2023 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Studying pre-service early childhood educators' transition into the classroom: A longitudinal international comparative study
| Project/Area Number |
21K02421
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| Research Institution | Seinan Gakuin University |
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Principal Investigator |
門田 理世 西南学院大学, 人間科学部, 教授 (10352197)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2021-04-01 – 2025-03-31
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| Keywords | pre-service education / professional development / curriculum / early childhood / in-service training |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
This research will examine the relationship between pre-service teacher education and in-service teacher practices in early childhood education.
Last year, in response to the fact that the previous year's survey could not be conducted due to the COVID-19, the research methodology had to be shifted (e.g., participants of this study are not students in early childhood teacher training program but faculty members who designed the program and offered curriculum).
Based on this change, the PI (Primary Investigator) interviewed several university faculty members in NY, DE, and IL about the relationship between the existing early childhood training curriculum and in-service education in the region. As a result, briefly, a graduate school functions as a link between the undergraduate early childhood teacher training program and in-service training in the region. For example, an exclusive early childhood graduate school in Chicago offering one-year full-time program and two-year part-time program provides in-service training programs for their graduate students and their local community preschool teachers. The graduate school curriculum has been designed to a higher-order version of the undergraduate one. From these investigations, the research question, "For early childhood teacher training program, what can be a medium connect with in-service training?” come arise.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
Although the research plan has been shifted, based on mentors researchers in the US and a brief result of this year, "For early childhood teacher training program, what can be a medium connect with in-service training?” has been generated, which drove this research a further direction.
Therefore, year thrid research focus has been ways of graduate school program facilitates a relationship between early childhood teacher training program and in-service training program. The PI visited two early childhood graduate programs in DE and IL, directly interviewed two researchers in charge of the graduate programs, and a few graduate students who attend the program.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
In the final year of the project, the PI plans to hold direct discussions with the U.S. researchers this coming summer regarding the analytical methods and conduct the final interviews. In addition, the proposal of the part of this research have been accepted by the EECERA (European Early Childhood Education and Research Association) and present it in Bristol, UK, in September 2024. Furthermore, based on the review from the presentation, results will be polished and submitted to the international journal by the end of this academic year.
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| Causes of Carryover |
The budget will be used for the final research (visiting USA) and conference presentation travel expenses (to UK, Brighton). The budget will also be used to pay for external orders, software application, and part-time work to organize and analyze the collected data.
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