As education is a powerful means of promoting sustainability, it is necessary to think and act on the (trans)formation of the professional profile of the future kindergarten teacher. As ecocentric educational practices can be a crucial point, ecocentric action competence needs to be developed. In this context, pedagogical traineeship supervisors…

The purpose of this article is to elucidate how a student teacher in Norwegian Early Childhood Education is enabled to relate practical experiences to theoretical concepts in conversations with a practicum teacher. We aim to demonstrate how the teacher and the student actually employ theoretical concepts during a practicum. The methodological…

Research has identified the importance of teaching practice in student teachers' professional development. Supervising teachers are crucial in this process. While the focus previously has mostly been on student teachers' pedagogical development, it is equally important to understand how supervisors enable development processes through their…

This study aimed to explore the changes in developing perceived dispositions of preservice early childhood education (ECE) teachers influenced by student teaching experience. A convergent mixed-method research design framework was used to collect data for the study. The study sample comprised 86 preservice teachers enrolled at a public university…

This case examines the complex partnership between the university teacher education program and the host school district. Many factors contribute to the expectations and requirements of both institutions, which can at times, conflict in fundamental ways. The theoretical and research-based methods of early childhood coursework are often different…

This case examines the complex interactions among university faculty, teacher candidates, and school-based mentor teachers during supervision. In early childhood, among other skills and dispositions, the use of developmentally appropriate practice and an equity focus are important to the overall advancement of teacher candidates' practice.…

Children in kindergarten and first grade are missing more school than at any other point during the elementary years. Some research has examined schoolwide policies and practices that might help reduce absences, but limited research has focused on the role of teachers. This is the first known study to examine the role teacher preparation programs…

This paper uses scaffolding theory to examine structures surrounding Norwegian preschool student teachers on placement in India. Through a case study involving a teacher-training programme in Norway, we explore the extent to which learning outcomes from international placements in a foreign cultural context depend on scaffolding structures. Using…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between early childhood/elementary pre-service teachers' sense of teaching efficacy and feelings of preparedness and actual performance during student teaching. Findings indicate that both perceptions of preparedness and sense of teaching efficacy increased significantly during student…

The quality of early caregiving and educational environments has a significant effect on children's later cognitive outcomes. Early childhood teachers are an important determining factor in the quality of these environments and therefore they need appropriate professional preparation. The purpose of this study was to describe the ways in which…

Video-based peer coaching and tiered supports were used to promote pre-service teachers' developmentally appropriate adult-child interactions during a semester-long learning module focusing on education, care, and early intervention for infants and toddlers. Undergraduate majors (n = 19) in their second year of an early childhood teacher education…

The aim of this article was to shed light on problematic issues related to the practical element in early childhood teacher education. We approach these questions mainly through scrutinizing and interpreting this part of kindergarten teachers' university education in Finland. We then expand our analysis to include the broader issues of job…

The article examines Danish pedagogue students' supervision during their placement periods in early childhood settings. Throughout the long history of Danish pedagogue education, discourses relating to the placement element have been located either within a "work" paradigm or a "scholastic" paradigm. These two understandings of…

Over the more than 3 decades that it has taken "zero to three" to become a field--actually the coming together of many fields--reflective supervision has evolved as the centerpiece in the attainment of high-quality, effective practice. However, there is little research evidence to support reflective supervision or practice as being central to the…

The purpose of this research was to better understand affordances and constraints of the Candidate Mentor Supervisor Model (CMSM) as experienced by teacher candidates and their mentor supervisors. The results indicated perceived benefits to teacher candidates. Candidates participating in the CMSM reported a sense of nested support within their…