was extended to five semesters and in 1993, to six semesters.

2. All quotations from policy texts and other documents are freely translated from the Swedish by the author.

3. In 1996, a right-wing coalition government came into power and replaced the previous social democrat government. Education became a key topic for this government.

4. There is no longer an intake to the 2001 programme, but students are still graduating from it. Eventually, it will fade out and will close in 2018.

5. The excerpts from interviews with stakeholders from the university context and the workplace context are freely translated from the Swedish by the author.

6. A government shift took place in September 2014. The new government is a minority government, a coalition between the Social Democrat Party and the Green Party. The previous government was a coalition between the Conservatives, the Liberals, the Christian Democrats and the Centre Party.