Exploring preservice teachers’ belief changes during early childhood education teaching practicum in China: A case study

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.

KEYWORDS:

• Early childhood education
• ecological system
• preservice teachers
• teachers’ beliefs
• teacher agency

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities for Shaan Xi Normal University [20SZYB09]; Project ”How to prepare a good teacher” funded by the International Joint Research Project of Huiyan International College, Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University [ICER201905]; Shaan Xi Province Social Sciences and Humanities Research Funding [2018Q17]; Project ”The pathway and mechanism for preparing the international education competence of preservice teachers” funded by Huiyan International College, Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University [2022HICR0007].

Notes on contributors

Ling Li

Ling Li, PhD now is an assistant professor at Shaan Xi Normal University. The data was collected when she was in The Chinese University of HongKong, and completed when in Shaan Xi Normal University. Her research interests include quality assurance of pre-service teacher education and teachers’ beliefs.

Jia Li Huang

Jia Li Huang, PhD is a professor in the Centre of Teacher Education Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China. Her research focuses on the quality assurance in teacher education and learning of pre-service teacher.